Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
James 1:27 - We cannot be justified by works, but we can show the “right type” of religion by taking care of the underprivileged and by committing to grow in our Christian virtue.
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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27 NIV
The Epistle of James is known for its insistence on works — that is, tangible actions that demonstrate one’s faith and obedience to God through a hands-on and continuous outpouring of love to those who are in need. James goes so far as to teach that faith without works is dead (James 2:26 and James 2:17), which seems to be contrary to the teaching of just about every other epistle in the New Testament.
There’s a difference, though. When discussing works in most other epistles, the individual writers are referring to “works of the law” — in other words, a strict adherence to the complex system of rules and regulations that made up the Jewish religious practices up to the dawn of Christianity. That’s apparent in verses such as Romans 3:28 (emphasis is mine):
“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
and in Galatians 2:16:
“know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”
among others.
James is simply trying to emphasize that true faith must be demonstrated through works, and in this verse he’s using care of the truly destitute — orphans and widows — as an example of being Christ-like in practice.
GotQuestions.org explains what James is referring to in this verse:
When interpreting any verse in the Bible, including James 1:27, we should always look at its context to get an idea of what the verse means within the surrounding verses. In this case, we can look at what comes immediately before James 1:27 and get some idea of what is going on in this particular passage. Verse 26 says, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” So, in these final two verses of James 1, we have a contrast between what makes religion “worthless” and what makes religion “acceptable” to God.
Here it would be good to define the word religion. By “religion,” James means the external evidence of inward piety; that is, worship as expressed in ritual acts.
James is saying that God doesn’t want ritual acts like burning incense, reciting a litany, or even (in our age) occasionally tossing a few bucks into an offering plate. Those aren’t as much a “pure and faultless” religion to God as looking “after orphans and widows in their distress”.
This “pure and faultless religion” James speaks of is the product of believers taking care of the less fortunate and also keeping themselves “from being polluted by the world.” It’s helping those who can’t help themselves and would never be able to pay you back. Jesus taught this in Luke 14:13-14:
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.””
How does the believer keep from “being polluted by the world”, which is the other part of this religious equation? It takes a deep personal commitment to transformation and growing in Christian virtue. Peter wrote of this commitment to growth in 2 Peter 1:5-8:
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
It also requires keeping your tongue (or in the Internet age, your typing fingers) under control. Pious acts in church can be quickly undone with a few harsh words or by displaying hateful reactions on social media. We cannot be justified by works, but we can show the “right type” of religion by taking care of the underprivileged and by committing to grow in our Christian virtue.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word and the wisdom it imparts. Help me to demonstrate what James calls “pure and undefiled religion” by caring for those in need. May my actions reflect Your love and compassion. Guide me to keep my heart and mind free from worldly distractions, and to obey you more each day with the indwelling assistance of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray, AMEN.