True Religion

James 1:19-27

Context

Most Bible scholars believe that the James who wrote this epistle is the one who was a brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55). Though he was skeptical of Jesus during his ministry (John 7:5), James was convinced that Jesus was

the Son of God after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7).

Context

James was numbered among the company in Jerusalem waiting and praying after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:14). Later Peter and Paul met with

him in Jerusalem (Galatians 1:19) where he was the “presiding elder” at a

church conference (Acts 15).

Context

The letter of James shows a few marks of being addressed to specific groups of

believing Jews outside the land of Israel. James applied the wisdom of

Jesus, Proverbs, and the Law of Moses to these problems.

Context

It seems there were problems with angry conversation and a lack of clarity about the right way of life for a disciple

of Jesus. James called for humble acceptance of the way of Jesus and taught the reward of pure religion.

Context

The letter's perspective is distinctly Christian. We see the Jewishness of the

letter in its address to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations"

(James 1:1). These are not simply Jews, but believers in Jesus, the people of

God in Christ.

Context

They are scattered partly because of persecution (Acts 8:1) and partly

because missionaries planted the seed of the gospel outside Palestine, efforts that led still more people to faith in Christ.

But after coming to faith, what's next? Today's lesson addresses just this

question.

Context

The text examines how we as Christians we are to hear and do the Word. The study's aim is to see that being a real Christian requires more than mere profession. The study's

application is to demonstrate that one truly knows the Lord by living a changed life devoted to Christ.

James 1:16

Do not be deceived, my beloved.

James 1:16

The command “Do not be deceived” may relate to the preceding verses

regarding temptation and sin, or stand alone as a dire warning in general, or

relate to the verses that follow verse 16 or both.

James 1:16

Both Christians and unbelievers are susceptible to deception and deceivers. No one should deceive themselves into thinking they can continue to practice

sin and not receive the wages of or consequences of sin—death (Romans

6:23).

James 1:17

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or

shadow due to change.

James 1:17

God gives generously beyond what anyone can deserve, expect, or imagine.

God gives perfectly whatever is best suited to each person.

God inspires people to give generously and rightly according to His will.

.

James 1:17

God gives light, which reveals reality, what is, and what remains to be

competed.

God’s light reveals what is outside and within a person. God shines His light

from within true Christians out into the world.

James 1:18

In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first

fruits of his creatures.

James 1:18

When people come to true faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they

become new people and receive a new beginning from God. They come to true

faith because the light of God gives them understanding and the ability to

read and rightly apply the word of truth (the Bible) to all of life.

James 1:18

Respecting people as created in the image of God, God chose to use truth,

the word of truth, as the means of creating Christians two thousand years

ago, throughout the subsequent centuries, and today.

James 1:18

Hearing the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13) And we also thank God

continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in

you who believe.

James 1:19

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to

speak, slow to anger;

James 1:19

Those who truly know God express their faith in self-control. James

emphasizes that self-control begins with our speech. The instructions here are familiar, reflecting the wisdom of

the Old Testament (Proverbs 13:3; 15:1; 29:20).

James 1:19

Self-control in speech begins with being swift to hear. Practically, that means listening to others with consideration and empathy. But more specifically,

James is telling readers that their first step is to listen to God’s Word.

Only then can they speak well.

James 1:19

The result of quick hearing and slow speaking is that our words can be redirected by the wisdom of God.

James 1:19

A proper self-assessment will restrain our speech and make us better listeners. That in turn leads to a different response with our wrath or anger (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

True faith in God redirects our wrath because we first realize that God, not we

humans, will do the judging and punishing that needs to be done.

James 1:20

for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

James 1:20

The Bible tells us to listen carefully to understand others. If we wait to speak until we have understood as fully as possible, we should be able to speak

love, light, and truth into a situation or relationship—which can require

additional prayer for guidance and wisdom.

