Doers of the Word: Blessed (1:22, 25)

The better alternative of being "doers" (RSV) is introduced in 1:22 and then described further in 1:25. The initial imperative in 1:22, Do not merely listen to the word. . . . Do what it says, probably again recalls parts of Jesus' own sermons, such as Matthew 7:21-27 and Luke 6:46-49. Instead of a relativistic, superstitious, emotional or theoretical approach to the word of God, James urges a practical approach. Do what the word says. The chief fact which James emphasizes about doers of the word is that they will be blessed.

1. What is the pattern of the blessedness? The phrases flow from James's heart, dramatizing the pattern of being blessed and making his appeal more emphatic. Forms of the verbs do and forget are repeated from 1:23-24, maintaining clear contrasts with the pattern of deception. The pattern by which one is blessed is stated in four successive terms rather than portrayed through an analogy.

Looks intently. This is a participle parakypsas which continues the image of a person looking into a mirror. Now, however, the person is looking into the word of God itself, which is worthy of an intent look because it is the perfect law that gives freedom.

Continues. The looking is now augmented by a second participle, parameinas, for James means we should not only look intently but also persist in looking.

Not forgetting. Still not satisfied with the emphasis, James further adds, literally, "being not a hearer of forgetfulness."

But doing. The full participial phrase makes a striking contrast of images: "being not a hearer of forgetfulness but a doer of action."

After this piling of phrases for emphasis, the conclusion of the sentence is like a climax reached within this one verse. This is the crowning goal of looking intently, continuing to do so and not forgetting but doing: He will be blessed [makarios] in what he does [poiesei]. The statement recalls two dramatic scenes in Jesus' teaching ministry, once again revealing how studiously James has learned the teachings of his half-brother who had become so thoroughly his Lord. The first, of course, would be the Beatitudes, in which Jesus repeated the same term "blessed" makarios. That scene exhibits how the term makarios took on a particularly Christian and eschatological content in the New Testament, where the Greek term occurs fifty times and forty-four of them are beatitudes. Jesus based blessedness specifically on the coming of his kingdom, and the blessedness was often identified in paradoxical contrast to the world's usual standards for happiness. Jesus made it a point to declare "blessed" those who were poor, mourning and persecuted. Now James is writing to Christians who are often poor, mourning and persecuted, and his promise of blessedness carries this Christian content. True blessedness—the joy of Christ's kingdom—comes not by escaping trials but by doing the word of the Lord.

The second scene would be the Last Supper, at which Jesus washed his disciples' feet, instructed them about servanthood from his example and concluded, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed [makarioi] if you do [poiete] them" (Jn 13:17). It was not enough for Jesus that his disciples "know these things." Likewise, it is not enough for James that his readers be hearers of the word. Blessing is found in the doing of God's will through a life of active obedience.

2. What then is the nature of the word? In contrast to the hearer who is deceived, the doer is blessed. What is the nature of the word that makes it something which brings blessing? It is, literally, the perfect law of freedom. The phrase is unique to James in the New Testament, occurring only here and in 2:12. The primacy of freedom in the nature of the word is significant in two regards.

First, this is one of the phrases in James indicating that he is using the term law (nomos) with a connotation different from Paul's in Galatians or Romans. Paul would write about the law as an avenue by which one might attempt to attain a standing of righteousness before the holy God. In this respect, law would have to be treated in contrast to faith. James, however, is speaking of moral law as the deeds of the righteous life that God desires. The teachings of Jesus would especially be the perfect law to which James refers. As discussed in this volume's introduction, there is no need for the book of James to be read as a response to the Pauline letters. It is entirely clear and appropriate as a pre-Pauline encouragement by James for scattered, persecuted Christians to remain true to the word of God. By living according to this word, or law, they could live in true freedom in spite of their oppressors, for they would have the freedom to enter the kingdom of heaven and to live righteous lives. This theme in James can be seen to flow readily from Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:17-20 and 7:21, 24.

Second, the emphasis on freedom shows James's integration of his Old Testament Jewish tradition and the teachings of Jesus. The Old Testament certainly emphasized the blessing inherent in obeying God's laws. Jesus then emphasized his commitment to fulfill the law (Mt 5:17) and to give freedom (Jn 8:36). For James now, the perfect law that gives freedom is the very word of which he has been speaking. His warning against being "deceived" (with two different verbs in 1:16 and 1:22) is motivated by his assurance that we have, in contrast to deception, a real "word of truth" from God. This word of truth is a "perfect gift . . . from above," for it gives us birth, it saves us and it gives us freedom. So it is again described as perfect in 1:25. Especially for people who tend to think of God's word as a collection of burdensome, guilt-producing demands, James is a marvelous corrective model. He exhibits the admiration for the perfection of God's will and the delight in doing God's will which are to be normative for God's people according to both the Old Testament (Ps 19:7-11) and the New (Mt 7:21; Jn 14:15).

3. How would one be a doer of the word today? What we believe about the nature of Scripture affects how we use Scripture. Some people, believing Scripture to be a list of performance demands, use it to see how to perform more and more instead of looking into Scripture for truly biblical standards of how God wants us to live. Others, with a more relativistic belief, use Scripture selectively; they accept what they feel comfortable doing while simply ignoring the more difficult steps of faith commanded in the Bible. Often this selective approach comes from fear of the demands of Christ's lordship; we simply do not fully believe that his word is the perfect law that gives freedom.

To find the freedom promised here, one would have to take the four stages in the pattern of blessedness and put them into practice. These are not to be four more steps added onto other humanly devised performance standards. Rather, these are the steps to take first with Scripture, so that Scripture can then reorder the rest of one's life.

Looks intently. We will search the Scriptures. We can go beyond a superficial devotional reading. We will bother to learn sound principles of inductive study so that we can dig deeply into the word and feed ourselves from Scripture.

Continues. We will stay in Scripture. We can learn to be regular and habitual, rather than occasional, in our Bible study.

Not forgetting. We will learn Scripture. We can study it so as to know its content and to remember it in our daily lives. Memorizing Scripture passages is an excellent discipline for the practice of this third step.

But doing. We will apply Scripture. We can afford to leave our mirrors behind because our reflections are useless. But Scripture is another matter. We need it in our daily lives. We will take Scripture into our thinking, submit our minds to it and formulate our beliefs by what it says. We will make decisions by Scripture—about how we will respond to trials, what goals we will pursue, how we will spend time and money, how we will use our tongues. We will dare to live by the word of God.

The church is much weakened today by the defective approaches to Scripture that I have mentioned. In one verse James has spread out the blueprint for how Christians can equip themselves with the word of God for freedom and blessing.