What kind of Christians should we be? How do we know that we are the right kind of Christian? The good news is that the Bible gives us all kinds of practical details on what God expects from his children and in the Book of James he references three types of people that are found in the church. James tells Christians to be doers of the word. And that this is the best kind of Christian.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. James 1:22-25 ESV
Three Types of People
James writes vivid descriptions to describe how our minds work when it comes to following Jesus. In the next section we will dive into the three types of Christians that go to church. We all know we want to be doers of the word but it might be helpful if we explore what that means and also take a look at the other two types of people that James warns us to not be.
Action without Hearing
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. James 19-21 ESV
The first type of person is the one who is a doer but not a hearer. That is a person who is all action and no understanding. Zeal without logic. James opens with be quick to hear and slow to speak, slow to anger. Or to put it another way be quick to hear and slow to act. Listen first and act after one has understood the mind of God on a topic.
Reacting and following your heart leads to filthiness and rampant wickedness. This type of lifestyle will not save your soul and leads to all kinds of sin. Be a doer of the word requires that we actually know the word.
Hearing with no Action
The second type is the hearer who does not act on what he hears. This reminds me of the over educated in society. People who spend all their time researching facts and details that get in the way of pressing forward. In the meme world this people are the mid curve.
always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7 ESV
If you go to church and hear the preacher preach a wonderful message. You then go to the preacher and tell him great sermon but then by the time you get home from lunch the sermon is gone from memory. James likens this to looking intently in a mirror and then forgetting what you look like.
Overeducated
Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new…. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. Acts 17:21; 32-33 ESV
These people in Athens wanted to hear something new but they had no desire to act on what they hear. Paul brings them the message of Jesus resurrected and some of them went to Paul and said great sermon we will be back next week. Be doers of the word requires that you will respond to the message of God that is in front of you.
Hearers and Doers
James tells us to be doers of the word. People who hear, know, internalize the message of God. That message is Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected to life on the third day. Be people who know this gospel and then act on it. Jesus died for me therefore I will repent and submit my life to him. Be doers of the word.
James 2:24 | Faith and Works Alone | Human Effort
[…] δικαιόω (dikaioō) which means to render righteous. James says that one is justified by work and by faith. While Paul says that one is justified by faith apart from work. Since they use the same Greek word […]