Controlling the Tongue (James 1:26-27)
26 If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world. -- James 1:26-27
Today, we continue our journey word by word, verse by verse through the book of James.
James 1:26-27 highlights that receptivity and responsivness to the word is demonstrated to a new apporach to life that is marked by controlled speech and helping others in need.
If anyone things their religion (external observances) is worthwhile without controlling what exits their mouth is deceiving themselves. James will unpack the importance of having a tight reign on the tongue in depth in James 3:1-12, yet here he introducing theme by describing that copious observances are rendered useless by a loose tongue. A loose tongue defiles those external observances because an unruly tongue exposes those outward deeds as show instead of action coming from the inside out.
James goes on to describe what pure and undefiled religion looks like:
- to look after orphans and widows in their distress
- to keep oneself unstained from the world.
You could think about those two commands this way:
- Your CONDUCT
- (Do you care for those in need? Do you support the most vulnerable in your community to ensure their most basic needs are met?)
- Your CHARACTER
- (Are you stained by the evil you do to yourself and others? Are you stained by your passivity towards others in need? Or are you spotless and faultless by your participation in meeting needs born from your identity in Christ?
Brothers and sisters, may what exits our mouths only be for God's good and the building up of others and may our conduct and our charachter be congruent with the conduct and charachter of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May it be so!
