“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
and not hearers only,
A “doer” is someone who listens and obeys God’s Word. He acts on his convictions. However, a “hearer” is someone who passively sits under the teaching of God’s Word and it has no effect on him. It goes in one ear and out the other. God characterizes him as oblivious to divine truth.
The word “hearer” is the same idea of an auditor of a class in school. An auditor in a class does not have the same responsibility as a full-time student. He does not take the class as seriously as the person who has to write the exam for the class.
PRINCIPLE:
Doing the Word is a mark of an engaged Christian.
APPLICATION:
The Christian who audits his Christian life will never take it seriously. He lives a cultural Christianity, not a genuine spiritual life. The Christian who studies for the exam of life will benefit more from the Word than the Christian who listens to it casually. There is a responsibility to respond to the Word with concrete action when we hear it.
