There are several sayings like “Armchair quarterback” and “Backseat driver” that mean the same thing, watching and telling, rather than doing. We all are guilty of this at some time or another. Being a hearer and not a doer is easier and takes a whole lot less effort.
Romans 2:12-16 (MSG)
12-13 If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, that’s a different story entirely. Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.
14-16 When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God’s yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.
Apostle Paul is writing to the Roman believers and instructing them on several subjects. He is letting them know that hearing God’s Word but not doing what The Word says to do is a waste of time. We will never realize all of God’s blessing until we act upon His instructions. If we don’t know better we at least have an excuse. However if we know what is right and still do wrong we are without excuse.
The Bible says that nature itself is a witness to God’s divinity. God in His great desire to be connected to us, His creation, wove His message of right and wrong into nature itself, as well as our conscious.
Most people already know when they mess up and don’t need us to tell them how bad they are. What everyone needs to hear from us is God’s great message of love, hope, mercy and grace through Jesus.
We all know we will fall short and make mistakes along the way in this life. When we do, we should be quick to repent and keep moving forward. The message is that we need to be doing and not just watching, hearing or telling. The doer is the one who will reap the blessings of life.
There has never been an armchair quarterback who made the winning throw or someone who could control the direction of a car from the backseat. We have to be active participants in this life. We have to be doers and not just hearers to see God’s beautiful plan for our lives unfold.