RELIGION ANALYZED
JAMES 1:26-27
APRIL 9, 2000
What comes to mind when you hear the word religion? We often use the term
derisively, thinking of the varied religious expressions throughout the world
that lack any sense of biblical foundation. Buddhism with all of its strange
offering of flower petals, incense and food to little statues, Islam with its
legalistic prostration toward Mecca throughout the day, Hinduism with its
pantheon of gods, all represent religions with no foundation that have captured
the souls of hundreds of millions world-wide. They offer forms of worship to
assorted deities through an array of symbols and complicated liturgies. A
thousand other religions and offshoots of each could be added to the list of
world religions. To each of these we often explain that our concern is for
relationship not religion. We are not so interested in the outward form of
religion as that of having an inward relationship with the living God and
Creator of this world.
Yet it is not only in the realm of genuinely non-Christian devotions that we
find the word religion used. We sometime speak of "the Christian religion" to
explain the distinction of Christianity from the other religions of the world.
Or we speak of some devout person as being "very religious." A hundred years ago
or more you would commonly hear the word religion used in a positive sense about
Christianity. You would hear sermon titles like, "The Danger of Lukewarmness in
Religion" (18th C. Samuel Davies), "The Great Duty of Family Religion" (18th C.
George Whitefield), and "Religion the Only Source of True Happiness" (19th C.
Asahel Nettleton). Each of these exhibits a positive, endearing use of religion.
We must keep this in mind to understand how James utilizes the word religion.
The term James uses for religious and religion denotes strict observance of
religious exercises, whether performed sincerely or hypocritically. In the
Hellenistic world of his audience, the idea of religion emphasized achieving an
intellectual understanding of and worshiping deities, without any corresponding
relationship to God or fellowman. So a person could be religious without
actually loving God or his neighbor. It is this vain idea of religion that James
exposes. He is not anti-religion, but against false religion. True religion
affects a person inwardly, outwardly, and upwardly. A man develops
self-restraint, shows mercy, and walks in purity when the true religion of faith
in Jesus Christ captures his heart. Is your religion true or vain? Let us
consider how James explains this truth of genuine religion.
I. A personal claim to religion
Again I must remind us that James is not jumping to a different subject. He is
only amplifying what he has already set forth with great clarity. He has shown
that if a person has been regenerated by "the word of truth" he must also be
"quick to hear" the Word of God and active in proving himself to be a "doer of
the word." The word having taken root in the heart will consequently produce
fruit in the life. The seed having been planted and brought to life by the work
of the Holy Spirit will surely give evidence of life through fruitfulness.
1. Nature of religion
We are mistaken if we think that the 1st century world was not religious, just
as we would be mistaken to think that our present day is not religious.
Certainly there were those who espoused the thoughts of atheism even as in our
day, yet even most of them, if the point is pressed, have some type of religious
belief. That goes part and parcel with humanity, for all men are religious
beings. There is the natural sense that something deserves our devotion and
loyalty. Often that is turned inward in self-worship or perhaps turned toward
crass materialism or even to a worship of nature. But men are religious. The
writer of Ecclesiastes explains that God has created us with eternity in our
hearts (3:11), yet that sense of more and otherness is fulfilled in a myriad of
vain ways.
James expresses this simply: "If anyone thinks himself to be religious." The
Greek carries the idea of a person continually imagining or seeming himself to
be religious. If asked by another whether they are religious, they answer
affirmatively. Yet there is the possibility that, as James puts it, "this man's
religion is worthless." What is religion in its truest sense?
We would have to say that it is the recognition of transcendence, that is, that
something or someone exists that is greater than myself. This someone or
something is far beyond my own ability to fully grasp, so that I am dependent
upon the struggle to gather information or even attain revelation about whatever
this being, force, or concept might be. This struggle with mind and soul forms
the basis of one's religious beliefs and might be expressed in endless ways. The
primitive animist struggles to understand transcendence in the natural order. He
develops superstitions about trees and rivers and the moon. Bad omens arise when
the river rages or a tree is struck by lightning or a lunar eclipse occurs.
The more sophisticated person probes into the mysteries of the universe to
grapple with what he considers to be a universal soul. He reads, attends
seminars, meditates, and burns incense in his home as acts of devotion. He
engages in an amalgam of religious ideas to conclude that this universal soul is
in his own soul and that he himself is god. So his search around the universe
has ended with himself.
James would declare such religions as "worthless" and vain, because they exist
without reference to the word of truth. The Creator, from whom every good and
perfect gift comes, can only bring true religion forth. He alone, who is
immutable, can bring us forth from the miserable darkness of sin and deception
to become part of the first fruits among his creatures. True religion is that
which is found in relationship to Jesus Christ and his finished, redemptive
work. It is that which God the Creator, by the work of his Spirit, births in the
souls of men through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Possibility of deception
Yet in light of this reality, there can still be deception even with reference
to the Christian religion. "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet
does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is
worthless." There is the possibility of someone embracing all the claims of
Christianity, yet still lacking true religion in the heart. It is not that there
is something wrong with Christianity or the revelation of God through the
gospel. Instead, that person "deceives his own heart." He does so by embracing
all of the outward claims and doctrines of Christianity without inward
transformation. He knows the right words to say, he has the songs down pat, he
understands when to stand and sit, and he even gives regularly to Christian
work. Yet "this man's religion is worthless."
