If you have attended a Christian church for any length of time how has your life measurably improved? What have you learned about God, the world and yourself that you most likely would not have known apart from attending? What part does the Bible have in your Christian experience and growth? The epistle of James is a practical pedagogy, written to persecuted Messianic Jews, highly relevant to today's Christians.

1. James 1:22-25

2. WHY ARE SO MANY CHRISTIANS
UNLEARNED?
"Why is it that the vast majority of
Christian believers remain largely
unexposed to Christian learning, to
historical-critical studies of the Bible, to
the content and structure of the great
doctrines, to two thousand years of classic
works on the Christian life, to basic
disciplines of theology, biblical languages,
Christian ethics?”

3. “Why do bankers, lawyers, farmers,
physicians, homemakers, scientists,
salespeople, managers of all sorts,
people who carry out all kinds of
complicated tasks in their work and
home, remain at a literalist,
elementary school level in their
religious understanding?”
WHY ARE SO MANY CHRISTIANS
UNLEARNED?

4. “How is it that high school age church
members move easily and quickly into
the complex world of computers,
foreign languages, DNA, and calculus,
and cannot even make a beginning in
historical-critical interpretation of a
single text of Scripture?”
WHY ARE SO MANY CHRISTIANS
UNLEARNED?

5. “How is it possible one can attend or
even teach in a Sunday school for
decades and at the end of that time
lack the interpretive skills of someone
who has taken three or four weeks in
an introductory course in Bible at a
university or seminary?"
Edward Farley,
Theologia: The Fragmentation and Unity
of Theological Education (1983)
WHY ARE SO MANY CHRISTIANS
UNLEARNED?

6. Martin Luther’s Critique of the Church
“The deplorable conditions which I recently
encountered when I was a visitor constrained me to
prepare this brief and simple catechism or
statement of Christian teaching. Good God, what
wretchedness I beheld! The common people,
especially those who live in the country, have no
knowledge whatever of Christian teaching, and
unfortunately many pastors are quite incompetent
and unfitted for teaching. Although the people are
supposed to be Christian, are baptized, and receive
the holy sacrament, they do not know the Lord's
Prayer, the Creed, or the Ten Commandments, they
live as if they were pigs and irrational beasts, and
now that the Gospel has been restored, they have
mastered the fine art of abusing liberty.”

7. “Spiritual Formation”
of church leadership
Patristic Period – Reformation
Ø Character Development
Ø Academic Achievement
Ø Skill Acquisition

8. (1:18) “the word of truth”
(1:21) “the implanted word”
(1:22) “the word”
(1:25) “the perfect law of liberty”
(2:8) “the royal law”
(2:12) “the law of liberty”
The Word of God
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.

9. Those
who
hear &
do
Those
who
hear
but
don’t
do
(22) (23-24)
Looking
into the
law to
do the
work
(25)
Taming
the
tongue
Caring
for
others
(26) (27) (27)

10. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is
a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is
like a man observing his natural face in a
mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away,
and immediately forgets what kind of man
he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect
law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this
one will be blessed in what he does.

11. The man with the
mirror
Observes (23-24)
Goes away (24)
Forgets (24)
The believer with
the Word
(25) Looks into
(25) Perseveres
(25) Acts
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and
of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.

12. THE DANGER (22)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.
“be” (present middle imperative) = “keep on becoming”
“doers” (ποιητής – poiētai) = poet (Mt. 7:24; Lk. 6:46)
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship
(poiēma), created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should
walk in them.

13. THE DANGER (22)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man
be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20
for the wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of God. 21 Therefore lay aside all
filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and
receive with meekness the implanted word,
which is able to save your souls.

14. THE DANGER (22)
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves.
“deceiving” (παραλογιζόμενοι – paralogizomenoi) =
to reason beside, or alongside, hence in this context
to incorrectly reckon or reason
Colossians 2:4 Now this I say lest anyone should
deceive (paralogizomai) you with persuasive words.

15. THE DECEPTION (23-24)
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the
word and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself,
“observing” (κατανοέω – katanoeō) =
to perceive, look at something with
careful, cautious consideration

16. THE DECEPTION (23-24)
23 For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer,
he is like a man observing
his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself,
“natural” (γενέσεως – geneseōs)
= natural existence

17. 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to
Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance
or at his physical stature, because I have
refused him. For the LORD does not see
as man sees; for man looks at the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks
at the heart.”
THE DECEPTION (23-24)
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try
me, and know my anxieties;
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart.

18. THE DECEPTION (23-24)
1. Fail to Correct what is Wrong
24 for he observes himself, goes away…
2. Forget Immediately what was Heard
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and
immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
“looks” (aorist tense) = a singular event
“departs” (perfect tense) = a continuous action
“forgets” (aorist tense) = a singular event

19. Do you have some…
to do?

20. THE DISTINCTION (25)
1. Peculiar “But”
You don’t have to be like the forgetful hearer
who deceives himself!

21. THE DISTINCTION (25)
2. Purposeful “he who looks into”
“looks” (κατανοέω – katanoeō) = to look intently;
to bend over and carefully examine something
from the clearest possible vantage point (Jn.
20:5, 11)

22. THE DISTINCTION (25)
3. Perspective “perfect law of liberty”
Psalm 19:7–9 The law of the LORD is
perfect, converting the soul; the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making
wise the simple; 8 the statutes of the
LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the
commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true
and righteous altogether.

23. THE DISTINCTION (25)
3. Perspective “perfect law of liberty”
Psalm 19:10–11 More to be desired are they than
gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your
servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great
reward.

24. THE DISTINCTION (25)
3. Perspective “the perfect law of
liberty”
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy
but to fulfill.
Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the LORD: I will put My Law in their minds, and write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people.

25. THE DISTINCTION (25)
4. Perseverant “continues in it”
“continues” (perfect tense) hearing + doing

26. THE DISTINCTION (25)
5. Possess “not forget”

27. THE DISTINCTION (25)
6. Practical “a doer of the work”
Jeremiah 11:6 Then the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all
these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant and
do them.

28. THE DISTINCTION (25)
7. Pre-eminence “blessed in what he
does”

29. James 1:26-27

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