Afterglow: What Comes First - Hearing or Doing?

Christian Fellowship
Aug 18
2 min read

When we stop applying the Word of God, we become dull. Faith fades when it’s not fed. The question is: What really comes first?

Most of the time, we jump straight to James 1:22—

“Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.”

That’s powerful, but too often we stop there. We put all the weight on doing, and before we know it, we’re grinding under law, not walking in grace.

But if you read the full context, James isn’t telling us to replace hearing with doing. He’s telling us to keep looking into the mirror of God’s Word until what we hear changes what we do. James 1:25 says it straight: “The one who looks into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it … will be blessed in what they do.”

The “continuing” is key. Hearing isn’t past tense—it’s present, it’s ongoing, it’s daily.

Hearing First, Then Doing

When we focus only on doing, we end up performing. We strive. We tick boxes. But when we make ourselves hearers of faith, the Holy Spirit breathes on that hearing, and our doing becomes holy.

Paul asked the Galatians a hard question:

"Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Galatians 3:2)

The answer is obvious. It was never by our works. It was always by the hearing of faith.

Surround Yourself With the Word

Who you surround yourself with matters. If you live among people who speak the Word, pray the Word, and believe the Word—you’ll start to sound like them. You’ll start to act like them. That’s how you stay rooted in your identity.

Romans 10:17 reminds us: “Faith comes by hearing.” Not by doing first. Not by performing. By hearing. And by hearing again.

Don’t Turn Down the Volume

If you want to see kingdom results, you have to keep hearing. Hebrews 4:2 warns us that the same Word that was preached to Israel didn’t benefit them, because they didn’t mix it with faith when they heard it.

The Word only works when it’s alive in us—and that happens through continued hearing.

So don’t turn down the volume of God’s voice. Don’t let the noise of the world drown Him out. Keep hearing until what you’ve heard transforms how you live.

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