Consider what James is explaining. We can be around the gospel, talk about the
gospel, confess that we believe the gospel, and yet still be deceived. I will
never forget one of my first stark encounters of this reality. I was a junior at
Mobile College, sitting in my second year Greek class, as the president of our
college's ministerial association gave testimony to the fact that he had been a
fake. This was one of the nicest guys on campus, well liked and respected by
everyone. But he came to the realization that he had never repented of his sins
and trusted in Jesus Christ. He had conformed outwardly to the expectations of
Christianity, but was never inwardly transformed by the gospel. He realized that
his religion was all talk and "worthless." Could it be possible that some among
us today have been deceiving their own hearts by all their outward claims to
Christianity, yet inwardly, there is nothing but "dead men's bones"?
II. The facets of true religion
Lest we despair, James offers an explanation of recognizing true religion. He
does not give a full definition by any means, but clearly sets forth the
evidence of what Christ does in the heart. Understand that James is not saying
that these "facets of true religion" saves the man. Instead he is explaining in
short, as he does in detail in chapter 2, that a true confession of Jesus Christ
results in a different ethic inwardly, outwardly, and upwardly.
1. Exercise self-control
Jesus declared, "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you
will be condemned" (Matt. 12:37), i.e., your words are an indicator of spiritual
life or spiritual death. "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is
worthless." James explains that the heart is seen in the tongue. For out of the
abundance of that which fills the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34). In this
case, James is explaining that if we have no control over our tongues it is due
to a deeper problem: a worthless religion. Alec Motyer explains, "The tongue and
the heart are linked so that the tongue is an accurate index of what we are at
the core of our persons" [The Message of James, 76]. James spends more time in
his epistle addressing the tongue, but here broaches the subject to explain that
the reason some have out-of-control tongues is because they have out-of-control
hearts. To continue claiming to know Christ and to have true religion while the
tongue is unbridled gives evidence of self-deception. That person has fallen
prey to the game of convincing himself that he is saved when the tongue
indicates he is not.
James could have a number of things in mind with the tongue. He could be
thinking of a lying tongue that covers the tracks of an unregenerate heart
through deceit and false witness. Or he could think of the filthy tongue that
dredges from the sewer all manner of lurid jokes and conversation. Or he could
be referring to the gossiping tongue that spreads untruths about others in an
effort to wound their status or character while vaunting one's own. But I must
agree with Kent Hughes who states that what James has most in mind "is the
uncontrolled slanderous tongue-carping, critical, judgmental" in its unbridled
condition [James: Faith that Works, 81]. One man victimized often in his day and
still almost 400 years later is John Calvin. Hear what he wrote of this kind of
speech:
When people shed their grosser sins, they are extremely vulnerable to contract
this complaint. A man will steer clear of adultery, of stealing, of drunkenness,
in fact he will be a shining light of outward religious observance-and yet will
revel in destroying the character of others; under the pretext of zeal...but it
is a lust for vilification. This explains...the bloated pharisaical pride that
feeds indulgently on a general diet of smear and censure [quoted by Hughes, 81].
One such lady known for her carping, critical attitude attended one of John
Wesley's services. She stared at his tie the entire service and after he
concluded she carped, "Mr. Wesley, the strings on your bow ties are much too
long. It's an offense to me!" Wesley asked if anyone had a pair of scissors and
one lady produced some. He invited the lady to cut the tie to her liking, so she
proceeded to clip it almost to the collar. Wesley replied, "Are you sure they're
all right now?" "Yes, that's much better," she muttered. "Then let me have those
shears a moment," said Wesley. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I also gave you a
bit of correction. I must tell you madam, that your tongue is an offense to
me-it's too long! Please stick it out...I'd like to take some off" [Hughes, 82].
A heart regenerated has the ability and desire to "bridle his tongue," i.e., to
stick the bridle of self-control into his own mouth so that the name of Christ
will not be dishonored, on one hand, and so that blessing might be given, on the
other.
What does your tongue indicate about the condition of your religion?
2. Practice mercy
If an out-of-control tongue negatively shows false religion, how does one
positively demonstrate true religion? James writes, "Pure and undefiled religion
in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James moves from the
negative to the positive, here referring to the practice of mercy due to the
overflow of Christ's love in the heart.
In the ancient world, widows and orphans were the most helpless of humanity.
