Tom Lowe
2/1/2021
LESSON 13 - THE MANNER OF RESPONSE (James 1.19-21)
Text James 1:19-21, KJV
19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.
INTRODUCTION
The mention of the “word of truth” in verse 18 leads James to devote a lengthy section to a matter close to his heart -- the appropriate Christian response to God’s Word. James stresses that the Word’s purpose is to be obeyed. Before launching into this critical topic, James interjects a warning about the misuse of the tongue, the first of several that occur in this letter. James echoes a theme often found in Proverbs: the righteous will listen well and consider carefully before they speak and restrain their anger because anger could lead to hasty, nasty, irretrievable words (1:19).
COMMENTARY
19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Let every man be prompt to hear; not just anything; not idle and unprofitable talk, or filthy and corrupt communication; but wholesome advice, good instructions, and the gracious experiences of the saints, and, above all, the Word of God (James is talking to the child of God). It is so essential for all men to hear the Word of God and be prepared to listen to it with understanding. Men everywhere should make haste and be early in their attendance. They should receive God’s Word with all readiness, and with a sort of greediness of mind, that their souls may profit, and God may be glorified.
The man of God is “swift to hear” but “slow to speak” against what he heard, without thoroughly weighing and considering what was said, and this may require silence upon hearing the Word. It would be well to observe the same rule in our private conversations. On the other hand, the sense may be, ‘be content to be hearers of the Word and not preachers of it’; and if called to that work, think before you speak, meditate on the Word, and study to be approved by God and men.
Silence is not only “golden” but highly commended by the Pythagoreans, among whom their disciples practiced it for five years; but also by the Jews: they say, nothing is better for the body than silence; that if a word is worth one shekel, silence is worth two, or worth a precious stone; that it is the spice of speech and the chief of all spices; that it is the hedge of wisdom.
“Swift” also involves a willingness to obey what we hear
Dear reader, After the Word of God, has begotten you, you are not through with it. You are going to grow by the Word of God. You have something that is living, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14.) However, as a child of God, you are indwelt by the Spirit of God who wants to teach you the Word of God. The Creator of this universe and the Redeemer of lost sinners wants to talk to you, my friend. James says, “Be swift to hear, Be alert.”
My friend, we are supposed to be slow to speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth -- there must be a very definite reason for that. There is a real danger of our talking too much. The next thing Paul says is that we should be “slow to wrath,” that is, “slow to anger.” Don’t argue about religion and lose your temper.
“Swift to hear, slow to speak” should be taken together as two sides of the same coin. Slowness in speaking means speaking with humility and patience, not with hasty words or nonstop gabbing. Constant talking keeps a person from being able to hear. Wisdom does not always have something to say; it involves listening carefully, considering prayerfully, and speaking quietly.
When James speaks here, he is primarily referring to teachers (see 3:1). What they need to listen to is God’s Word.
Teachers are especially prone to an imbalance when it comes to speaking and listening. We should take careful note of the way Jesus mixed the two. His speaking tended to be marked by brevity. He asked questions, He listened. We should ask ourselves, “Have I listened enough to know that what I said was heard. The expression quick to listen is a beautiful way of capturing the idea of active listening. We are not merely to refrain from speaking; we are to be ready and willing to listen. When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. We need to put a mental stopwatch on our conversations and track how much we talk and listen. Ask yourself, “When people talk to us, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?
20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
The anger of man is contrary to the will and work of God. Anger, James reminds us, does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James does not prohibit all anger but urges his readers to be slow and careful about developing anger. Anger closes our minds to God’s truth (see an example in 2 Kings 5:11). It is anger that erupts when our egos are bruised. It is just the kind that arises from too much fast-talking and not enough quick listening. When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or feel offended or neglected. Selfish anger never helps anybody (see Matt. 5:21-26).
Expressed anger tends to be uncontrollable. Anger is inconsistent with Jesus’ command to love our enemies (Matt. 5:21-26). Anger usurps God’s role as Judge. We can be sure our anger is wrong when it keeps us from living as God wants us to live.
21. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity (excess) of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.
Finally, Paul says, “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness” -- that is, “put away all filthiness of the flesh.” “And superfluity of naughtiness” is better translated as “abundance of wickedness.” The Word engrafted should be “implanted” -- the implanted Word of God. In other words, you are to receive the Word of God. I believe the Word of God is the greatest preventative against the sins of the flesh.
If we could go back in time to the first century, the question I would ask the Apostle Paul is this, “Why did you say that we should get rid of all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness.”He would answer with something like this, “progress in our spiritual life cannot occur unless we see sin for what it is. Quit justifying it, and decide to reject it. James’s word picture here has us getting rid of our evil habits and actons like stripping off clothes.
James is speaking to those who have been saved when he states, “which is able to save your souls.” You have received the implanted Word. It has been planted in your hearts. The Word has already brought salvation to you, but you have a life to live as a Christian. Salvation is in three tenses: I have been saved; I am being saved; I shall be saved. James is speaking here of salvation in the present tense.
Humble acceptance is contrasted with the quick speech and anger from 1:19. James is not asking believers to be converted -- that has already happened. To accept the planted Word he speaks of here is to accept its laws as binding. We are not to look for something to argue about, but with humility to live by that Word. Yet, we are not to be so humble that we feel unworthy of living by God’s Word and thus deciding not to try -- that is false humility and does not honor God. To humbly accept the Word, we must be “quick to listen” (good listeners), “slow to speak” (thoughtful), “slow to anger” (not hasty and jumping to conclusions), and willing to do what it says.
The Word is planted in us when it becomes part of our being. God teaches us from the depth of our soul, from the teaching of the Spirit, and by the teaching of Spirit-led people. The soul in which the Word is planted must be hospitable for it to grow. To make our soul hospitable, we must give up any impurities in our life. The exchange James describes, where we remove the sin covering our life and accept what has been planted within, helps us understand several ways God works. Good’s Word directs us in identifying and removing those things that are unacceptable in our life. His Word and Spirit also works inside us. Our spiritual growth happens from the inside out. A wound must have its surface cleaned and kept clean until a scab forms, but healing occurs from the inside out. This verse describes both aspects of this process applied to our life.
Christians are not finished with God’s Word once we are saved. Instead, God’s Word becomes a permanent part of us, guiding us through each day. The implanted Word becomes part of us; then we absorb the Word characteristics: then these are expressed in living. Trials and temptations cannot defeat us if we are applying God’s truth to our lives.
So how can we achieve the righteous life that God desires? If we were to ask James this question at this point in his letter, he would send us back to the beginning. The righteous life that God desires avoids anger but actively pursues the following tested faith, endurance, maturity, perfection, contentment, spiritual birth, quick listening, and obeying God’s Word.
