04 - James 1:26-2:13 Series

James 1:26

26 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

After speaking about trials, seeking wisdom, money, temptations and obeying the word of God, James now turns his attention to what it means to be religious or in other words, a person who considers himself a true believer, living out his faith in every possible way. He says that if anyone considers himself religious, then there’s one very strong evidence of that – it’s the way one communicates. He will be able to control the use of his tongue. He uses the word, ‘bridle,’ as that was something that everybody would have been familiar with, since horses were used much back in the day, and a horse was controlled by a bridle that was connected to the bit in its mouth. In other words, James was saying that just as a bridle was used to control the direction a horse moved, so also if a person who considers himself religious, is unable to control the way he speaks, then he is deceiving none other than himself. James says that such a person’s profession of faith is useless or futile. It doesn’t benefit anyone.

James 1:27

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

James then goes on to explain what pure and undefiled religion really is. The first thing he seems to mention, is that the only One who can truly judge pure and undefiled religion is God Himself. He says that what God considers pure and undefiled religion, is when someone visits or takes care of the needs of those who have no parents (orphans) and those who have no husbands (widows). The Lord is our Heavenly Father and all through the Bible He refers to His people as His children.

Since we, The Church have now been adopted into His family, He is our Heavenly Father, and we are God’s children. (James already mentioned in James 1:18, the fact that God brought us forth by His own will through the word of truth). If God cares for those of us who have earthly fathers, how much more will He care for those who don’t have earthly fathers. God cares much for them, and wants us to care for them as well. Only a fatherless child knows the ill-effects of not having a father bringing him up. There’s so much a child misses when they have no father in their lives – a sense of confidence, security, direction, stability, and much more. So if we are truly living out our faith, then we need to be taking care of those children who have been deprived of this basic human need.

The other group of people James says we need to be mindful of, and caring about are the women who lost their husbands (widows). Back in the day (and even today, in several cultures across the globe), the husband was the sole breadwinner of the family, so if he had passed away, then the family had no means of sustenance, and were at the mercy of other people’s kindness. Further, if a woman lost her husband, she lost, not just the most important person in her life, in fact, she lost a very significant part of her life. She would be ill-treated by society (as is the case in many a culture even today). So a widow’s suffering was more than a mere lack of sustenance – it was social, emotional and physical suffering that she went through. In certain cultures it would even seem like a curse from God, which would mean that she even went through spiritual suffering – all because she lost her husband.

So what James seems to be saying is that if one considers himself to be living out his faith to the letter, then he needs to be able to control the way he communicates, must take care of the needs of the most deprived people in society – orphans and widows. Our faith cannot be limited to merely sitting with God’s word, praying and attending church – it needs to be seen in action, as we, in love, take care of the needs of those around us. In fact, during these days of the pandemic, there are a lot more needs that have opened up like never before, and these are opportunities for us to demonstrate the love we profess.

The third thing James says would be an evidence of a person who lives out his faith, is in the way he lives his life in comparison with that of the world around. He says that such a person should keep himself unspotted from the world. By this he means that such a person would not seek to please himself with the pleasures of this world; he would not hold to the values and morals that the world around subscribes to, he would not seek the things the world seeks after – fame, power, money, fulfilment of lusts, etc. Such a person’s life would be free from a craving for any of those things. Once again James seems to be saying that a truly spiritual man is not one who lives a solitary life, but is both concerned for people, and at the same time, living out the kind of life that Jesus taught us to live – holy, pleasing to God, and righteous in every way.