James 1:20

But fallible humans can not measure just punishment for every wrong. Worse

than that, we easily mistake our own motives, justifying our wrath prompted

by selfishness as “righteous indignation.”

Anger tends to make a mess of our own lives and of those around us.

James 1:20

The question is, “What makes us angry?” It is one thing to be angry at injustice and wrongdoing. It is quite

different to be upset because of some personal slight or difference.

James warns us to be sure we are angry about the right things. (Ephesians

4:26.)

James 1:21

Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with

meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

James 1:21

God alone gives spiritual life, the new birth, and God gives that spiritual growth and development by implanting “the word of truth” into the souls, hearts, and minds

of true believers.

Believers apply “the word of truth” in the way they behave, converse with, and

relate to God and others.

James 1:21

The believer needs to think about and obey the implanted “word of truth” in

order to quit thinking about and quit doing anything sordid, evil, wicked, or that

allows wickedness to grow within them.

James 1:21

Life apart from God is sadly characterized by thoughts and actions that ruin the

purpose for which God created humans (Revelation 22:11).

James 1:21

So James says that we put aside (lay apart) the old life and receive that

powerful Word of God. James describes this receiving the Word as being

engrafted, meaning “planted inside.”

But for its power to be at work, the implanted Word needs to be received

again and again.

James 1:22

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

James 1:22

Those who listen but do not do are in a state of self-deception. They pretend to be

God’s people, but their actions say otherwise. The engrafted Word of God will yield fruit in changed behavior (Matthew

7:15–20).

James 1:22

If the behavior has not changed, then the Word has been uprooted or never

engrafted in the first place.

Our actions are the best indicators of the reality of our hearts.

James 1:22

God and His word will help all men stop practicing sin, to which they have become

enslaved.

Jesus Christ has freed His followers from slavery to sin so they can do His word.

James 1:22

Righteousness is the obedience of God's Word (Deut. 6:25)

…and if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has

commanded us that will be our righteousness."

James 1:23

For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at

themselves in a mirror;

James 1:23

James now describes this self-deception of the person who does not act on the Word

of God. In the world of the New Testament, mirrors (the meaning of glass) are rather common, though being made of polished metal they are not entirely like ours. Even so, these ancient mirrors allow people to

check their appearance.

James 1:23

Of course, the purpose of looking in a mirror is to be able to do just that. That is the situation James is describing: one who is examining his natural face so to get a

close, deliberate look.

The person takes note of the image in order to make adjustments to improve his

or her appearance.

James 1:23

The word of truth and the light of God can make people uncomfortable when seeing themselves as God sees them, but rather

than turn away with an uncomfortable feeling, hearers of the word need to make the changes God expects them to make in accordance with the Bible, which reveals

their lives to them.

James 1:24

for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were

like.

James 1:24

God’s Word reveals our true selves, “warts and all” as the old saying goes. It shows us what is wrong and puts us on the path to

make it right. Not putting it into practice is akin to the foolish self-deception of looking

in a mirror and pretending our real appearance is different.

James 1:24

To look into the mirror of the Word of God involves an obligation. The intent and

sustained look with a ready response is the key to spiritual strength and continued

maturity.

The word for “looks intently into” literally means “to stoop down” in order to have a

good close look.

James 1:24

The “Law that gives freedom” seems like a paradox. Law seems to imply restraint and

therefore a lack of freedom.

Not so with God’s Law. His perfect Law provides true freedom. “Hold to my

teaching,” Christ said, “then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

(John 8:31-32).

James 1:25

But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being

not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

James 1:25

We tend to think of law as restrictive, but James affirms that God’s law gives liberty. This is a key theme of Scripture. The God who gave freedom to the Israelite slaves (Exodus 20:2) is the God who gives the

commandments that instruct His people in the way of true freedom. Paul reminds us

that the true slavery is slavery to sin (Romans 6:15–23).

James 1:25

The conscientious believer looks into God’s Word and then considers the implications for

his life. It is called the “perfect law,” just what the law ought to be (Psalm 19:7).

