The Bible is a Mirror
Another symbol or illustration that the Bible uses for itself is The Bible is a Mirror. When you look into the Bible it reflects back who you really are. What you really look like spiritually.
James 1:23 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:
That is a looking glass or a mirror.
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
So if a man is a hearer of the Bible but not a doer, then he is like a man looking in a mirror. Sees what he looks like then walks away and forgets what he looks like. He ignores what he sees. He decides to forget it. That is a powerful illustration of a hearer and not a doer. The Bible is a mirror. It shows you what you really look like. Not physically, but spiritually and in your actions, in your intents and thoughts of your heart. The bible shows you how you look to God. How you really are.
In the illustration in James it says for he beholdeth himself. You do not see fantasy, of a photo shopped image. You look in this mirror and you will behold the real you. Like a mirror the Bible shows me myself, not as I think I am, but as I really am.
The natural heart of man shrinks from looking into it. This is why you have so many religious people who even go to churches but know very little about the Bible. Many do not even know how to be saved. They do not want to spend time really looking into the mirror of God’s Word. Wednesday we looked at how James told the Gentile preachers that they should remember the poor and Paul said that he was already forward to do that. Helping the poor was something that was in the forefront with Paul. Paul believed what God had said about loving others and how His eye is on the fatherless. God in many ways talked about helping others.
Helping the poor is included in the chief N.T. text about giving. I have seen many churches look into the mirror of God’s word on many things, however, I have seen many of them have what you might call selective looking. I sat and listened as a preacher spent almost a year going verse by verse and sometimes word by word thru the 6 short chapters of Galatians. And when he gets to Gal 6:10 he just skips it.
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Not one word on it. Taking advantage of the opportunities that God gives us to do good unto all men did not fit the system that he is in. And it clearly means all men. So he refuses to look into that part of the mirror of God’s Word. We need to look into all of God’s mirror. All of the Bible. And humbly let it show us how we really are in all areas. And keeping with the illustration, we should clean up those areas.
The mirror of God’s word never lies or misleads it always reflects truth. And this is why those that are not religious also do not look into the mirror of God’s Word.
However, if you will look and instead of shrinking from it humble yourself and take action then there are blessings.
Jas 1:25 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.
God says that He will bless you in your actions. It says whoso. That is everyone. The blessings that God wants to give people, the work that He wants to do in the lives of men is open to all.
It says that the Bible is perfect. It will never steer you wrong. It is the perfect law of liberty. The Word of God wants to set you free from sin. From the eternal penalty of sin, and from the power of sin in your life today. If you continue therein you will be a doer and not a hearer, and God will bless the doing of His Word. He will bless it in your own life and in the lives of others. That should be what we want. God to bless our efforts. And think about that a min. It is not the blessing of a man. It is the blessing of a perfect, powerful, loving, heavenly father.
We need the mirror of God’s Word. We need to humbly look into it and let it do its work in our lives.