Hearing Christ preached--which is looking into the perfect law of liberty--is compared to a man looking at his natural face in a mirror. Those who are "hearers only" behold their unrighteousness when compared to the impeccable righteousness of Christ. They behold themselves as being as incapable of providing eternal life, perfect righteousness, justification, and preserving grace as they are of resurrecting themselves from the dead.
Yet, those who are "hearers only" go back to their day-to-day lives, immediately forgetting the pollution they saw in themselves and the liberty they beheld in Christ. Though they beheld the all-sufficient grace of God for salvation and for every trial, yet they do not continue trusting Christ alone, looking to Christ alone, walking in the Spirit of Christ alone. Instead, "hearers" deceive themselves into thinking they have strength. They draw the sword of the flesh at every turn. They live by their own hands in their homes, in their work place, in their communities and especially in their religious activities. They have turned from the law of perfect freedom which is Christ our Peace, to trust the unstable, decaying, corpse called 'self'. Through all their works they prove themselves to be "hearers only". Before the all-seeing eye of God, this man's deeds are really no deeds at all. He is deceived.
THE DEFINITION OF THOSE WHO HEAR AND DO THE WORD
Those who are "doers of the Word" look into the perfect law of liberty and behold their old, sinful bodies as dead and buried in Christ. They see in Christ--the Mirror of Liberty--that their acceptance with God is complete in him. "Doers of the Word" hear their King declare that all who believe on him are no longer under the law of Mt. Sinai but are under his perfect law of freedom. They go their way continuing in the liberty with which Christ has set them free. "Doer's of God's Word" do not look to what they do--whether good or bad--they look to Christ alone.
The "doer of the Word" is said to be blessed in his deed. His deed is simply continuing by faith in Christ, the great Liberator. His blessing is that when every beguiling philosopher, every religious activist, every carnal friend or foe, even the old nature itself, attempts to turn him from Christ back to death, his King will not allow it. Christ makes him lay down all his carnal weapons, lay aside the old man with his deeds and simply sit down at Christ's feet where he continues in liberty by faith. This is being a "doer of the Word and not a hearer only."
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