SOUNDING OUT:
Deceiving Ourselves

  At times we may talk the talk, but not walk the walk. We intellectually know the truth, we can repeat it, but we do not get around to acting upon it. God’s Word is able, and when spoken on lips of believing, it can move mountains. Of course, speaking with lips of believing necessitates acting upon or doing what it says, as it says it.

  The Word is able to save our souls. If we engraft it into our lives it will continually make us whole. The Greek word for engraft is emphutos which means to be permanently in a place with the implication of development. We want God’s Word placed in, permanently established in, or implanted in our souls. We make it a part of our lives as we live it. That takes effort and occurs as we do what the Word says.

  Doing the Word completes the cycle. We not only receive it subjectively, but we put it into practice. We do it and are made whole by it. Deceiving in verse 22 in the Greek is paralogizomai. It means to reckon wrongly or falsely, to miscount, or to cheat or defraud by false reasoning. It comes from, para, along side and logizomai, an act of thought according to strict logical rules. Logizomai is one of the great words in the Word. It occurs 19 times in Romans and is translated reckon, think, reason, count, etc. It is a logical deduction or a correct calculation, as in arriving at the correct sum when adding.

  The only other use of paralogizomai in the New Testament is in Colossians 2:4, where it is translated beguile, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” It is not the logic of the truth, but it is close. It is right along side it. The deceit is accomplished with enticing words. Enticing words is one word in the Greek, pithanologia, from peithõ and logos. It is speech adapted to persuade, discourse in which probable arguments are adduced. It is used in a bad sense, of persuasiveness of speech leading others into error.

  In James 1:22 we deceive ourselves when we hear the Word but do not do it. We may intend to do it, but we never seem to get around to it. We are only fooling ourselves when we do not act as God directs.

  Behold in verses 23 and 24 is the Greek word katanoeô. Thayer says it means to consider attentively or to fix one's eyes or mind upon. Frieberg says it is used of attentive scrutiny of an object. We must study or examine with careful attention what the Word says. We know we have completed the process of considering or reflecting when we follow through and do what it says. If it is God’s Word and the truth, it will work when we do it.

  In verse 25 looketh is the Greek word, parakuptõ. It is often used with stooping down to get a better look. It is used when one cannot get a clear view of something, and therefore must bend his back and neck, stooping down, that he may see it to the greater advantage. It shows the effort involved with the scrutiny. It is very descriptive and signifies deep and attentive consideration given to a thing or subject. When we continue our scrutiny, we become impressed with what we see and we allow the Word to have such impact on us that we do it. A phrase that so communicated this concept to me was: we bring ourselves up to the level of the word. We give the Word its rightful reverence, and it directs our steps as we walk out on it. Parakuptõ is only used five times; the other four are in the following verses.

  Just hearing the word without doing it, is inadequate and deceitful. We run along side of the true logic of the word, but never get quite “on it.” When we give the Word the proper observance, it will facilitate our acting upon it. We will see great success and deliverance as we hold the Word in mind and act accordingly.