Is it possible to have religion that is worthless in the eyes of God? Surely, He would be pleased with someone the world viewed as ‘good, moral, and religious,’ wouldn’t He? The answer plainly given in James 1:26 is that it is entirely possible to have a religion that displeases God. The Bible says in this verse, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” Here are words you could use to get the idea of what it means to be worthless – idle, ineffective, groundless, deceptive, fallacious, useless, fruitless, and unprofitable. Dear reader, none of us would like any of these words to describe our religion! How can we take the words of this verse and apply them in such a way that we do not have a religion worthless in the eyes of God?
There are two keys in this verse:
Make sure the inside matches the outside
The beginning of James 1:26 directs the reader to what one thinks about their religion. He says that it is entirely possible to deceive ourselves about how we practice our religion. This is something that should cause the Christian great pause. What does James mean when he talks about ‘religion’? This is an outward devotion and piety which shows itself in church attendance, prayers, etc., but also in the way mentioned here. It is possible to be externally devoted to God, and come up lacking in other ways. “Deceive” is to trick, and so causing one to think God accepts him when He does not. The present tense verb indicates he keeps on doing this. The Greek word for religion here is translated “worshipping’ in Colossians 2:18. It is outward devotion to God. (The ASV says in a footnote: “The Greek word denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to a creature, or to the Creator.)
It can, at times, be easy for members of the Lord’s church to point the finger at man-made denominations bent on entertainment and correctly point out their error in departure from Scripture. However, James is writing to members of the Lord’s church and reminds us that it is entirely possible for our religion to be worthless in the eyes of the Lord. If the outward worship is not driven or motivated from within us (truly heart-felt), God knows the heart (Ps. 44:21; Luke 16:15; Acts 15:8; Rom. 8:27) and knows if our outward actions match our inside devotion. This reflects the same teaching of Jesus to the ‘religious’ Jews in Matthew 15:7-9. The Jews honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. This cannot be true for us as Christians today if we want to be pleasing to God!
Oh, be careful little mouth what you say
James will spend a great deal of time on the tongue in his letter to the saints. It must have been a challenge for people in the first century and certainly remains a challenge for all in the twenty-first century. The tongue must be bridled! It is entirely possible that one may be proper and serve acceptably in worship services, and fail in other ways – like having a loose tongue. To bridle the tongue is to hold the tongue in check. A bridle is used to exercise complete control.
Isn’t it true that words give insight to the character of an individual? You can tell so much about a person by listening to the words they speak. Do they use words to encourage or discourage? Are words used to praise or are they profane? In James 3:2, the inspired writer indicates that if one can control the tongue, they can control the entire body. Just as it is possible to continually deceive oneself in this verse, the one who has a religion acceptable to God will continually bridle his tongue. This is not something done from time to time, but ALL the time! Many excuses are offered for having loose lips, but none is justified in the eyes of God.
How sweet it is to hear little children sing, “Oh, be careful little mouth what you say.” Oh how bitter to it is to grow up and hear adults say, “Oh, let me say what I want to say.” God forbid that our words would fail to show our love for Him and seek to bring Him glory! The question we should all ponder: Do my words seek to lift Him up in the eyes of others? If our words will not help others to Jesus, they must be swallowed.
James has much to teach in this special verse. Aren’t you thankful for the practicality of this letter? May we seek to have a religion that pleases God and one that is not worthless. Does my inside match my outside and am I truly seeking to keep my tongue under control? These, dear friends, will serve as a great barometer of our religion.