Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,288
James 1:19-25 BSB
“19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
“22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.”
Biblical Faith in Action
So many people today are teaching a “gospel” message absent of biblical repentance and obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And they are giving the sinners the impression that they can “believe in Jesus” and yet still continue in sin without having to obey the Lord. But that is not biblical faith which saves. So, rather than confront them with their sins, and call them to repentance, they coddle them in their sins and tell them lies, which if they believe them, and act on them, will land them in hell, not in heaven.
So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their correct biblical context. And this is one of those passages of Scripture which gives us a correct biblical understanding, both of what it looks like to profess faith in Jesus but to not live what is professed, and what it looks like if our faith is genuine biblical faith which is being acted out in our daily lives. For faith in Jesus Christ is not based on what we profess with our lips, but on what we do by our actions in obeying the Word of the Lord, doing what he teaches.
Doers and Not Hearers Only
The Scriptures are emphatic that we must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. They don’t demand absolute perfection, but they do insist that we must put sin to death in our lives and now live in obedience to our Lord as a matter of life practice, how we live day in, day out. We must get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the Word planted in us which can save our souls.
And then we need to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Otherwise we are deceiving ourselves if we think salvation has been granted to us, as well as eternal life with God, with no requirements that we die to sin and obey God with our lives. And I think this is a great illustration written down for us here in this passage of Scripture which gives us an excellent look at what this looks like if all we do is verbalize faith in Jesus Christ but we do not put the Word of God into practice in our daily lives. Words can be cheap.
A Look Into the Mirror
Now, not everyone may have a mirror that they can look into to see what they really look like, but many of us do. But a mirror is something which reflects what we look like in real life. By looking in the mirror we can see ourselves as others see us from a physical perspective. But this is being used in a spiritual sense here which has to do with us taking a good and honest look at ourselves, and who we are, and how we live, and what needs to be done to correct any wrongs, and yet to walk away and ignore it all.
Many people do that. They know that what they are doing is wrong. They know what needs to be done to correct it. But they willfully choose to forget and to walk away from it all and then to continue on a sinful course. But those who look intently into the perfect law of freedom, which is the Word of God, and the gospel of our salvation, and not just look, but who act on what they are hearing and learning by putting it into practice, they will be blessed in what they do because they are not forgetful, but are doers of the Word.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
In Faithfulness He Leads Me
Based off Various Scriptures:
(Psalms 26:3; Psalms 86:11; Psalms 91:4-5; Psalms 111:7-8; Psalms 119:73-76; Isaiah 25:1-9; Isaiah 42:6-7; Hosea 2:16-20)
An Original Work / March 20, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Teach me Your ways, Lord, and I’ll walk in them.
Give me a pure heart. I’ll fear Your name.
Your love is always, ever before me.
Continually I’ll walk in Your truth.
You will cover me with feathers.
Under Your wings I’ll find refuge.
My Lord’s faithfulness will be my
Comfort and my shield.
The works of His hands are faithful and just.
Trustworthy are all of His precepts.
Your hands have made me, and they have formed me.
Give understanding of Your commands.
I have put my hope, O Lord, in Your word.
Your teachings, O Lord, are righteousness.
Lord, in faithfulness You have
Afflicted me so I may learn of
Your unfailing love and comfort
And Your truthfulness.
You are my husband; You have betrothed me
In love, compassion and faithfulness.
O Lord, You are my God, I’ll exalt You.
In faithfulness You’ve done wondrous things.
You’ve been a refuge for those who’re needy;
A shelter in storms; shade from the heat.
This is the Lord, we trusted in Him,
Let us be glad and rejoice
In His salvation which He
Provided through the Lamb.
Open the blind eyes; free all the captives.
Tell them of Jesus: “Be born again!”
Doers and Not Hearers Only
An Original Work / July 10, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
“19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
“22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.”
Biblical Faith in Action
So many people today are teaching a “gospel” message absent of biblical repentance and obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And they are giving the sinners the impression that they can “believe in Jesus” and yet still continue in sin without having to obey the Lord. But that is not biblical faith which saves. So, rather than confront them with their sins, and call them to repentance, they coddle them in their sins and tell them lies, which if they believe them, and act on them, will land them in hell, not in heaven.
So, we need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their correct biblical context. And this is one of those passages of Scripture which gives us a correct biblical understanding, both of what it looks like to profess faith in Jesus but to not live what is professed, and what it looks like if our faith is genuine biblical faith which is being acted out in our daily lives. For faith in Jesus Christ is not based on what we profess with our lips, but on what we do by our actions in obeying the Word of the Lord, doing what he teaches.
Doers and Not Hearers Only
The Scriptures are emphatic that we must deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. They don’t demand absolute perfection, but they do insist that we must put sin to death in our lives and now live in obedience to our Lord as a matter of life practice, how we live day in, day out. We must get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the Word planted in us which can save our souls.
And then we need to be doers of the Word and not hearers only. Otherwise we are deceiving ourselves if we think salvation has been granted to us, as well as eternal life with God, with no requirements that we die to sin and obey God with our lives. And I think this is a great illustration written down for us here in this passage of Scripture which gives us an excellent look at what this looks like if all we do is verbalize faith in Jesus Christ but we do not put the Word of God into practice in our daily lives. Words can be cheap.
A Look Into the Mirror
Now, not everyone may have a mirror that they can look into to see what they really look like, but many of us do. But a mirror is something which reflects what we look like in real life. By looking in the mirror we can see ourselves as others see us from a physical perspective. But this is being used in a spiritual sense here which has to do with us taking a good and honest look at ourselves, and who we are, and how we live, and what needs to be done to correct any wrongs, and yet to walk away and ignore it all.
Many people do that. They know that what they are doing is wrong. They know what needs to be done to correct it. But they willfully choose to forget and to walk away from it all and then to continue on a sinful course. But those who look intently into the perfect law of freedom, which is the Word of God, and the gospel of our salvation, and not just look, but who act on what they are hearing and learning by putting it into practice, they will be blessed in what they do because they are not forgetful, but are doers of the Word.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
In Faithfulness He Leads Me
Based off Various Scriptures:
(Psalms 26:3; Psalms 86:11; Psalms 91:4-5; Psalms 111:7-8; Psalms 119:73-76; Isaiah 25:1-9; Isaiah 42:6-7; Hosea 2:16-20)
An Original Work / March 20, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Teach me Your ways, Lord, and I’ll walk in them.
Give me a pure heart. I’ll fear Your name.
Your love is always, ever before me.
Continually I’ll walk in Your truth.
You will cover me with feathers.
Under Your wings I’ll find refuge.
My Lord’s faithfulness will be my
Comfort and my shield.
The works of His hands are faithful and just.
Trustworthy are all of His precepts.
Your hands have made me, and they have formed me.
Give understanding of Your commands.
I have put my hope, O Lord, in Your word.
Your teachings, O Lord, are righteousness.
Lord, in faithfulness You have
Afflicted me so I may learn of
Your unfailing love and comfort
And Your truthfulness.
You are my husband; You have betrothed me
In love, compassion and faithfulness.
O Lord, You are my God, I’ll exalt You.
In faithfulness You’ve done wondrous things.
You’ve been a refuge for those who’re needy;
A shelter in storms; shade from the heat.
This is the Lord, we trusted in Him,
Let us be glad and rejoice
In His salvation which He
Provided through the Lamb.
Open the blind eyes; free all the captives.
Tell them of Jesus: “Be born again!”
Doers and Not Hearers Only
An Original Work / July 10, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