Scripture is the perfect law that gives freedom. All who continue doing what they

have learned will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:25

The truth is implanted for us to recognize what is right (Isa 51:7)

"Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts: Do not fear the reproach of men or be

terrified by their insults.”

James 1:26

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their

hearts, their religion is worthless.

James 1:26

It is possible for those who think they are religious to fail at practicing Christianity by

continuing to say harmful, hurtful, or angry words.

They speak without thinking or understanding, and they do not speak the

truth in love.

James 1:26

Proper respect for the one true God consists of behavior that reflects who God is. This involves being obedient to His will, upholding His standards of justice, mercy,

grace, and forgiveness. It means acknowledging God’s supreme authority in

what we say and do.

James 1:26

Some people consider themselves religious and they give scrupulous

attention to details of formal worship.

Tasker said, “Such a person may be very careful to use the right words when he is

performing a religious ceremony, but very careless in his speech at other times.”

James 1:26

Speech that honors God is under control, the way that a horse with a bit and bridle

is under the control of an equestrian (Psalms 34:13; 39:1; 141:3). The speech of

a God-honoring person follows the path that God sets. Such speech is filled with

love, grace, and forgiveness, but tempered by righteousness and justice.

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep

oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:27

The situation for widows who could not remarry was harsh. While the book of Job testifies that only wicked people mistreat the widow (24:3; 31:16), the fact is that

wide mistreatment occurred. Even Israel's leaders did not treat widows well (Isa.

1:23) but often oppressed them (Jer. 7:6).

James 1:27

Widows were vulnerable to having their properties confiscated (Isa. 10:2) and were occasionally killed for such purposes (Ps. 94:6). The oppression of widows was so common that a widow without children

was "legally homeless, without any social, political, or economic status in the village"

James 1:27

James pairs generosity toward the helpless with being unspotted from the world’s

corruption. We end up bearing the world’s filth when we continue in the attitudes and

behaviors that the world produces: selfishness, violence, hatred,

vindictiveness, etc. God-honoring lives, by contrast, stand out from the world.

James 1:27

Pure … and undefiled is the kind of devotion we seek when we see ourselves and our situation rightly. If we try to split

the difference between God and the world, we show that we are holding onto our

problem, not embracing our salvation. A grasp of the truth impels us to end the

world’s kind of life and pursue God’s kind.

Conclusion

Jesus told the rich young ruler, "There is none good but one, that is, God" (Matt. 19:17). He is our example of all that is

good. The more conformed we are to the image of Christ, the more people will see

good in us, especially as we become doers of the Word.

Conclusion

Those who continually spout their own opinions and wisdom find it difficult to hear God's voice.

And those who are always ready to give someone a piece of their mind should recognize

that even if they are logically correct, their anger does not accomplish the righteousness

God desires.

Gentle kindness is a more fitting tool for doing the work of Christ.

Conclusion

James knew that not all of his readers would be both good hearers and good

doers. He recognized a basic trait of sinful humanity: we are very willing to deceive

ourselves when the truth does not suit us.

So he spelled out how a good doer progresses spiritually.

Conclusion

It is human nature to excuse our vices and the corruption that so easily flows from

our sinful flesh.

We should instead nurture the word of truth that God has planted within us. As it grows and fills our heart, it gives meaning

and purpose to life.

Conclusion

Those who are truly religious focus their efforts on two main objectives: caring for the needy and avoiding the many vices of this world. Without any exaggeration, we could spend our whole lives trying to do these two things and never fully reach

these goals.

Renew the Mind

Being a good listener is the work of a wise person. Work on it! (Jas. 1:19)

Hearing God's Word but not acting on it is harmful to our spiritual well-being (vs. 22)

Renew the Mind

Remember that only God is capable of truly fair judgments (vs. 20)

Determine to let the Word of God reform your attitude and demeanor (vs. 21)