James 1:22-27 NASB,NASB

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27

Deeds, not words. 1. The right spirit for the Christian is the receptive ; ready to hear, and to receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is to be as the seed falling on the good ground (comp. Matthew 13:3 , etc). A heathen philosopher has noted that man has two ears and only one mouth ; showing that he should be more ready to hear than to speak. 2. A receptive spirit is not alone sufficient. Action must follow. Holy Scripture is a mirror, in which a man may see... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27

The law of the new life. "Ye know this, my beloved brethren;" viz. that ye have been begotten again by God. But now, from this vantage-ground, he presses the necessity of a consistent life. They have espoused, by God's grace, a new ideal of character and conduct; let their whole life show forth its power. This is the topic of the whole passage, and it divides itself very naturally into the related subjects of—meekness, self-knowledge, and practical religion (see Punchard, in Bishop... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:22

They are not merely to receive and hear the Word; they must also act upon it. Compare St. Paul's teaching in Romans 2:13 , "For not the hearers ( ἀκροαταὶ ) of a law are just before God, but the doers of a law shall be justified." ἀκροατής occurs nowhere else except in these passages. Deceiving your own selves ( παραλογίζειν ); to lead astray by false reasonings; only here and in Colossians 2:4 . Not uncommon in the LXX . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:22-25

Hearers and doers. The writer has said in James 1:21 that the wise hearer is a " receiver " of the Word, and he now proceeds to emphasize the fact that he is also a "doer" of it. " Receiving " represents the root of the Christian life, and "doing" indicates its fruit. I. THE INJUNCTION . ( James 1:22 ) Very many hearers of the gospel are not sufficiently upon their guard against the dreadful danger of being " hearers only." Some, when the service is over, seldom think... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:23-24

Illustration from life, showing the folly of being led astray. His natural face ( τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ); literally, the face of his birth. The expression is an unusual one, but there is no doubt of its meaning. In a glass ; rather, in a mirror , ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ : cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12 , δἰ ἐσόπτρου . The mirror of burnished brass. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:24

Observe the tenses; literally, He considered ( κατενόησε ) himself , and has gone away ( ἀπελήλυθε ), and straightway forgot ( ἐπελάθετο ) what he was like (compare note on James 1:11 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:25

Application of the illustration in the form of a contrast. Looketh into ( παρακύψας ). For the literal sense of the word, see John 20:5 , John 20:11 ; Luke 24:12 . The figurative meaning occurs only here and in 1 Peter 1:12 . Properly it signifies to "peep into." See its use in the LXX ., Genesis 26:8 ; Proverbs 7:6 ; Ecclesiasticus 21:23. When used figuratively, it conveys the idea of looking into, but scarcely with that intensive force which is often given to it and for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:26

Seem ( δοκεῖ ); seems to himself rather than to others; translate, with R.V., thinketh himself to be. Vulgate, Si quis Putat se esse. Religious ( θρῆσκος ) . It is difficult to find an English word which exactly answers to the Greek. The noun θρησκεία refers properly to the external rites of religion, and so gets to signify an over-scrupulous devotion to external forms (Lightfoot on Colossians 2:18 ); almost "ritualism." It is the ceremonial service of religion, the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:26-27

The true ritualism. These two verses enforce by an example what those immediately preceding illustrate by a simile. The words "religious" and "religion" denote external religious service—the body, or outward attire of godliness, rather than its inward spirit. The apostle indicates in these two sentences the "work" of which every one who truly "receives" the gospel is a "doer." I. AN EXAMPLE OF VAIN RELIGIOUS SERVICE . ( James 1:26 ) This statement points back to the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:19-27

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:22

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:22-25

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:23-24

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:24

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:25

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:26

The Pulpit Commentary - James 1:26-27

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