notes

Main point summary

While religion is used by the worldly to deceive themselves into thinking they are righteous, true religion, which is religion that God has decreed, is that which humbles a person to serve the humbled and transforms the person into that which is holy.

Discourse**

editing

NT

James 1:26-27

esv

mine

If anyone thinks he is religious

If anyone thinks he is religious

q and does not bridle his tongue

Which looks like a person who does not control what he says

but deceives his heart,

But instead he deceives himself in his pride

negativepositive

ideaexplanation

this person’s r religion is worthless.

Then this person may be religious, but that religion is worth nothing

conditional

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:

Furthermore , the religion that God intends for us looks like:

s to visit t orphans and widows in their affliction,

First , serving those who are humble, afflicted, and needy, like widows and orphans

and u to keep oneself v unstained from the world.

And second, walking in holiness

series

discourse

Notes**

The nature of religion, which I will define as the ordered form of worship and regulations by which people offer themselves to a deity, is that it guides a person to conform themselves to the image of what is worshiped. If that religion was created by man (which includes all religion outside of the Church), then the final result of the religion is the worship of man and all of man's sinful desires. God's religion is about worshiping him alone (Rom 12:1) while we humble ourselves (Jn 12:25) and conform ourselves to his image (his desire from the beginning; Gen 1:27) in serving (Phil 2:7) and being holy as he is holy (1 Pt 1:14-16). Man's religion is about bolstering his own pride (Jn 12:42-43; Jam 1:26). We were created for worship, so religion makes us feel good about ourselves because we feel that we are accomplishing something by our works (Eph 2:8-9). However, as James states, there is a clear difference between man's religion and God's religion and this distinction must be known to God's people. God's people are changed by his grace to walk in his works in all humility (Eph 2:10).