The Mirror
A true mirror does not lie. It is not a broken mirror that distorts the reflection of the one who gazes into it. It is not a fun house mirror that distorts our height or width. It is not a mirror that is to be looked at from diagonally above, which makes it seem like it has disappeared. A true mirror is intended for one to stand in front of and look into, reflecting a true image. The Bible is the truest of mirrors. James recorded,
"For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing."
(James 1:23-25)
The Bible is a mirror of the soul. When we look into the Bible, we each learn to look for the needs of our souls. When we look into the Word of God, we see how God sees.
How Is the Bible a Mirror
How is it possible that a book can function as a mirror? The Bible is not a mere book. It is not of human origin though composed by Holy Spirit-inspired human writers. The Bible is of divine origin for it tells us of how man came to be. “And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” When God created man He created him perfect and without sin, but not without free will that when used wickedly disfigures the human soul. These elements that mar our souls are works of the flesh including, but not limited to, the list enumerated in Galatians 5:19-21.
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
The soul of man, though disfigured, still when sin enters his life has value to God and to His people. Jesus reminds us just how valuable our souls are. “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). The mirror of the Word tells us also the final destination of the soul. “And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:46). The soul is given by God, and it will return to God (cf. Eccl. 12:7). Thus it is quite important what we do with the image we see in the mirror in between those two events.
How to Use the Mirror Properly
The proper use of the mirror includes daily use. If I do not look in the mirror in the morning I fail to see the image I am projecting. Imagine what would happen if we did not take a glance at our hair, and our face before we went about our daily business. We certainly would not be putting our best foot forward. To use the Word of God is to use it all the time. If we do not, we will certainly not fully know what reflection we are putting out.
The psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers: But his delight is in the law of Jehovah; And on his law doth he meditate day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2). To be blessed I need to be in the Word, to avoid the counsel of the wicked, partnership with sinners, and scoffers. I must seek the law of Jehovah and meditate on it with regular practice. The psalmist affirms it is a constant practice. What does that mean? It does not mean we have our head in a book all the time as then we could not do anything else. What it does mean is that my life is full of studying and meditating on God’s Word, with His people, in our homes, and alone. Can you imagine what this society would look like if people only looked in the mirror once a week? Can you imagine how ugly and disheveled the church would look if its members did so with the mirror of God’s Word? Brethren hypocrisy and inconsistency are commonplace in the world. The world does accuse, and rightfully so that we do not do the things we say we believe. If we are to correct this we must look into the mirror daily.
We must do and not merely hear the Word as the Spirit pointed out. We must remember that we profit from looking into and doing God’s Word. The mirror of God’s Word has a wonderful ability to transform us. We have to look and apply what we see. “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit “(2 Cor. 3:18). May we ever look into the perfect mirror, the true mirror of the soul, and be transformed (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
