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"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James 1:27). True religion produces holiness and sacrificial love. In this verse James continues his practical and penetrating assessment of true faith. So far he has said in effect, "Don't just study the Bible—obey it! Don't just dabble in external religion—have pure speech!" Now he adds, "Don't just say you're religious—demonstrate sacrificial love! Don't just claim to love God—live a pure life!" Shallow claims to Christianity meant nothing to him....

"If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless" (James 1:26). Your speech reveals the condition of your heart. In verse 22 James talked about the delusion of hearing the Word without obeying it. Here he talks about the deception of external religious activity without internal purity of heart. That's a common deception. Many people confuse love of religious activity with love for God. They may go through the mechanics of reading the Bible, attending church, praying, giving money, or singing songs, but in reality...

"One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25). Doers of the Word are persevering learners. The phrase "and abides by it" in James 1:25 demands our close attention. "Abide" translates a Greek word that means "to stay beside," "remain," or "continue." The idea is that a doer of the Word continually and habitually gazes into God's perfect law. In other words, he is a persevering learner. When you have that level...

"One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25). God blesses you when you obey His Word. James 1:21-24 contrasts hearers of the Word and doers of the Word. Hearers don't respond to Scripture or benefit from its truths—though they may study it in depth. Doers receive it in humility and obey its commands. James 1:25 adds that they are blessed in what they do. That means there is blessing in the...

"If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was" (James 1:23-24). Always respond immediately to what you know to be God’s will for you. Men, have you ever been at work and touched your face, only to realize that you forgot to shave? Perhaps you were distracted by your wife's call to breakfast or by one of the kids. Ladies, have you ever...

"Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). It’s a delusion to think you can hear God’s Word, then disobey it without cost. Matthew 7:21-23 records the tragic results of spiritual delusion. Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And...

"Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). A doer of the Word obeys what Scripture says. Effective Bible study is built on three key questions: What does the Bible say? What does it mean? How does it apply to my life? Each of those questions is important, but applying the Word must always be the highest goal. Knowledge without application is useless. Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize the importance of applying Scripture. For example, just prior to leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua received this message from God:...

"In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). A humble heart is a teachable heart. Scripture speaks of a past, present, and future aspect of salvation. You have been saved from the penalty of sin (salvation), are being saved from the power of sin (sanctification), and will ultimately be saved from the presence of sin (glorification). At first glance James 1:21 may sound like it's written to unbelievers, urging them to receive the Word, which is able to redeem them. But the phrase "save your souls" carries the idea that the implanted Word...

"Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness . . . receive the word" (James 1:21). You cannot receive God’s Word and harbor sin at the same time. When the psalmist said, "I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy word" (Ps. 119:101), he was acknowledging a key principle of spiritual growth: you must set aside sin if you expect to benefit from God's Word. Peter was expressing the same thought when he said, "Putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long...

"Let everyone be . . . slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God" (James 1:19-20). If you resent God’s Word, you cannot grow in righteousness. Have you ever started reading your Bible, thinking everything was fine between you and the Lord, only to have the Word suddenly cut deep into your soul to expose some sin you had neglected or tried to hide? That commonly happens because God seeks to purge sin in His children. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to penetrate the hidden recesses of the heart to do His...

"Let everyone be . . . slow to speak" (James 1:19). Don’t rush into the role of a Bible teacher. It is reported that when the Scottish Reformer John Knox was called to preach, he shed many tears and withdrew himself to the privacy of his room. He was grieved and greatly troubled at the prospect of such an awesome responsibility. Only the compelling grace of the Holy Spirit Himself enabled Knox to fulfill his calling. John Knox understood the importance of being slow to speak. He knew that God holds teachers of the Word accountable for what they say,...

"This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear" (James 1:19). Being quick to hear involves a proper attitude toward God’s Word. It has been well said that either God's Word will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from God's Word. Apparently some of James's readers were allowing sin to keep them from receiving the Word as they should. God was allowing them to experience various trials so their joy and spiritual endurance would increase, but they lacked wisdom and fell into temptation and sin. James called them back to the Word and...

"This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:19-21). True believers receive God’s Word. The key word in today's passage is "receive" (James 1:21). Believers are to receive God's Word. That's what distinguishes them from unbelievers. Jesus said to a group of religious unbelievers, "Why do you not understand what I...

"Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves" (James 1:22). God wants you to know whether your faith is genuine or not. Our studies this month center on James 1:19-2:26, which deals with the issue of true faith—a most important consideration indeed. Knowing your faith is genuine is a wonderful assurance, but thinking you're saved when you're not is the most frightening deception imaginable. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus speaks of those who call Him Lord and even do miracles in His name, but aren't redeemed. Second Timothy 3:5 speaks of those who have a form...

"The names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt. 10:2-4). In God’s hands you can be a precious and effective instrument. The story is told of a great concert violinist who wanted to prove a point, so he rented a music hall and announced that he would play a concert on a $20,000...

The twelve apostles included "Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt. 10:4). God can use even an apostate like Judas to teach us some important lessons. Judas is history's greatest human tragedy. He had opportunities and privileges known only to the other disciples, but he turned from them to pursue a course of destruction. Yet even from his foolishness we can learn some important lessons. Judas, for example, is the world's greatest example of lost opportunity. He ministered for three years with Jesus Himself but was content merely to associate with Him, never submitting to Him in saving faith....

The twelve apostles included "Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt. 10:4). Hypocrisy is a spiritual cancer that can devastate lives and destroy ministries. On a recent trip to New Zealand I learned that sheepherders there use specially trained castrated male sheep to lead other sheep from holding areas into the slaughtering room. Those male sheep are appropriately called "Judas sheep." That illustrates the commonness with which we associate Judas with deception and death. Pretending to be a friend of Jesus, Judas betrayed him with a kiss and became for all time and eternity the epitome of hypocrisy. Several...

The twelve apostles included "Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him" (Matt. 10:4). God works all things together for His purposes. At one time the little town of Kerioth was a relatively obscure Judean town, but all that changed when it produced the most hated man who ever lived: Judas Iscariot. The first mention of Judas is here in Matthew's list of disciples. We have no record of his call, but we know Jesus did call him along with the others, and even gave him authority to minister in miraculous ways (Matt. 10:1). His first name, Judas, is despised today,...

The twelve apostles included "Simon the Zealot" (Matt. 10:4). Even people of vastly different backgrounds can minister together for Christ. During the time between the Old and New Testaments, a fiery revolutionary named Judas Maccabaeus led the Jewish people in a revolt against Greek influences on their nation and religion. The spirit of that movement was captured in this statement from the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees: "Be ye zealous for the law and give your lives for the covenant" (1 Maccabees 2:50). That group of politically-oriented, self-appointed guardians of Judaism later became known as the Zealots. During the New...

The twelve apostles included "Thaddaeus" (Matt. 10:3). If you love Christ, you will receive His Word and obey it. Radio signals are fascinating. At any given moment every room in your house is filled with voices, music, and numerous other sounds—yet you can't hear them unless your radio is tuned to their frequency. That's a modern parallel to a spiritual truth Jesus taught in John 14:21, where He says, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and...