The Book of James Week Two Lesson Three

“True Religion”

“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

 James 1:26-27

Religion, what does it mean to you? Have you ever said or heard phrases like: “Oh, be careful of what you say around Susie. She’s religious” “What religion are you?” We use the word “religious” to describe devotion to exercise and other things like it. 

In the Texas, where I grew up, if someone asked you what religion you were, you’d answer with something like this: “Baptist,” or “Methodist” or “Catholic.” Whatever church you belonged to, that was your religion. 

In the world view of religion there is Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism...the list goes on. Being “spiritual” is another form of the word and seems to be the catchphrase for anyone who is trying to find where their spirit fits best.

The dictionary defines “religion” as “A belief or reverence for a supernatural power recognized ad the creator or governor  of the universe.” 

What is your definition of “religion” or being “religious”?

What does James say, in our scripture for today, about what a truly religious person should do?

The running of our mouths is much like the running of the bulls in Spain. They are both very dangerous. Who in their right mind would take part in letting a bunch of bulls chase you through the narrow streets? Running our mouths may seem like a good and exciting thing at the time, but pain and destruction will result for someone.

Read the following verses and describe what each one says about the tongue:

Psalm 34:12-13

Psalm 141:3-4

1 Peter 3:10

I often speak (or write) things without thinking about the consequences. In certain translations of the Bible, the term, “wagging the tongue” is used. What a description!

“Wagging our tongues” often creates a barrier to others. Our point is often lost in the midst of the hurt we may cause. Those who call themselves Christians should be more careful when we speak.

I had a dear friend at a church we attended as a family back in South Dakota. She would always greet me with a hug and ask for me to pray her Dad would ask Jesus into his heart. She would say, “He’s so bitter against the Church Carrie. How do I get through to him?” I would try and comfort her, telling her that God would take care of it and that I would pray. Truthfully I doubted that he’d ever come around.

Previously, she had shared with me a story of her why her Dad was so bitter against the Church and God. Years before, as a young farmer trying to make ends meet and feed his family, he received a letter from the church they attended saying that he owed a certain amount of money for his tithe or they couldn’t come back to church. So, he never went back. The people at this church weren’t kind to him and his bitterness grew and hardened his heart. As an old man he was very bitter. My friend’s concern grew even more when her father became ill and was on his deathbed.

What she didn’t realize was that a young pastor from one of the local churches had heard about this bitter old man and decided to go out and meet him. At first the old man rebuffed him. He was downright mean. Yet, the pastor was persistent and kept visiting the old man every day. He noticed that the roof on the man’s house was in disrepair. He showed up the next day with tools and supplies to fix it. Over the next few days the old man watched as the pastor repaired the roof. Soon a friendship developed.

Eventually, the old man got so sick he had to go to the hospital. The pastor continued to come to see him. One day the old man’s daughter was standing at his bedside when the pastor came in for his daily visit. She saw her father’s face light up when he came into the room. Surprised, she just stood there as the pastor asked if the old man would like to go to heaven when he passed on. The old man said “yes.” They bowed their heads and prayed together.

Later, after her father died, my friend asked her brothers what had happened between the pastor and her her dad. They told her the story of the kind pastor. All our prayers were answered. God used a faithful pastor who knew how to speak without using words and eventually led the man to Christ. He had earned the right to tell him about Jesus. He was sensitive to God’s leading.

The religion of the church people, who demanded money and action, pushed the man away from God and caused great damage. The true religion on the young pastor, years later, drew the man to Christ Jesus. He loved the man like Jesus requires of us. He taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves and He had reason for it. He wants us to love others to Him.

The religion James is talking about describes a ceremonial service for the church. It is done out of obligation. He is telling them that this false type of religion is not for the service for God rather, it is a self-serving religion.

Read Colossians 2:16-19 and describe the actions of the “religious.”

Who have they lost connection to?

I want my relationship with Jesus to be true and not ritualistic. I want to be drawn and to draw others closer to Jesus. It’s about having a relationship with Jesus and not religion.

Read James 1:27 again. What does it say about true religion?

Does James mean that all we need to do is to take care of orphans and widows? (Although its something we should do) No, in my opinion, James is giving an example of how we are to outwardly to express our faith in Jesus. There are many ways of showing how much we love Jesus.

Read Philippians 2:5-8. List the aspects of Christ attitude we are to adopt as our own:

Read on in verses 9-11. What is the result of adopting the attitude of Christ Jesus?

Our lives should reflect a servant’s heart, be humbled and obedient to God. Living like this exalts Jesus. This is true worship. This is true religion as it relates to our relationship with Him.

James is saying we are first to be servants (slaves) of our Master, Almighty God, just as Jesus showed us. The second part of true religion is to “refuse to let the world corrupt you.”

Read 1 John 2:15-16 List the things that come from the world:

We are to look to God for everything and leave the things of this world alone. The religion of “self” is the religion of the world. The world today tells us over and over again that we are gods ourselves. James teaches what true religion is: Love and serve God; love and serve others as ourselves. 

The only hope this world offers is perishable. The Hope of Glory is Christ Himself. Our lives, ones given over to His control, should reflect this Hope. We must begin to live as Christ lived. Jesus humbled Himself in human form and became a servant of the Most High God. He saw His equality with God the Father as an opportunity to give Himself up as the perfect sacrifice for the payment of our guilt. He accomplished this through His humility before His Father. All this was done for our benefit. This is relationship. This is true religion. This is devotion to our God.