21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:21-27 KJV)
Doers—Not Hearers Only
Here, we see that we are also called to suppress other corrupt affections besides anger: “Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness” (James 1:21). The word translated “filthiness” refers to lusts of a disgraceful and sensual kind, and “overflow of wickedness” to the abundance of malice or other sins. Christians must not only reject gross and fleshly desires, but also any disorder of the heart that might resist God’s word.
Sin is defiling—it is called filthiness. There is an abundance of evil in us to watch against—overflowing wickedness. We must cast off evil affections entirely. “You shall cast them away as an unclean thing; you shall say to them, ‘Get away!'” (Isaiah 30:22). This includes not only outward sins but also sins of thought, affection, speech, and practice—”all filthiness.” The removal of such sins is necessary in times of affliction and for rightly receiving and applying the word of truth.
We are also instructed concerning how we hear God’s word. We must prepare ourselves by removing corrupt affections and prejudices that twist judgment and blind the mind (James 1:21).
We are to receive the engrafted word with meekness, which is able to save our souls. That means agreeing with its truth, submitting to its commands, and allowing it to bear fruit in us like a graft does in a tree. We must yield ourselves to it with humility, being willing to hear correction and desiring to be shaped by gospel truth.
In all our hearing, our goal should be the salvation of our souls. The word of God is meant to make us wise unto salvation, and to seek anything less is to dishonor the gospel (Romans 1:16).
After hearing, we must also do what the word says (James 1:22). Hearing alone will not help us if we do not obey. Even if we heard a sermon daily from an angel, it would do us no good without obedience.
“There must be inward practice through meditation, and outward practice in true obedience” (Baxter). It is not enough to remember, recite, or praise the word—we must live by it.
Those who only hear deceive themselves. The Greek word paralogizomenoi implies they argue falsely with themselves, thinking that hearing alone fulfills their duty. But having knowledge without action leaves the heart empty of love and the life fruitless. Self-deceit will prove to be the worst kind.
The apostle then compares the word to a mirror (James 1:23-25). Just as a mirror shows blemishes so they can be washed away, God’s word reveals our sins so we may repent. Some mirrors flatter, but God’s word does not. It honestly shows our true nature. Paul, for instance, didn’t realize his inward corruption until he looked into the mirror of the law: “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died” (Romans 7:9).
When we use God’s word to see ourselves, correct our faults, and shape our character, we use it properly. But those who look into this mirror and then forget what they saw are like those who hear the word but do not act on it (James 1:24). Many are convicted while listening, but once it ends, the conviction fades, and nothing changes.
Dr. Manton said the law reveals our sins, and the gospel shows Christ’s blood as the remedy. But if we forget our sins and the remedy, the hearing has been wasted.
Those who hear and obey are blessed (James 1:25). The gospel is a perfect law of liberty—it frees us from sin and death. Unlike the ceremonial law, it liberates. In hearing the word, we must study and continue in it, letting it shape our hearts and lives. Those who live by the word will be blessed in their actions, just as Psalm 1 teaches.
The blessing lies not in hearing alone but in doing. “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17). It is not talk but obedience that brings us to heaven.
Finally, the apostle explains how to distinguish between vain and true religion (James 1:26-27).
A vain religion is marked by outward show and lack of control over the tongue. When people are eager to appear religious but speak harshly or critically, their religion is empty.
Not bridling the tongue—especially by gossip, slander, or spiritual pride—reveals a graceless heart. Those who hurt others with their words cannot truly love God. In James’s time, such sins were common, and they are a sure sign of hypocrisy.
The more eager people are to appear holy, the more likely they are to tear down others. A careless tongue proves a weak religion.
In vain religion, a person deceives their own heart. Continual self-exaltation and criticism of others can harden one’s heart and complete their self-deception.
In contrast, true religion is pure and undefiled before God. It is not mixed with human inventions or worldly corruption. A righteous life and a charitable heart are signs of genuine faith (1 John 3:10). True religion seeks to please God, living in His sight and for His approval.
It involves compassion: visiting or helping the fatherless and widows in their affliction. These are often the most neglected, but they represent all in need. Being charitable is a fundamental part of true religion.
It also involves purity: keeping oneself unspotted from the world. The world easily stains the soul, and it’s hard to interact with it without becoming defiled. John sums up the world’s temptations as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Avoiding these keeps us unspotted. May God’s grace help us to keep both our hearts and lives free from the love of the world and its temptations.