James 1:19-27
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
III. Exhortations and Warnings
Doers of the Word. 19 Know this, my dear brothers: everyone should be quick to hear,[a] slow to speak, slow to wrath,(A) 20 for the wrath of a man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.(B) 21 Therefore, put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.(C)
22 Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.(D) 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. 24 He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law[b] of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does.(E)
26 [c]If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue[d] but deceives his heart, his religion is vain.(F) 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows[e] in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.(G)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1:19–25 To be quick to hear the gospel is to accept it readily and to act in conformity with it, removing from one’s soul whatever is opposed to it, so that it may take root and effect salvation (Jas 1:19–21). To listen to the gospel message but not practice it is failure to improve oneself (Jas 1:22–24). Only conformity of life to the perfect law of true freedom brings happiness (Jas 1:25).
- 1:25 Peers into the perfect law: the image of a person doing this is paralleled to that of hearing God’s word. The perfect law applies the Old Testament description of the Mosaic law to the gospel of Jesus Christ that brings freedom.
- 1:26–27 A practical application of Jas 1:22 is now made.
- 1:26 For control of the tongue, see note on Jas 3:1–12.
- 1:27 In the Old Testament, orphans and widows are classical examples of the defenseless and oppressed.
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