for he studied himself, has gone away, and immediately forgot what kind of person he was.
Truth to Learn
Hearing or reading God’s Word will have no effect on our lives unless we put it into practice.
Behind the Words
In the previous verse we looked at the word for face. But the translation of that verse said, “natural face.” The word translated “natural” is the Greek word genesis. This is derived from the verb ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” Hence, James is talking about our “beginning face,” or our “birth face.” Hence, it means our “natural face.”
The word “studied” is translated from the verb katanoeō. This same word was used in the previous verse. The difference is that the tense of this verb here is aorist, meaning an action that took place at a point in time in the past. That is, “he studied.”
“Has gone away” is from the Greek word aperchomai, which means “to go away” or “to depart.” The significance here is that this word appears in the perfect tense implying past completed action with an ongoing effect, the emphasis being on the effect. He is now in a place away from the mirror.
The word translated “forgot” is epilanthanō, which is made up of epi, meaning “upon” and lanthano, meaning “to lie hidden or concealed.” The significance here, again, is that this verb is in the aorist tense implying past action; that is to say he forgot.
Meaning Explained
In the previous verse James talked about the one who hears the word but does not practice it. James said he is like a person studying his face in a mirror. In this verse he finishes the simile by saying, “For he studied himself, went away, and immediately forgot what kind of person he was.”
It is good for us to read and study the Bible and to listen to preaching and teaching taken directly from God’s Word. But, if we don’t apply the word (put into practice what we read and hear), we forget what it said to us and it does us no good.
Christ himself, in the parable of the sower and the seed, said:
The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:14-19)
Application
Don’t let the busyness of this life, the cares of the world, or “stuff” rob us of the joy that comes from putting into practice the things we are taught in God’s Word!
Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved