James 1:21 (LSB)

Passage

Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Nearby Context

James 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

James 1:20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

James 1:21 Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:22 But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "laying", "aside", "filthiness", "remains", "wickedness", "gentleness", and "receive". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "laying", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "for the anger of man does not..." into verse 22's "But become doers of the word and...", so "therefore" and "laying" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "laying" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.