The Man in the Mirror

Shelby G. Floyd

March 19, 2006

Look In the Mirror

James declares that we must not merely hear the word; we must also do what it says. (James 1:22). Anyone who merely listens to the word with out doing what it teaches is like a man in the mirror who sees himself as he really is, but quickly forgets what he looks like. (James 1:23-24). The idea is that the man who looks in the mirror of God’s word needs to make the spiritual changes that the mirror reflects. The man who looks into the spiritual mirror—the perfect law of liberty and continues to do what needs to be done will be blessed in his obedience. (James 1:25). We need to take a good hard look into that mirror and see who we really are.

Take Away the Veil

When we gaze into this spiritual mirror we can see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if we do what he asks us to do we can be changed into the same image and glory: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This is a reference to the veil that was put over Moses face after he beheld the glory of God. (Exodus 34:29-35). This veil kept the Israelites from beholding God’s glory. Likewise we can have a figurative veil over our face that will not allow us to see ourselves clearly, or the glory of the Lord.

Seeing They Do Not See

This is why Jesus spoke in parables to some of the people in his day. They had spiritual veils over their faces and their hearts were hardened. “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ’Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed…” (Mt. 13:13-15).