James 1:19-25 reads, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
With James 1:19-25 we come to the fourth paragraph of this epistle. Again we remember that the Holy Spirit inspired purpose for this epistle is to provide pastoral counsel for a spiritually mature walk in the believer’s life. Even so, this fourth paragraph gives counsel concerning a right relating toward others out of a heart-character that is being spiritually transformed through a meek reception of and a faithful obedience to God’s Word of truth. Thus we find in this para-graph instruction to relate aright toward others and to relate aright toward God’s Word.
The word “wherefore” with which James 1:19 begins indicates that the instructions of this verse are connected to and flow out from some truth in the previous paragraph (verses 12-18). Because of the instructions that follow in verses 21-25 concerning our reception of and obedience to God’s Word, many see this connection as being with the truth in verse 18 that God our heavenly Father has begotten us “with the word of truth.” Thus they conclude that the instructions of verse 19 are intended to reveal the response that we ought to have toward the truth of God’s Word. Yet when this conclusion is applied to all three of the instructions in verse 19, it lacks Biblical validity. Certainly it is Biblically valid to say that we should be “swift to hear” the message of God’s Word. However, is it also Biblically valid to say that we should be “slow to speak” forth the message of God’s Word, or from a different perspective that we should be “slow to speak” against the message of God’s Word? No, it is not Biblically valid to say that we should be “slow to speak” forth the message of God’s Word. Rather, we should be ever ready to speak forth God’s Word of truth in love to evangelize lost sinners and to edify the fellow believers. It is also not Biblically valid to say that we should be “slow to speak” against the message of God’s Word. Rather, we should never speak against the message of God’s Word. Furthermore, is it Biblically valid to say that we should be “slow to wrath” toward the message of God’s Word? No, it is not Biblically valid; for we should never respond in wrath toward the message of God’s Word.
What then is the connection between the instructions of verse 19 and the truths of verses 12-18? The primary truths of verses 12-18 are that those who endure temptation faithfully shall be blessed with the crown of life, that we should never falsely accuse the Lord our God of being the cause of sinful temptation, that the true cause of sinful temptation is the selfish desires of our own corrupt hearts, and that the Lord our God is the Source of every good and perfect gift, the great example being our spiritual new birth. Verse 19 then indicates that we should behave in a manner of self-control and self-denial, being “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” What primary truth of verses 12-18 would lead to such instruction? It is the truth that the true cause of sinful temptation is the selfish desires of our own corrupt hearts. Because even as the children of God, we retain the selfish influences of our sinful flesh upon our hearts (See Romans 7:17-21; Galatians 5:17), the desires of our hearts are often motivated and corrupted by selfishness. Therefore, as we relate to others, we must deny our selfish inclinations to listen unto others’ opinions little, to speak forth our opinions much, and to be provoked unto selfish wrath quickly. Even so, James 1:19-25 provides a four-fold counsel concerning the manner by which we are to deal with the selfish, sinful corruption within our hearts.