July 27 2025, Sunday School Lesson

Be Doers of the Word

Lesson Text: James 1:19-27

Related Scriptures: Proverbs 10:19-21; 15:1-4; 17:27-28; Jeremiah 7:1-7

TIME: about A.D. 45

PLACE: from Jerusalem

Golden Text: “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22)

Introduction

James the brother of Jesus apparently did not believe in Him before the resurrection (John 7:5) Ye we know that Jesus appeared to His brother following the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7). From the few things we read about James in Acts 15 and Galatians 1 and 2, as well as non-biblical sources such as Josephus and Eusebius, we can see that he was quite important in the early Jesus movement.

The letter of James appears to have been addressed to specific groups of believing Jews outside the land of Israel. James applied the wisdom of Jesus, Proverbs, and the Law of Moses to these problems. It seems there were problems with angry conversations and a lack of clarity about how to live as a disciple of Jesus. James called for humble acceptance of the way of Jesus and taught the reward of pure religion.

LESSON OUTLINE

I. THE SPEECH OF THE SAVED – James 1:19-21

II. THE LAW – KEEPING OF THE BLESSED – James 1:22-25

III. THE RELIGION OF THE UNDEFILED - James 1:26-27

Questions

1. How does James 1:19 look back to what had just been said in verses 17-18?

2. Who was James writing to?

3. Why is being “swift to hear” (vs. 19) rarely practiced?

4. When a person becomes angry, what particular right does he erroneously feel belongs to him?

5. What good does listening do?

6. What are some different ways of interpreting “filthiness” (Vs. 21)?

7. How does the illustration of a person needing to look in a mirror relate to looking into the commandments of God?

8. What other important teaching sheds light on the exact meaning of “law of liberty” (vs. 25)?

9. What sorts of blessings might verse 25 refer to?

10. How can a person’s speech unmask his hypocrisy?

Answers

1. The word “wherefore” directs us to what James had just stated in verse 18 – that the Father begot us to be first fruits among His creatures.

2. They were believing Jews outside the land of Israel (Jas. 1:1) who faced serious trials, (vs. 2) probably because they were in areas with many nonbelieving Jews.

3. Being “swift to hear” (1:19) is one of the greatest pieces of wisdom we can apply to our conversation. One of the deepest desires of the human heart is to be heard. Selfish conversation looks to be heard not to listen.

4. Someone who is angry assumes the right to judge others and to cause some kind of hurt. But, this right is God’s alone.

5. In Contrast, the righteousness of God, which is described at length in God’s word, is welcoming, listens to others, and heals people.

6. Because the word “filthiness” is often associated with sexual sin, many readers may interpret James 1:21 as introducing a new topic. This is definitely possible, yet it may be that James simply regarded angry and selfish conversation as filthy. When we choose to use conversation to promote ourselves, to disdain others, to create division, or to assert ourselves rather than listen to others, we are being filthy and vain.

7. The illustration of the mirror provides a parable. A person looks in a mirror to see how they look and whether there is any blemish or problem they need to fix. Looking in the mirror, he sees his face, but then he forgets what he saw after he walks away. This parable illustrates a person looking into the words of God, comparing them to his own actions and attitudes, seeing the inconsistency there, and yet walking away unchanged. Just as it would be foolish for a person to ignore any problems he saw in the mirror, so it is with hypocrisy in religion.

8. Scot McKnight explained that James, whose letter follows closely the teachings of Jesus, had in mind Jesus’ teaching about the Mosaic Law. There are many ways of interpreting the Law, what its priorities should be, and how to keep it. Judaism in James’s time had many schools of thought, as it does today. Jesus gave his disciples very important guidance on the correct way to interpret the Law. The first principle, that of highest importance, is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves (cf. Mark 12:28-34). The two greatest commandments that Jesus cited, which are the key to interpreting all the others, are from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. To interpret the Old Testament laws rightly, it was necessary to remember that they always reflected these as the highest priority. Having ulterior motives or wrong priorities in the Law can make one a hypocrite (Matt. 23:23). James referred specifically to the concept of Jesus’ teaching on love and called this way of interpreting the law the “law of liberty” (Jas. 1:25) and the “royal law” (2:8)

9. The scriptures often speak of rewards both in this life and in the life to come. We should not think that blessings for godly living are only in the afterlife. For example, in 5:16 James taught that the prayers of the righteous are powerful. In 3:18, he explained that those who live righteously have peace in their hearts. There are many blessings to being a doer of the words of God in this life. Likewise, there are rewards in the next life, (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15) but this does not mean we earn our salvation

10. Many aspects of a person can be controlled rather easily. The tongue, however, is difficult, for our words often reveal our emotions and attitudes. Faking a good attitude can be difficult. Thus, a person of hypocritical religion will often be exposed by their unloving words.