The book of James is filled with practical instructions for our lives as Christians. In the following passage, James discussed, in practical terms, how to be righteous.
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:19-22).
Our aim is to “achieve the righteousness of God.” How do we do that? James outlined four steps we can take to reach this goal.
Be Quick to Hear
We must first have a willingness to listen. In context, this is about hearing the word of God. Paul told Timothy that the Scriptures, which have been given by the inspiration of God, are “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Without God’s word being revealed to us, we would not know the way of righteousness. This is why, after giving the parable of the sower, Jesus called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8).
However, it is not enough simply to be “quick to hear.” We must also be “slow to speak.” We often tend to be quick to respond to whatever is being said or taught to us. When we do this, we are responding with what we already know or think; yet we do not learn anything this way. We need to listen because we do not know everything. Job had to learn this lesson after he questioned God: “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; even twice, and I will add nothing more” (Job 40:4-5). We must learn to recognize the times when we need to be quiet and listen so that we can receive instruction.
In being “quick to hear,” we also must be “slow to anger.” If we are to benefit from any instruction in righteousness, we cannot react emotionally (especially with anger) when we hear something that differs from what we have previously believed or that calls us to repent. Anger does not lead to righteousness because it prevents us from rationally arriving at the truth. God expects us to think clearly and “reason together” (Isaiah 1:18) in order to come to an understanding of the truth. This is why Paul made it his custom to reason from the Scriptures and explain and give evidence for the things he taught (Acts 17:2-3). Those who are “quick to hear” and “slow to anger” will appreciate this and respond by verifying and then accepting the truth, just as the noble-minded Bereans did (Acts 17:11).
Put Aside All Filthiness
The filthiness we are to put aside is of a moral nature (sin). We know that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23), but we are expected to put this away from us. John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…” (1 John 2:1). That is the goal we are striving for – to be sinless like Christ (1 Peter 2:21-22).
As we set aside filthiness, we are also to put away “all that remains of wickedness.” This is more than just doing what is wrong. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines this term as having a “desire to injure” and “not ashamed to break the laws.” In other words, this describes someone who does not feel guilty for their sins. They no longer “know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15). Our conscience, when trained properly, is designed to keep us from doing wrong. However, it is possible to become “seared in [our] conscience” (1 Timothy 4:2), which makes it much more difficult to turn from sin.
Paul explained to the Romans that we will either be slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness, depending on which master we “present [ourselves] …as slaves for obedience” (Romans 6:16-18). As Christians, we must not “continue in sin” (Romans 6:1), but instead “consider [ourselves] to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
Receive the Word Implanted
We have already discussed the importance of listening. We need to be “quick to hear” the word of God. This is obviously important, but merely hearing the word does not make us righteous. The Athenians were very eager to listen to what Paul had to say about Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:17-21), but most of them ended up ridiculing the message or refusing to make a decision about it (Acts 17:32). The governor Felix sent for Paul often and listened to him, but would not respond to the message until he could “find time” (Acts 24:24-27). Responses like these do not result in righteousness.
More than just listening to the word, it must be planted in our hearts. The Hebrew writer quoted the prophecy from Jeremiah about how God’s word would be written on the hearts of His people (Hebrews 8:10). In order for the word to be written on our hearts today, we must take the time and make the effort to study the Scriptures. Paul told Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Then, once we study, we need to meditate on what we have learned so that it can become embedded in our consciousness. The psalmist spoke of the effectiveness of this: “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (Psalm 119:97).
The only way we will be motivated to do the work of studying and meditating upon the Scriptures to make sure they are implanted in our hearts, is if we believe that God’s word is truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). If we do not believe this, we will quickly lose interest and move on to something else.
After the word is planted in our hearts, it should naturally produce fruit. In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on the “good soil…produced a crop a hundred times as great” (Luke 8:8). This outcome is produced among those “who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast” (Luke 8:15). As we work to develop this type of heart and allow the word of God to take root, we must then continue to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
Be Doers of the Word
As we consider the steps James has outlined so far, we have seen the importance of hearing God’s word, studying it, meditating upon it, and believing it to be true. However, if we only hear God’s word and do not obey it, James said we are deceiving ourselves. Jesus put it this way: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21-23). To please God, we must do His will. If instead we do things that constitute lawlessness (that which He has not commanded or authorized), He will reject us.
Righteousness is not a “status” granted to us arbitrarily. John explained that we must do what God expects us to do in order to be counted as righteous: “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous” (1 John 3:7). As Paul explained to the Romans, obedience results in righteousness (Romans 6:16).
Earlier in his letter to the saints in Rome, Paul quoted from Habakkuk to say that “the righteous…live by faith” (Romans 1:17). However, this faith is not merely a mental acknowledgement of who God is and what Jesus has done for us. It must be an obedient faith. Paul received his “apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles” (Romans 1:5). James bluntly stated, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). Remember we “receive the word implanted, which is able to save [our] souls” (James 1:21), and Jesus is “to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9). Therefore, we must be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers.”
Conclusion
If we have the lofty goal to “achieve the righteousness of God,” we do not need anything that will hinder this, including anger, wickedness, and arrogance. Instead, we need to focus on what will help us achieve it – listening, repentance, humility, and obedience. If we do these things, we can be counted by God as righteous.