They were left without resources to fend for themselves in a world that
consistently scraped along with famines and poverty. Neglecting widows and
orphans was considered a breach of the law and a failure to express the same
redemptive love that had been shown to the people of God. The Old Testament
offers a number of texts that demonstrates God's attitude toward orphans and
widows, as well as the poor. The Israelites were commanded to refrain from
charging interest on what they loaned them and to leave something of the food in
the fields for them to glean (Lev. 25:35ff; Deut 24:19-21). The Lord explained
through Moses, "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His
love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. So show your love for the
alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Deut. 10:18-19). An
interesting refrain takes place in many of these texts, "But you shall remember
that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from
there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing" (Deut. 24:18). It was on
the basis of being redeemed from bondage that they were to show mercy to those
who were in bondage to weakness, fear, and poverty. Because God had been
merciful to them, they were to likewise be merciful to others.
In what may likely be the direct background to James' text, we find that Isaiah
warns about the practice of religion that lacks mercy toward others. The call is
for the Jews to go beyond the outward form of religious practices to a heart
religion that shows mercy toward others.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of
our God, you people of Gomorrah. "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?"
Says the Lord. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed
cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. When you
come to appear before Me, who requires of you this trampling of My courts? Bring
your worthless offerings no longer, incense is an abomination to Me. New moon
and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies-I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn
assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, they have
become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your
hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply
prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My
sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:10-17).
Do you show mercy toward others? The term James uses for visiting orphans and
widows implies a continual consciousness, a persistent ministry (present middle
infinitive verb). It describes the heart that is conscious of other's needs and
seeks to provide help for them. This mercy might be in helping those who are
helpless and who cannot care for themselves, that is in physical, material ways.
It might also be the mercy shown for those helplessly caught in the bondage to
sin, showing them the source of eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.
James' appeal calls "to our minds the redeeming, Calvary-love of Jesus as the
model for the caring Christian," for the one with true, undefiled religion [Motyer,
77].
3. Maintain purity
Inwardly, the one with true religion is known by exercising self-restraint in
the control of his tongue. Outwardly, he is evidenced by his acts of mercy
toward others in distress of life or soul. And finally, upwardly, true religion
lives with a consciousness of maintaining purity in the midst of the world.
"Pure and undefiled religion," i.e., the kind uncontaminated by the world, "in
the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." Religion involves much
more than the talk and claims to knowledge so common in James' and our own day.
It involves moral purity. Again, a person is not saved because he keeps himself
unstained from the world, but he keeps himself unstained from the world because
he is saved.
"The world" has been described as "the whole human scheme of things organized in
terms of human wisdom to attain a human goal, without reference to God, his
laws, his values or his ultimate judgment. The world is, in fact, anything and
everything that is at odds with the Lordship of Jesus over our lives" [Motyer,
77]. The rationale for keeping oneself "unstained by the world" is not in order
to merit salvation, for that would be a legalism akin to the Judaizers. Rather,
it is a deep motivation because of true religion in the soul. Because Jesus
Christ has redeemed you, because he has set you free from the penalty and power
of sin, because he has given you an eternal hope, you seek to turn away from
being enslaved to the very things from which Christ has delivered you.
A very simple, biblical term for this is holiness. It is not "holier-than-thou"
as if a person has a superficial, hypocritical vanity about his life, thinking
he is innately better than others. It is a recognition that if we love the world
then the love of the Father is not in us (I John 2:15). It is a consciousness
that because the Lord our God is holy, we too want to be holy in all our
behavior (I Peter 1:15-16). It is that deep passion for living as those who are
"God's own possession" (I Peter 2:9-10). The reality of our religion can be seen
in the way we live in relationship to the world. As I have found him doing so
many times, Alec Motyer offers a captivating explanation of what James expresses
about this reality of true religion:
For it is more than likely true that, if life were all large decisions, few of
us would go far wrong. Yet, faced with the world's ceaseless bombardment of our
eyes, ears, thoughts and imaginations, the world's insidious erosion of values
and standards, and clamour for our time, money and energy, it is easy to adopt a
general way of life which, though it avoids the open pitfalls of sin, yet is not
discernibly different from the style of one who does not know Christ. We may
well decide to belong to Jesus, yet fail to carry that decision through with the
rigour which alone proves that it was a real decision. It is one thing to yield
our lives to him, but it is another to live each moment of the day on his side
of the great divide from the world [p. 78].
Conclusion
No believer perfectly displays what James has called for, yet the bent of his
life has been changed by Christ so that inwardly, he seeks to bridle his tongue,
outwardly, he seeks to show mercy to others, and upwardly, he seeks to maintain
purity in the midst of this world. Does this aptly describe your life as a
Christian? Then your religion is made of the "right stuff," the kind that
carries you through life to the glory of God.
But if James' portrayal of false religion has unmasked your own heart, then see
this as a time to seek the Lord for his mercy, to look to Jesus Christ as the
only way to God. Call upon the Lord, trusting in his God-satisfying death at
Calvary, and believing him to save you from your sin. Then your religion will no
longer be self-deceiving but pure and undefiled before God.
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