Let's look at James 1:21:
Therefore lay aside all filthiness [only place in the NT where this word is used] and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Therefore....what does that mean again? It means we need to go back to the previous verse. It looks back to verse 20 [for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.] and indicates a different response is needed from the believer. Instead of anger there must be meekness. There may be a reason you are not responding appropriately to the Word of God; have you ever thought about that? Apparently some of James' readers were allowing sin to keep them from receiving the Word as they should. So James says, before you can receive the Word with meekness you must put off some things.
Notice what he says: lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness
The Greek to lay aside means to put away, a term indicating stripping off your clothes. [Strong's #659. ἀποτίθημι apŏtithēmi, ap-ot-eeth´-ay-mee; from 575 and 5087; to put away (lit. or fig.):—cast off, lay apart (aside, down), put away (off).]
This is what one commentary said about this:
>>>the imagery is applied metaphorically in the NT to the “stripping off” of the pre-Christian lifestyle from the believer (see Rom. 13:12; Eph. 4:22, 25; Col. 3:8; Heb. 12:1; 1 Pet. 2:1).<<<
Moo, D. J. (2000). The letter of James (p. 86). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.
Put off from yourself! The aorist tense in the Greek calls for a definite break with these things. Put away filthiness! Take it off! People who are careful about their appearance quickly remove a soiled garment don't they? They get it off! Take off your filthy sins so you can receive the Word of God. James says immediately not later. Do it now! ["once for all"] Put off ALL not some but put of ALL filthiness. God is never satisfied with partial purity or partial holiness. There is no half-heartedness with God. He wants our ALL. He wants everything.
There is a principle that runs throughout scripture. Putting off all that junk and putting on Christ.
Ezekiel 18:31-
Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
Did you hear what Ezekiel said? You cast away ALL your transgressions, all your wickedness! Have a new heart, new spirit...why would you want to die spiritually or physically?
Romans 13:12-14 -
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality [strong's #4202 where we get our word pornography] and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Paul says the same thing...Put it off! All filthiness ~ you can't put on the Lord Jesus Christ until you get rid of that junk!
Ephesians 4:22-32 -
put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk [strong's #4550 & means rotten, worthless, putrid] come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Do you hear what Paul is saying? Put off lying, put off corrupt speech, put off stealing...put off all these things. Why? So you can put on the Lord Jesus Christ!
Again, did you hear what Paul says? Put off all that junk! Put off anger, put off wrath, put off malice. Put on kindness, put on gentleness, put on humility.
I Peter 2:1-3 -
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
All Scripture taken from
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
Do you hear what Peter is saying? You cannot receive the pure milk of the Word [just what James is saying] with meekness or any way if you do not lay aside anger, wrath, envy, hypocrisy. You have to get rid of that stuff before you can put on what is right. Put off filthiness, put off disgusting things, put off offensive things.
After James says we are to put off all filthiness he says overflow of wickedness which is a very interesting word. Actually this word in the Greek is used to speak of wax in your ear. Have you ever had disgusting ear wax? or maybe your child did when he/she had an ear infection? Did you know that sin in your life is just like ear wax? It prevents you from hearing the Word of God. It can't penetrate through your ear! If it can't go into your ear, it can't go down into your heart. We must remove the wax from our ears so that the Word is able to influence our lives. Did you know that when wax accumulates in your ears it can make you go deaf? Our sins can make us deaf to God. If we leave filth in our spiritual ears, it will plug them up and God's Word can't enter there.
Paul says in II Cor. 7:1:
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Not only are we to put away all filthiness but we are also supposed to put away the overflowing of wickedness. It means abounding in evil; an abundance of malice and ill will and it creates the desire to injure another person. That's wicked! Someone who wants to injure another person!
Notice in this verse that James does not call these two character attributes-filthiness and overflowing of wickedness-a human weakness or a psychological complex or "because I was brought up this way". What does he say? It's sin and he says we need to put away the filthy sins...we must lay them aside.
So why did we spend so much time on this verse and laying aside of sin? Well haven't you ever heard someone say, "I have so much going on in my life and so I just need to work on one [1] area [sin] at a time. I'll work on this area [sin] this week and then next week, or next month I'll work on another area [sin]." But do you find that in the Bible? No, we are to put away ALL filthiness, ALL sin every bit of it. God's Word is clear ALL-not some but ALL. Then after you do that, notice what James says. You can receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your soul. How do we receive the word? with meekness which is in contrast to anger which blocks you from hearing God's Word. So what is meekness? It indicates an attitude of gentle consideration. It is the opposite of a person who is angry or tries to assert themselves. This is someone who is humble, and this is someone that is teachable. If our hearts are pure and humble, we will be teachable and we will set aside all resentment, anger and pride so that we can learn God's truth and apply it to your life. One of the worst pitfalls is spiritual pride. When someone talks to us or confronts us or the Word of God is taught, we should respond with graciousness & humbleness, in other words with meekness. If we have spiritual pride, it is one of the worst things we will possess. We need to get rid of it!! If, after reading this blog and studying it with me, you think you have this area whipped in your life but you think of someone else who you think should read it cuz they need it...that is not spiritual meekness but pride. It is not receiving God's Word [the implanted/engrafted Word] in meekness. The word "receive" is in the aorist imperative tense which conveys a sense of urgency. Reception of God's Word is a duty that cannot be put off. Do not put off your relationship with God's Word! James says, Receive it & do it NOW. Receive the engrafted Word...engrafted comes from 2 greek words that are "in" and "to plant", meaning "to plant in." James probably got this from his half brother, Jesus in Matthew 13 with the parable of the sower and the seed when it falls on the human heart when it's been prepared by the Spirit and Jesus says that the person welcomes it with joy. It is implanted; it takes root and it transforms the soil. That is what James is saying. He is saying the Word of God that has been implanted into your heart, if you receive it with meekness, do you know what it has the ability to do? Notice what he says- to save your soul! God's Word has the power to save you from the destructive consequences of your sin. This phrase, "to save your soul, carries the idea that the implanted word has the ongoing power to continually save your soul. Once God engrafts or plants His Word in your heart it has the power to continue to sanctify you. Why? Because it is energized by the Holy Spirit. At the time of your salvation the Holy Spirit implanted God's Word within you and it is the source of your power and your growth for your new life in Christ. This is how you are able to put away "all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness" and receive God's Word with purity and humility. If, and only if, you respond to the Word in these ways as James says, will you be able to be saved from the destructive consequences of your sin.
James is challenging us, he is challenging his readers to examine themselves [remember this book is a test of faith] in light of your responses to the Word of God. How you respond to the Word of God is another evidence of your faith, if you are genuinely saved.
Here are some questions to think about:
Have you received the Word of God with meekness which is able to save your soul?
Has it been implanted in your heart?
Have you put away all filthiness in your life?
Would you say you can't wait to get to church to hear God's Word?
Are you slow to speak back when God speaks to you through His Word?
Do you get angry at God's Word when it is proclaimed?
Is there anything in your spiritual ears preventing you from clearly hearing the Word of God?
Is your soul and heart asleep when it comes to responding to God's Word?
TO DO~
Wake up! Cleanse and un-plug your spiritual ears, be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, and then receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your soul.
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