hearers – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: hearers

Romans 2:13 – Walk the Walk!

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Will

(for not the hearers of the law are just with God, but the doers of the law will be justified;

Truth to Learn

God wants us to be doers, not just hearers.

Behind the Words

The word translated “hearers” is akroatēs. There is another Greek word, akouō, which means “to hear with attention,” that is, “to listen.” But the word that we have in the current verse, akroatēs, means “to listen to something for pleasure, such as a piece recited or sung.”

“Just” is from the Greek word dikaios, an adjective that means “righteous, just, or one who conforms to all the rules.”

Meaning Explained

In the past seven verses Paul has described the judgment that will be meted out to the just and the unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous, independent of who their ancestors were and independent of what they look like because God is not a respecter of outward appearance. He also told us that those who have sinned without the law will perish without the law and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.

Now he makes his next great statement: it’s not the hearers that will be saved (justified before God) but the doers of the Law. These Roman Christians apparently took delight in hearing the Scriptures being read to them. But, it doesn’t matter if you hear the law being read every weekend as these Roman Jews have for years. And it’s not the ones who have been reading their Bibles every day for years who will be justified before God. We are not commanded to read our Bibles or even to listen to good sound doctrinal teaching. We are told to put the teaching into practice.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

We are admonished in a number of passages in the Bible regarding the importance of doing rather than simply hearing. Here are some of them:

But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. (Matthew 7:24)

Whoever comes to Me and hears My Words, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like. (Luke 6:47)

And you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 18:5)

Application

It’s amazing how many times we are admonished to put action to our faith. Clearly, it is important for us to be reading and studying our Bibles every day in order to learn the truths that God has for us. But reading and studying alone are not good enough.

We’re not commanded to read the words and talk the talk.

We’re commanded to read the words and walk the walk!

In God's service, for His glory,

James 1:22 – Perfect Practice

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Will

But become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Truth to Learn

No one ever coined the phrase, “listening makes perfect.” That’s because it is only through practice that we improve on anything that we do.

Behind the Words

The word translated “become” is a form of ginomai, the basic meaning of which is “to begin to be.” This word is written here in the imperative mood indicating a command. And, the word “doers” is poiētēs, which is derived from poieō, meaning “to make something or perform something.” Poiētēs means “to be a doer or a performer.” Thus, we see that James is giving us a firm instructive command to “become people who do what the Word of God says!”

“Hearers” is translated from the Greek word akroatēs. This word is derived from the classical Greek word akroama which means, “something which is heard, such as a piece that is read, recited, played, or sung.” The implication is that it is something that is being intentionally and intently listened to.

Meaning Explained

Though my father passed away many years ago, I can still hear him saying to me as a young boy, “Don’t let my words go in one ear and out the other!” That’s probably a decent colloquialism for what James is telling us here.

James has just told us that we need to rid ourselves of evil thoughts and bad, self-serving actions and to allow the Word of God, which has been implanted in our hearts, to grow. But our faith does not grow strong without practice.

You do not become a great musician by simply reading about how to play an instrument, you must practice. But, practice does not mean simply playing through a piece once and then moving on to another (unless you are practicing musical sight-reading). It means playing the piece over and over again, paying particular attention to the nuances of the written music and the technique used to produce the sound. As the musician repeatedly plays through the music, he or she memorizes the notes and markings until the piece can be played without having to think about the specific notes on the written page.

Any Christian who wants to live the victorious Christian life and have a close fellowship with God, must cultivate the habit of reading and studying the Bible regularly. But that by itself will not produce results any more than reading about music. As we read the Word of God we need to think about it and put it into practice. We need to be aware of the nuances of God’s word just as a musician needs to be aware of the nuances of the music. And we need to practice doing it over and over again until the principles or actions become second nature to us.

Let me say that another way. Just as a musician performs music as a result of repeated practice, we must be performers of the principles given to us in the Bible by repeated practice.

Application

Hearing the Word of God is important indeed, but not nearly as important as doing what it says. James tells us that if we are only hearers of the word and not doers, we are deceiving ourselves.

Let’s put “practice being a Christian” on the top of our priority list for today, and for the rest of our lives!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:13 – Walk the Walk!

Posted on September 21, 2009 by admin

Romans 2:13

(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;

Truth to Learn

God wants us to be doers, not just hearers.

Behind the Words

“Just” is from the Greek word dikaios, an adjective that means “righteous, just, or one who conforms to all the rules.”

Meaning Explained

In the past seven verses Paul has described the judgment that will be meted out to the just and the unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous, independent of who their ancestors were and independent of what they look like because God is not a respecter of faces. He also told us that those who have sinned without the law will perish without the law and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

We are admonished in a number of passages in the Bible regarding the importance of doing rather than simply hearing. Here are some of them:

But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (James 1:22)

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. (Matthew 7:24)

Whoever comes to Me and hears My Words, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like. (Luke 6:47)

And you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 18:5)

Application

We’re not commanded to read the words and talk the talk.

We’re commanded to read the words and walk the walk!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: