Living Faith Obeys (2/5)

Living Faith

By Pastor Dan Williams, May 04, 2025

Letter of James

James 1:19–27 [NLT] 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

“THE WORD”

  • OT: ”word” = divine communication which comes from God to men in the form of commandment, prophecy, warning or encouragement.
  • NT: ‘logos & rhēmaa’ = message of Christian gospel. To early church the “word” was a message revealed from God in J, which was to be preached, ministered & obeyed.

where “the Word” goes.

James 1:21 (NLT) …and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

  • def: ”accept” = Receive, believe, welcome & take hold of…

2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT) All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.

James 1:19–21,26-27 (NLT) 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. 21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives,…

26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

what “the Word” says.

James 1:22-25 (NLT) 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

who “the Word” is.

John 1:1 (NLT) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Hebrews 1:1–3 (NLT) Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son… The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God. Romans 5:19 (NLT) Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

What Now ?

Start doing “the word” you’ve already heard.

James 1:22 (NLT) “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”


Continuing The Conversation

1. Why do you thinking it’s so difficult for us to “humbly accept” God’s word?

2. Think about a recent moment of conviction, correction, or encouragement from Scripture. Are you open to it, or brushing it aside?

3. When you look into God's Word like a mirror, what do you see—and what needs to change?

4. Are you relating to the Bible more like a set of rules—or a relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Himself?

a. How would your Bible reading change if you saw it as time spent with Jesus, not just checking off a task?