For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25 NKJV.
This text shows the Word of God as a means of reflection—a mirror into which we are to look and see ourselves. The call is not only to heed what we see and accept the Bible’s corrective instruction, but there is an unwritten lesson here.
We should avoid the temptation to see (and judge) others in the Word, analyzing what they ought to do, instead of what we need to do. 2 Corinthians 3:18 also likens God’s Word to a mirror, but describes the image seen as no less than the Lord Jesus Himself.
The sum of both texts:
- The Bible shows us Christ’s likeness so that
- We may measure our conduct and character against His and allow God to shape us into Christ’s likeness (Rom. 8:29).
Other promises for cleansing through God’s Word: Jeremiah 29:9 speaks of the “fire” in the Word, which can purge as well as ignite; and Psalm 119:9 holds special promise to the one who wants a pure life of holy power. God’s Word is a powerful, cleansing, delivering agent.
