“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 1:27
I’m struck once again by the bluntness of Scripture. Christians today try so many different ways to act out their religion. They try Bible studies, support groups, outreach events, and potlucks. God’s Word doesn’t prohibit or condemn any of those things, but it does give us specfic instructions as to what our responsibilities are as believers.
James says that if we want to present to God religion that is pure and holy, undefiled by sin, then we are to do the two things listed. I first thought that it presented some conflict with the teaching of Jesus and the apostles because they focused on the heart - the issue with all of Christianity is who you love, God or yourself. It seemed that this statement that the religion that God wanted was concerned with actions rather than the heart.
This initial incongruency turned into perfect fusion of how obedience to the first and second commandments given by Jesus is fleshed out in visiting orphans and widows in their affliction and keeping oneself unstained from the world. James is not saying that these things are the only thing that will constitute true piety or that nothing else is essential to religion, but holds these up as examples. If one is truely worshipping God in way that is “pure and undefiled” from wrong motives then that worship will be practiced and bear fruit in these two ways. That true worship will show itself in many other ways too, but the apostle James holds these two up as important and necessary. If these two characteristics are absent from one’s life, then true religion does not exist.
This passage was on my mind today because I spent most of the day with two widows in our church: my grandma, Jeannie Marzolf and Jan Leaf. One of them lost their husband almost 15 years ago and the other one, only a month ago. Both women are faithfully serving their God in the absence of their soul mate. In both of my conversations with them, their husbands came up
and my heart went out to these two women who have to deal everyday with the fact that the man that they loved so much and gave themselves completely to . . . was no longer there. They have to do things on their own and live by themselves.
What a great opportunity the church has to minister to these faithful women. Most of the time, they are old and cannot do many of the things that the younger generations can do. Let us apply the words of Scripture and to take the initiative to visit such people and not wait until they tell us about a pressing need.
4 comments ↓
Thanks for this post. This is one of my favorite verses, and reminds me of another couple-Ps 68:6 “God sets the lonely in families”, Ps.113:9,”He settles the barren woman in her home”. We must not forget what a ministry we can have just by visiting the lonely, the sick, widos, orphans, those in jail, the poor. I know I have benefitted from this ministry many times, esp. when friends with children “share” their children with me, so that I can feel like a part of that family. I also strive to do the same, to let people into my life with my husband, esp. for my friends who don’t have husbands of their own. We can also help lonely parents by visiting them when their own children don’t. The Church can and should fill a great void in this area.
Very good post man. something we don’t think about too often.
Thanks for your insight. I’m teaching on this passage tonight. Interesting how the Lord’s timing works.
This passage has really been on my heart since the fall semester - particularly about the orphans and fatherless. There is such a need in the world today! And serving them really helps to show if we love Christ or ourselves. Thanks for the reminder.
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