Doing the Word
By: Dr. Gregory S. Neal
I learned a lot of things from my dad: I learned about the importance of always being open to new things; I learned about being slow to jump to conclusions and quick to change my mind when the facts become clear; I learned to be careful and gracious to those with whom I disagree, and always be willing to be proven wrong.
My dad was a graduate of SMU in the 1950s, where his studies included mathematics and electrical engineering. His mother and father were also graduates of SMU: his dad earned a degree in business administration, while his mom was one of the first women to matriculate through both the undergraduate and graduate programs with degrees in advanced mathematics. Those who knew her have shared with me that my grandmother was wickedly smart, with a voracious curiosity that was never satisfied … and the same was true for my dad. He had an analytical, engineer’s mind that was always inquiring, always processing, always studying everything. He had a way of looking at things that could cut through the clutter and fluff to the heart of any matter.
My dad was also a man of a deep and abiding faith; he always said that once you believed something, your belief should immediately change who and what you were and what you did. For my dad, belief in Jesus required a real, physical, and relational response …a response that caused you to do something. For Dad, hearing always resulted in doing … or you hadn’t really heard anything. As James said:
“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” (James 1:22)
Be “doers of the word.” We’ll look at the question of active faith next Sunday, but today we’re going to look at hearing and responding – at the “doing” of the word. Which brings up the question: What do we mean by “The Word.”
Many people believe that “The Word” is the Bible. For instance, after we have a reading of scripture in worship, the reader will often say: “The Word of God for the people of God” and the congregation will automatically respond: “Thanks be to God!” But, is that really what we believe about the Bible? Is the Bible The Word of God? No.
I like to say that the Bible contains the Word of God. What I mean by that is that the Bible conveys, in the words of human beings, the experiences which those human beings had of God, their understanding of their experiences, and their beliefs about what those experiences meant. Their words and interpretations are culturally and historically conditioned by the time, place, prejudices, preconceived notions, and expectations of the authors. Their words in the Bible filter their experience of God to us, and as we read what they wrote some of their words cohere with our own experiences of God. Most importantly for Christians, the New Testament authors wrote about their memories, understandings, and interpretations of Jesus. They remembered what he said and did, they interpreted his words and deeds in terms that they could understand, and they applied those understandings in their lives as Christians. In this, they were "doing the Word" ... which is precisely what we are called to do.
I believe that Jesus is “The Word of God,” incarnate in human flesh. Jesus conveys to us the love, grace, peace, and abiding presence of God. When we read about him, his words and his deeds, we are called to live accordingly and, in this way, “do the Word.” Doing the Word can mean many things to many different people, but inclusive of all those meanings is the living of one’s life as an expression of Jesus’ life in the here and now. You can see that in the rest of the words of James from this morning’s reading:
“Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18)
Note the author’s focus is on what he terms “acts of giving.” Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is first and foremost a gift from above … a gift from God, given to us so that we can give it to others. This is one of the principle ways in which the early Church understood the life and ministry of Jesus: as a perfect gift of God, that we are called to share with others.
“You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.” (James 1:19-21)
My Dad loved this verse, but for me it can be so very hard: being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Most of us usually do the opposite, don’t we? We don’t want to listen, and what we do hear we don’t really hear. Rather, we often just hear what we want to hear. And we’re so very quick to speak and even quicker to anger. This is all contrary to what we’re called to do and how we’re called to live; it’s contrary to how Jesus lived his life. If we are going to have the word of God, Jesus, implanted in our very souls, we must be living the kind of self-giving life that Jesus lived: a life of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion. Jesus' words and deeds radically changed all those around him; his life has changed each and every one of us. Don't let it end there: with the implanted word - the life of Christ - within us, we can transform the world!
© 2021, Dr. Gregory S. Neal
All Rights Reserved
As a popular teacher, preacher, and retreat leader, Dr. Neal is known for his ability to translate complex theological concepts into common, everyday terms. HIs preaching and teaching ministry is in demand around the world, and much of his work can be found on this website. He is the author of several books, including Grace Upon Grace: Sacramental Theology and the Christian Life, which is in its second edition, and Seeking the Shepherd's Arms: Reflections from the Pastoral Side of Life, a work of devotional literature. Both of these books are currently available from Amazon.com.