2 Peter 1.10
“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”
Authentic Christianity is committed to consistent, disciplined action. Mature Christians do not simply proclaim biblical principles; they practice biblical principles.
This is the message of James 1.22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.“
James warns that people who hear the word but don’t do the word are self-deceived. Why? Because hearing without doing means that even though they have been exposed to the truth, they resist or refuse to live by the truth. They have deceived themselves into living by a standard different than what they heard in scripture.
The 2 Peter passage and the James passage exhort us to be doers of the word. Not just hearers, but doers. The person who truly follows Jesus, who recognizes him not just as Savior but as Lord, seeks to obey scripture, not just read it.
This is an echo of what Jesus taught in the gospels. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it,” Jesus said in Luke 11:28. And again in John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” If we read, research, remember, and reflect on the word of God, it means nothing if we do not act on and obey the word.
The point is that when we read or hear the word of God, we are confronted with truth about ourselves. When we read the bible we are looking into a spiritual mirror that reveals who we really are and what we really look like. And the mirror of the word of God goes beyond surface appearance, looks deeply into our hearts, and exposes everything about us.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4.12-13)
The bible is not to be read at a distance. It isn’t a “safe” book to read. It speaks truth and then challenges us to step up and respond. Scripture gives the Ten Commandments, not the ten suggestions. The bible doesn’t ask for our opinion, it demands our obedience. Jesus is Lord, not a consultant or therapist.
Deception is dangerous. Self-deception is disastrous. God calls us to Himself and asks us to be real. No games. No excuses. No self-justifying stories. That is the wise choice, because God sees everything anyway. Nothing is hidden from Him. Read the word and obey. If you disobey, don’t rationalize … repent.
Be a doer, not just a hearer. The Lord is calling.
