Real religion
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
James 1:17–27 (ESV)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we begin a five-week stretch in the Book of James. His letter, written to Gentile Christians scattered all around the Middle East, addresses some things that are very relevant for us even today: religion, who God is, and who we are. Let’s pray…
What is religion?
These days, Christianity is one of many religions. Religion is something that is optional itself, and many people claim to be non-religious.
In modern western society, religion is just an understanding of the world which is limited to our imagination or how we explain things. To be religious is to believe that there is something greater than ourselves that is responsible for the world being here, the direction of our lives, and what happens after this life.
Non-religious people, then, put all these things down to chance or fate. Scariest of all, death is absolutely final—there is nothing after death and your life has no lasting meaning.
Today, the world says that religion is just how you understand or explain life and the world. James says this is inadequate.
The Pharisees in Jesus’ day had a different idea about religion. For them, religion was all about what you did, how you lived, whether you lived religiously. Jesus makes it clear that religion is far more than just the outward acts, quoting Isaiah 29:
And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honours me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’Mark 7:6–7 (ESV)
For James, genuine religion requires the whole self—heart, mind, mouth, and hands—to be working in service to others out of love for God. Genuine faith is an active faith. In the weeks to come, we’ll hear what James means by that and how it plays out.
As he opens his letter to Gentile Christians that are dispersed outside of Israel, James really addresses two key questions as the platform for the letter. First: who is God?
Who is God?
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
James 1:17–18 (ESV)
We know who God is by what He gives. Good and perfect gifts can only come from a good and perfect God. God is the Giver because He is the Creator. From the moment He gave light to the world in the very beginning, He was giving to His creation. He gave the world what it needs to sustain life, He gave the world someone to tend it, He gave the man His own breath and a companion and helper to share life with. So, who is God? He is the Giver and the Creator.
The Father of lights also has no shifting shadow. “In Him is no darkness at all,” we read in 1 John (1:5). God can get angry, but only because of things that are not of Him, not holy. Even His anger is not darkness or evil. In a similar way, just because a father disciplines his child, it does not mean he doesn’t love them.
God gives and creates using the “word of truth.” It is the Word of God that gives new life when combined with water in Baptism. In this act of grace, God brings us forth by His Word to become first-fruits.
In biblical tradition, the first fruits are the first ripe heads of grain or fruit on the tree. These were a sign that there was a greater harvest to come. They were given to God as a sign that the whole harvest belongs to God. So, to be a first-fruit of God means to be claimed by God in Baptism and to belong to Him.
Who are you?
So, if God is the Giver and Creator through His Word, it seems simple to say that we are receivers from the Giver, creation of the Creator. We were claimed by Him in Baptism and belong to Him forever.
The problem comes when we do not live as the people we are in God. We don’t live in a way that is true to ourselves. Though nothing can change who we are in Christ, we disguise ourselves by our outward acts and hurtful words.
James uses the image of a mirror. The Word is like a mirror, showing us our sin and shortcomings as well as people who are made in God’s image and clothed in Christ’s righteousness.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:22–25 (ESV)
When you look in a mirror at home, what do you see? Probably someone that is imperfect: too thin, overweight, wrinkled, scarred… The Word reveals this in us, but that is not James’ point today.
He says, “Look again.” You are someone who has been created by the Creator, you receive from the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. You are a first-fruit, someone who has been claimed by God and will always belong to Him.
When you forget who you are, life takes a different course. We often see this happen when actors or sportspeople become famous overnight. Having come from humble beginnings, apparently no more special than anyone else, fame gets to their head and they end up becoming completely self-absorbed, believing the hype around them. This usually leads to rebellion and harm to themselves or others.
It can easily happen to any of us. If you forget how much you’ve been given in life by others, why would you give anything to anyone else? If you forget how much you have received in life, then life becomes a mission to get all you can whenever you can. If you forget what the Word of God gives you, then your own words toward others won’t matter much at all.
When we remember who we are in Christ, having received His grace from the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, He will create such faith in us that will lead us to act and serve.
So, if you do happen to be a religious person, remember that religion is not about a concept or idea, and it’s not just about being “good people” in how we act. True religion is expressed in selfless service to others because of our faith in God, who is the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, including His only Son for the life of the world.
May the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
