Real Religion

Zip Your Lip

James 1:26–27 CSB

If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

First, James gives us a test.

Religious — not the nuances that religion has today.

We usually think of religion as a shallow devotion to God, something that maybe only happens Wednesdays, Sundays, and Thursday night of youth camp.

Religion usually means how we worship God in connection to our outward actions.

James is saying, “Hey, if you think you’re a committed Christian, here’s a test you can take.”

The discussion that starts here will pick back up again in chapter 3. There, James describes the tongue as something that has the ability to ruin the whole person if it isn’t restrained and controlled. Whoever thought the tongue was so powerful?!

I we can’t control the tongue is to deceive your heart about the reality of your beliefs.

If the tongue is not controlled, here, it’s proof that you’re only a hearer of the Word, not a doer. And, if you’re not doing the Word, James says your religion is worthless!

Perhaps Jesus helps us understand a little bit better what James is getting at:

Luke 6:43–45 CSB

“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Second, Jesus states truth.

James 1:27 CSB

Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James wants to see genuine faith in the church.

He contrasts the worthless religion in vs. 26 with pure and undefiled religion in v.27. While James doesn’t exactly tell us what religion is, he certainly reminds us that it is nothing if it’s missing this. It’s not a summary of everything involved in being a Christian, but he is saying that this is necessary for Christians!

The first requirement: “visit orphans and widows in their affliction.” This is a classic example of what doers of the law will do.

James reminds believers to help the most helpless in society.

Visit doesn’t mean to just go a see them, but to help them and care for them. We need to be concerned about and care for the outcasts and the helpless in our world, even if they make us uncomfortable.

Who needs our help in society today?

James also wants to see moral purity in the church.

We live in a world that is corrupt, and we are in constant danger of buying into the world’s value system and taking on the sin that runs rampant around us.

Remember that sin is a process in your life.

James 1:14–15 CSB

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

Moral purity strives to live free from sin (although perfection is impossible, we still reach for it) both in our deeds and in our thoughts. Constantly capture and take every thought captive to Jesus.

Now What?

Let’s think back on the last few weeks:

Are you quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, remembering that our anger doesn’t produce God’s righteousness?

Do you put the Bible to use in your life? When you hear Bible studies and sermons and when you do your quiet time, do you do what the Word of God says?

How’s your tongue? Is it more of a loose canon, quicker with a cut down and coarse joking than with praising God and edifying others?

Do you make an effort to reach out to others?