What does James 1:22 mean?
James continues to describe what the life of genuine, trusting, saving faith looks like. How do people who truly trust God the Father live from day to day? James makes it clear that those who trust God don't merely become experts at listening to God's Word. To believe is to act on what we hear.As the previous verse stated, we are definitely called to accept the Word. We should accept it in our minds, and agree to it in our hearts. Those who believe, stop talking long enough to listen (James 1:19). They take the time to hear and understand. But the faithful don't stop there. Faith in Christ is not just the map; it's the actual journey. Merely nodding our heads at the Word is not enough—we need to do what the Word tells us to do. We need to figure out which way God wants us to go, and then actually go that way.
If we don't, we demonstrate that we don't truly trust the Father, at least not in that moment.
James 1:19–27 emphasizes that those who truly trust God don't settle for merely appearing religious. They give up trying to control the world with their words and their anger. They humbly receive the Word God has planted in them, listen to it, and proceed to do what it says. Part of what the Word says to us is that we should keep control over our words, to care for those who are weak and suffering, and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world around us.
How important is it for Christians to trust God? It's so important, James writes, that we should call our worst moments joyful things, because trials help us trust God more. People who trust God ask Him for wisdom—and then take what He gives. People who trust God make a bigger deal about their rewards in the next life than their wealth in this one. People who trust God don't blame Him for their desire to sin; they give Him credit for all that is good in their lives. They look into His Word, and they act on what they see there.
