True Religion (2)
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 ESV
Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa.
Religious – Now James provides the solution to the riddle. What is it to truly fear God? How does a God-fearer, one who is upright, blameless, turning away from evil (like Job) behave? What actions befit one who claims to be a friend of God?
To visit widows and orphans. Does that mean to simply drop in on them from time to time to see how they’re doing? In the churches in which I grew up that was a major part of being a “pastor” – going to visit the elderly, the infirm, the unemployed, going with words of comfort and probably a prayer for God’s healing and provision. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Not at all. I know that those visits were treasured times of fellowship. My uncle was a Baptist Minister (as was my grandfather) and I know how precious those times were to him and to the members of his church. But is that all James is talking about?
The word translated visit is epikeptesthai. This carries the meaning not just of going to visit, but to look upon in order to help or benefit, to look after, to provide for or care for, to look out for (defend), to choose or employ. It is first used in the LXX in Genesis 21:1:
Genesis 21:1 ESV – “[1] The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.”
The word here is paqad. According to TWOT, “the basic meaning is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of inspection or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the conditions of the subordinate, either for the better or for the worse.[1]” [In other words, it is not always used with a positive connotation in the Tanakh – sometimes God “visiting” can be for punishment or judgment. Even then, God’s punishment always has a positive intent – to bring a person to repentance and restoration to fellowship, so even that should not necessarily be construed in a negative light.]
God certainly caused a considerable change in Sarah’s circumstance – from barrenness to motherhood. James exhorts the community to do the same. Visit the poor, the widow and the orphan. Change their circumstance. Provide for their needs. This is true, undefiled religion. Oh, by the way, that is not a new concept. That is also what Moses taught.
Topical Index: religion, epikeptesthai, visit, paqad, Genesis 21:1, James 1:26
Rodney Baker, Adelaide
Now James provides the solution to the riddle. What is it to truly fear God? How does a God-fearer, one who is upright, blameless, turning away from evil (like Job) behave? What actions befit one who claims to be a friend of God?
Hi Rodney,
I don’t see any riddles in James, he seems pretty straightforward to me 🙂
James seems like a Sunday school class where one is taught how a good Christian behaves
On the other hand, the story of Job is certainly designed to instill the fear of the Lord
But Job is a far cry from James IMO, Job reads more like the war in Iraq
For me neither James nor Job is really about evil
Job is about what it means to be a faithful servant of God
No matter how much pain Yahweh and Ha Satan inflict upon Job
Killing his family and taking away all his possessions
Job remains loyal to his King
There is always the straightforward meaning, of course.
However, not everyone who has lost a husband is to be treated like a “widow’ (See 1 Timothy 5). Furthermore, considering the imagery in the bible of God as husband and father — this could be further applied to those who are lost….. the spiritual widows and orphans who do not act as if they have a Father who protects and disciplines them.
“There is always the straightforward meaning”
Hi Gabe,
Of course, I think there may even be many conflicting interpretations that could be valid
These are “arguments” in the good sense of the word, meant to focus our attention
And learn to accept the “other”
For example, you forced me to look at 1 Timothy 5 and I don’t typically read Paul for fun
But what I came across struck me as pretty funny and touching at the same time
Speaking of widows, Paul says:
“The one who thinks only of pleasure is already dead, while she is still alive, remind them of this too, so that their lives may be blameless.”
In today’s culture, this is nearly impossible to do. I went looking for orphans once and in my state they are all in foster care and protected from all outside influence. I know some widows and my family and I have helped them, but they have not met the requirement Paul states: “Honour widows that are widows indeed.”
So in practice, do we look to the spirit of the matter? I think so. I did jail ministry for my church for several years and it occured to me that in Matthew 25:31 when he talks about “the least of these my brethren”, he is talking about those who when helped, cannot pay you back. They have nothing but sincere thanks. Your reward for this is in heaven and I think this is the purest exercise of religion.
The phrase “pure religion” means that which is genuine and sincere, — free from any improper mixture of self-interest or hypocrisy.
Pure and undefiled religion demands personal contact with the world’s sorrow.
It teaches us to do every thing as in the present company and companionship of God.
Try an agency like Compassion International, –they will give you the name of a child from any country you prefer — if you do prefer. A modest sum of money sends them to school, buys them lunch, books, paper, and pencils, and I notice Christmas or birthday money is used not for dolls and toy trucks, but sheets for their bed, socks ans shoes, etc. Often times this is helping the widow, or in some cases widower, too. In many of the homes there is just one parent. Death has often taken the other, and so sorrow lives in that home as intimate as a family member.
Sometimes we can be of most effect by being part of a group. (I know not many want to hear the word: church, lol).
Our church ministers to an orphanage in Mexico and it is pure delight to fulfill the requests that arrive. Sometimes they want jeans of all sizes, –jeans are so durable, and the race around to the neighborhood garage sales buying up all of anything they have is so fun.
Once a teenage girl must have had 50 pairs of jeans–spoiled American kids–and she was curious as to why I wanted them all, no matter the size, etc. I don’t blurt this out everyplace, but for her, I obliged to tell her they were for an orphanage. As we talked, I saw her eyes misting and I knew the Holy spirit was touching her. I told her about Jesus as naturally as people talk about things like ‘what a nice day’ and told her how He cares for her needs, too. In the end she wouldn’t take my money–Oh, I really tried–she wanted to give them, an we filled up my trunk with jeans! (and I think got one new citizen for heaven)
Another time the request was small spoons. Seems the children very often lost them and they just didn’t have enough. I won’t bore you with all the places one can find spoons, but my husband was mighty surprised when he looked for a teaspoon in our kitchen and found only two. We needed no more than one for him and one for me, ha ha. Giving is fun to the max!
I’m not saying these things to impress anybody–I just can’t seem to tell a story without a little of my personal enjoyment of it.
Taking playground equipment down was another big adventure. We had to collect bribe money for checkpoints–its just part of real life and part of transport costs in this wicked world!
You might think as a group it isn’t personal, but it is. Once in a while they bring a few of the children up. They let one little boy tell of his answer to prayer. Morning and night they children are gathered, after breakfast and after supper, for family prayer time. BIG family, but they run it just that way. They lay out all their needs before Father, first.
The orphanage was in need of vitamin C. So they God asked for some. One small boy with his big, child-sized faith, boldly prayed, “Yes, Father, send us a whole truck full!” This put many smiles on the faces of the adults and older children. But God put astonishment on their faces when a few hours later, a loaded bigrig pulled up into the mission yard with oranges and limes from the Texas Valley–the owner had just suddenly been inspired and told, “Joe, take this load on down to the Willow Tree”. And yes, later arrangement was made for delivery of pharmaceuticals as well. tears flowed from every eye, I saw no man strong enough to hold them back! (Also have never heard a more persuasive sermon on the value of prayer.)
Nothing avails in Christ Jesus, but faith that springs from love, and that purifies the heart and subdues carnal lusts.
It makes it a blast to love the helpless that can’t pay back, and doing for others is a bigger reward than anything we can buy for our own creature comfort.
It is SO rewarding, in fact, that no heavenly reward is necessary, or wanted, whatsoever.