James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
On the heels of yesterday’s discussion of keeping our religion from being vain or worthless, James comes back to discuss how that our our religion can be pure and undefiled. We are told to visit the fatherless and the widows and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. Let’s look at these teachings in two separate categories. I think this verse breaks Christianity down into two main focuses.
1. Living a Positive Life for God
2. Refraining from Sin
1. Positive Living. We may somewhat neglect this avenue of Christianity in our teaching. I think there is a host of Christians that believe that as long as I don’t do any of those big sins then I am safe. But the Bible and Jesus himself are VERY emphatic that if we neglect this aspect of Christianity, we deceiving ourselves.
Matthew 25:14-26 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. (16) Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. (17) And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. (18) But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. (19) After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. (20) And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. (21) His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (22) He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. (23) His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (24) Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: (25) And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. (26) His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
When you compare this one talent man to the other two guys, Jesus is trying to show that they differ only in this one aspect of using their talents. In other words, we should NOT assume that this one talent man was excessively more evil or sinful than the other two servants. The only reason that he is rebuked is because he didn’t do anything. James says that we ought to visit the Fatherless and the widows; two groups of people that typically cannot help themselves. So we ought to use our talents to help them, comfort them and to enrich their lives.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
2. Refraining from Sin. These two aspects of Christianity should not be viewed as buffet items, in that we have a choice between doing one or the other. Instead, to have a pure, undefiled religion, we must do both. The second thing that James informs us of is refraining from sin.
Sin is what separated us from God initially (Isaiah 59:1-2) and all sin has the power to continue to separate us from God. With that in mind, we need to avoid sin at all cost.
Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
For those of us that are Christians, we have made the commitment to abandon sin, In fact, the language that Paul uses in Romans 6 is that we have died to sin. That should be the attitude that we have. I have died to sin. I am done with it. I have put it behind me.
We must apply both of these aspects of Christianity in our lives. It is the ONLY way that we can have a religion that is effective and meaningful to God!.
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