²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. ²⁶ If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ^[1]

Building on his previous statement, James equates hearing but not doing with amnesia. The Word of God is a gift to the Church. It brings salvation and life to all who read and do it. In short, the Word works, but only if those who read and hear it work it. They, then are the ones who are blessed.

A concept that has been lost in the Church today is that of wickedness. Many good biblical words are not used any more because their original meaning has been distorted. When we think of wickedness today we invoke images of Ted Bundy, terrorists, and the most heinous of criminals. But wickedness in the Bible, whether in the Hebrew or the Greek, has a different connotation. Hebrew teaches functionality, while Greek teaches form. Any time a person destroys the functionality and form of what God has designed, created and intended they are referred to as wicked. The Word of God tells us God’s design as it relates to function and form. When we read it or hear it and then proceed to ignore it or disregard it we willfully destroy its form and function and circumvent its design. James gives us a quick example of that form and function, upon which he will elucidate later, referring to the tongue. It was designed to have a particular form and function, but we regularly destroy that form and function when we are unable or unwilling to keep a tight reign on our tongues, and in so doing we render our religion, our faith, worthless.

The only way to keep oneself unpolluted from the world is to walk and live according to the form and function God designed. To do any less is to be guilty of having a worthless religion, or worse yet, to be wicked.

 Lord Jesus, we are guilty of destroying Your grand design for our lives. We have willfully stepped outside of the form and function You designed. We have served our own desires and pursued our own purposes. We have disregarded Your Word and have sought to master our own fate. Forgive our wickedness. Forgive our spiritual amnesia. Forgive our refusal to submit to the form and function for which You have designed us. Restore to us zeal to read, hear, study, memorize and meditate in and upon Your Word. Enable us to then take Your Word and put it into operation in every area of our lives. We boldly apply Your Word this day to our families, our own lives, our jobs and Your Church in Jesus’ name. Amen.