“19 My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you.
22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
James 1:19-27
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People who are outside of Christ, or who live a nominal ‘Christian’ life going to church twice a year and ‘trying to be good’ from time to time, will say that they are ‘religious’ people. Religion for them is something to be done, but is not owned in the heart. Religion is a set of semi-moral, semi-ethical rules and regulations that are used to earn God-points or some-such thing to help ensure they have enough bargaining chips at the pearly gates, if there winds up being a heaven and an afterlife. They don’t really feel obligated to do anything else, but they think that wearing nicer clothes to one or two church services a year will keep God happy with them, and they tic their boxes off feeling good about their works and actions. They may distrust ‘organized religion’ but they will concoct one for themselevs. They cry ‘Lord, Lord’ at Easter and Christmas, but their lives are not lived in Christ.

On the other side of the coin, you have those who are very strict in their Christian walk who will try to give the word ‘religious’ such a wide berth that they will almost shame anyone who uses it because it holds connotations of legalism and being like the Pharisees. They would never claim to be religious and instead talk about ‘walks’ and ‘relationships’ with Christ. To them being ‘religious’ carries a bad connotation and implies what the rest of the world does to cope with our very real internal spiritual struggle. Being ‘religious’ holds that same works mentality that the nominals hold on to, but so much so that these Christians will deny having anything to do with any kind of religion. They separate themselves from it, and cling to other words that essentially mean the same thing, but do not bear the weight of ‘religion’ or ‘religious’ that they feel exists.

But James lets us know that the word ‘religion’ is not a bad thing. Religion in an of itself simply connotes worship. Social stigmas aside, religion in regards to the Father, Son & Spirit is not a bad thing. There is a life of worship to be lived out, and it is to be done in purity, just as James directs, and God demands. A religious life, lived through the Spirit, in line with Christ, done to worship God is a very good thing. It is a God honoring thing, and it is something that we should take very serouisly, joyfully and with thanksgiving. Pure religion? Yes, please! A pure worship of God, given from a willing and cheerful heart is an outward sign of an inward devotion. It is something to persue, not just nod toward one or two times a year. It is something to chase after, knowing that it isn’t works, but love being poured out. Service rendered, songs sung, offerings & tithes given all for the One, the Triune One, who guards and guides our hearts. True religion seeks the face of God and imitates Christ. True religion puts others and their needs first and does not seek for self. True religion, done from sincerity, is a beautiful gift that lifts God up and edifies others.

We cannot live out lives however we want for 99% of the year, give God 1% and claim to be religious. That isn’t worship, that is a pandering lip service. We cannot be so cold in our walks, harshly evaluating others, keeping a distance from those who do not look and act like us, scared of being a Pharisee, but living like one anyway, and claim to be religious. No, we must take the full counsel of God, look at the full picture of our worship of Him, and give from the depth of the love that He planted in our hearts through the blood of His Son, Jesus. Knowing that the religion, the worship, that Jesus showed us incorporated serving others, teaching others and equipping others to go and go likewise should give us every inspiration to do the same. James points out two groups to serve that we assume cannot do anything to give back to us, and that is a great start. Care for the helpless, the orphan, the broken hearted, the widow, and share the love that God has given you to GoLove with by serving them in worship of Him. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for Gods glory.” Do it all in worship of Him. Don’t get so hung up in linguistics that you forget the meaning of the Word itself. Don’t get so hung up in appearances that you neglect the relationship that goes along with Him.