Through the Looking-Glass - The Word Reflects Your Nature

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:22-25 ESV)


As the children of the Almighty, believers carry the image, the imprint, of the Living God.  Of the various Hebrew and Greek words rendered as image, they share a common definition as a representation, similiarity, replication, exactness of an original object.  Christ Jesus is the original, the Pattern Son, from which all believers are fashioned.  As Romans 8:29 teaches us, "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."  Externally, humanity is born with His image for that is specifically how we were created. (Genesis 1:26)  It is never lost or diminished.  It remains constant throughout our lives, a token of affection from the Lord to His most prized creation.  Internally, the image and likeness of the godhead is worked in us as we encounter and interact with The Word.  The Word of God functions as a mirror of our true image.  As one spends time in the Word, its truth permits us to see ourselves as He sees us, our true nature as redeemed, perfected, holy, and blameless, fully equipped for every good work.  This is the pattern by which conversion takes place and salvation is initiated.  The Word is the point of contact through which my internal man (soul: mind, will and emotions) is made aware of what has, externally, already been granted to me; His image and likeness.  But this transformation, if left unapplied, dissipates over time and losses its effectiveness.  The admonition in today's passage from the Epistle of James is that the Word we encounter must also be put into practice in order to be retained and made real.  Just hearing the Word will only benefit you in the moment in which its heard.  For that period of time, the image of Christ wherein you are called to do "greater things than these" will shine forth with a radiance that can overcome any obstacle or challenge.  Nothing will seem impossible to you as the God of the impossible, He who overcame the world, reveals your true nature and purpose.  But our conduct ("be ye doers of the Word") must be in agreement with the image by putting the Word into practice.  Without application, we forget whose image we carry.  And without an awareness of that image, we lose ourselves.