“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” (Ezekiel 33:31,32)
Paul foretold that in the last days there would be a “form of godliness” that lacked substance and reality. Such though is nothing new. Jesus saw it His day, where words like “holiness” and “righteousness” were fondly spoken of and much discussed. But Christ saw through the pretense, saying: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt. 15:7-9).
Intellectual assent to a concept is meaningless unless it is a truth we are living out. Splitting theological hairs on the tenets of the faith is no substitute for obedience where it matters most in our personal life. Gathering crowds to hear a spiritual discourse is not hard. Many fancy themselves spiritual people, and enjoy such sublime subject matter. God told Ezekiel not to be impressed by the crowd he drew. While they flattered him for his good preaching, they had no intention of applying it to their lives. They liked hearing, not so much doing.
God is looking for a people who don’t draw near to Him with their mouths alone. This doesn’t only go for those who praise Him well on Sunday, but live like the devil on Monday. It goes for those who enjoy spiritual talk, but don’t embrace a spiritual walk. Holiness, righteousness, submission, grace, are all wonderful words – but they ring hollow in the mouths of those without a real experience of them. If we would be blessed indeed, and a real blessing to a desperate and dying world around us, we cannot be hearers of the word only, we must be doers.
Our faith is proven in the trenches where God has called us to find His power to be godly men and women. If we would really take hold of the Word in our minds, we must first be applying it to our heart. We can show much love for the things of God with our mouth, but our love for God must be more than words.