Daily Scripture Reading James 1:26 - 2:18

A frequent teaching throughout the New Testament is that humans cannot earn salvation, it is only gained as a gift from God. Therefore, there is a lot of hesitation to talk about the necessity for Christians to perform good deeds. More specifically, the passage in James we are going to read today causes much concern among believers because at first glance it appears to make the case that works are required in order to be saved.

That is a misunderstanding of James’ teaching. When James wrote about the importance of works, he was not writing about the process of moving from unsaved to saved. Instead, he was writing about what should naturally happen after a person moves from being unsaved to being saved.

Yesterday, we read in the first chapter of James that we should be slow to speak and slow to anger. We also saw an emphasis on obeying the Word of God. As we begin today’s reading, we see a continuation of the teaching regarding speech.

James 1:26 ¶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.

Note the word “worthless”. When most people think of actions that identify a religious person, they think of going to religious services, reading sacred texts, and praying. This verse highlights the necessity of controlling the tongue in order for religion to have value. If a supposedly religious person uses bad words, gets angry easily, and/or yells at people for slight provocations, then that person’s religion is not valuable at all.

Furthermore, ponder the word “deceiving”. Any person who doesn’t control his tongue but thinks he is religious because of his performance of religious looking actions is actually deceiving himself.

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

When Christians start prioritizing things believers should do in order to be good Christians, they list things like go to church, read the Bible, pray, get baptized, donate money to the church, help the poor, live honestly, and tell the truth. Those are all good things.

However, in this verse James defined “pure and undefiled religion”. There are two elements. The first element is helping widows and orphans. The second element is staying unstained by the world.

Throughout modern evangelicalism, those two concepts are not the highest priorities. Widows and orphans are rarely talked about. Many have the mindset that since the government has welfare programs, we can let the government take care of the widows and orphans.

Also, many Christians are so immersed in our culture, its values, and its entertainment that it is hard to differentiate between a Christian and non-Christian.

This verse teaches us that Christians should be known for being different than the world and taking care of widows and orphans.

Here is a question to ponder. Is your church known for being different than the world and for taking care of widows and orphans?

James 2:1 ¶ My brothers, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

James 2:2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

James 2:3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

James 2:4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

People tend to be lovers of money. We are also fickle and somewhat impressed by appearances. Within the church, leadership and teaching roles are often given to men who are tall, rich, well-dressed, and highly educated.

James commands us not to do that. When we gather as a church, poor people should be treated just as well as rich people. We should look at the content of a person’s heart and mind, not his outward appearance or external possessions.

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

James 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves drag you into court?

James 2:7 Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called?

James pointed out a contradiction we should avoid. The recipients of James’ letter were being oppressed by rich people, and yet they catered to those same rich people when they gathered as a church. That was not only wrong because it was favoritism, it made no sense because it was against the self-interest of the people who were favoring the rich.

James 2:8 ¶ If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

Anyone who truly loves his neighbor will not give preferential treatment to rich people just because they are rich, because then they would not be loving their poor neighbors.

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

James 2:11 For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.

James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Don’t miss the word “merciless”. Anyone who favors the rich and in the process mistreats the poor will not themselves receive any mercy.

James 2:14 ¶ What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

This passage is somewhat controversial because some people think these verses indicate we need to earn our salvation. However, James was communicating that if a person claims to have faith and yet does not do what is right, then it is legitimate to question whether that person ever had saving faith.

James 2:15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

James 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.

Faith is not real faith if it does not result in doing the right thing.

James 2:18 ¶ But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

This verse is difficult to understand. James appears to be quoting someone, although it may be a hypothetical quote. Also, it is not clear where the quote ends.

Having said that, James clearly made the point that you cannot prove you have faith without doing good deeds. Obeying Jesus is how we prove Jesus is truly the Lord of our lives.

A true Christian is someone who believes Jesus rose from the dead and makes Jesus Lord of their life. If Jesus is Lord of their life, then their behavior will reflect that. If someone claims to be a believer, and yet they are not trying to live according to the Bible, then there is valid reason to question if they ever truly made Jesus the Lord of their life.

Here are some questions to ponder.

When people consider your use of your tongue, your treatment of the rich and poor, and your concern for widows and orphans, and compare it to the behavior of the world, what evidence do they see that Jesus is the Lord of your life?

When people look at the conduct of the members of your church regarding worldliness, widows, orphans, rich, and poor, what evidence do they see that your church is filled with true believers?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”