James 1: 22 “But be~~ sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.”
Some people have accepted a salvation by grace through faith that means their lives are still their own and they can do whatever they want with impunity.
If a person wants to be forgiven of his lusts only to continue to love his sins, he deceives himself.
God knows when someone lacks sincere sorrow for their sins or for the hurt they caused Jesus, who paid a terrible price for their guilt (2 Cor 5:21). God also knows when someone has no desire to abandon hypocritical living, and He tends to bring it to their attention.
James just described the true meaning of repentance and faith: “Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness [a sense of undeserved favor] the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
Artimedorus, in the second century, described the root term for “filthiness” (Gk. hruparian)—-which comes from the “earwax” that must be washed away to allow good hearing. This is a great illustration of how our sins block us from hearing God.
Now James warns believers to “be continually living out the message.” . One should ask after hearing a message, “What does the Scripture expect me to do now?” The message has failed its purpose if this answer is not clear. Merely listening to a message with no intent or challenge to obey useless. Even worse if one decides not to practice what is commanded, he quenches the Spirit and opens the door to Satanic deceptions.
James says that when someone only listens to the message, we “deceive [our]selves,” which means “to cheat or be deceived by false reasoning.” In the early church, there were few complete Bibles. Believers gathered to hear the text read from a few precious manuscripts. Today, many fool themselves into thinking that just because they come to church, listen to a message, or enjoy worshipping, yet they can continue to live any way they want.
On the other hand, to live with victory and to live “abundantly” (John 10:10) we must gladly learn the commands and commit to living them out in our daily lives. Will you do it, and will you help others have the same attitude?
“Dear Lord, listening to messages from Your word without deciding to live them out every day is a dangerous position for the believer. Help me to continually look for ways to put into practice what You are teaching me.”