Build-a-Religion

Briefly

• James 1:19-27 includes a significant challenge that might very well change your religion.
• Consider all the things you do in the name of Jesus, or as a follower of Jesus. Did Jesus actually tell you to do this? If not, where did it come from? Is it helpful?
• Our religious activity can sometimes neglect doing core things that Jesus told us to do, sometimes substituting easier ideas, or watering down the intensity of something Jesus told us, or cherry-picking what we want to follow and what we want to ignore.
• But what if we started afresh? What if we decided that we want our Christian religion to just follow Jesus? If so, things will change.

A Pivot Scripture

Today’s message is from James 1:19-27, and this passage includes one of the three or four scriptures of the Bible that caused me to pivot. What I mean by “pivot”, is that I was happily skipping along in my Christianity, doing all the Christian things on my Christian to-do list, including reading the Bible and meditating on scriptures. And, while in the Book of James, one scripture caused me to trip and do a face-plant. Truth slapped me in the face, illuminating a broad theme of the Bible that I was neglecting.

It would be as if I thought the world was flat and that the Earth was at the center of the solar system. But then these two guys, Aristotle and Copernicus walk in the room and start describing how the earth is spherical, demonstrating to me that our planet actually revolves around the sun in a solar system.

Mind blow. Right? It starts to change your whole perspective of how you view even a sunrise.

James 1:27 is such a passage for me. It challenged my approach to following Jesus. It changed my religion.

An Orientation to Religion

The passage that I’m looking at today, James 1:19-27, is a plain passage. There’s not much here that has cloudy concepts or deep explorations into the meaning of the text. You don’t even need to have a more literal translation of the Bible to deal with this section deeply, for most translations are consistent in the ways that they present this passage.

There is one word in this section, and its associated concept, that I want to spend some time with before I go through the passage and its practical application. The word and concept is religion, and it appears three times in James 1:26-27. You may think nothing of this, since “religion” is a word that we commonly use, but it is a rare word in Bible translations, and it is key to what James is writing about.

If I were to ask you to name five religions, you might spout out Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Those five make up about 88% of the people who follow a religion (though Judaism is minor in size when compared with the other four).

But, I can sometimes turn into a word geek, and as a word geek I would tell you even within the boundaries of Christianity, there are thousands of religions – that is, if I were to use the word religion with its most pure definition.

Let me explain. Religion means the standards and practices of someone who is following either a deity or a philosophy. And, yes, I know that there are other “religions” that follow all sorts of things like outer space aliens and humans, but in all but the smallest of groups it will be a deity or a philosophy. Similarly, we call someone religious when we see them practicing a religion.

In this sense of the word, this means that if you participate in a core set of Christian practices, and I participate in a different set of Christian practices, then we are involved in two different religions because we are following two different standards and practices. This doesn’t mean that we are not both attempting to honor God or follow Jesus the Messiah, but it means that we are using different religions in our spiritual quest.

There’s nothing wrong with that if your path and my path are effective, for perhaps your starting point and my starting point are different. As long as they both follow Jesus, and develop us toward the same vision that Jesus has laid out for us, there is no problem.

But what if they don’t? What if your Christianity leads you to a healthy relationship with Jesus, and mine leads me away from Jesus? That’s a problem, isn’t it? Both call themselves Christianity, both talk about Jesus, but one leads toward Jesus and the other does not.

That’s what James is talking about in this passage of Scripture.

His perspective is that Jesus has given us a path to walk on, let’s call it religion, and if we are not following the path that Jesus is asking us to walk on, then we are not following Jesus. And that’s a problem. That’s not Christian. Even if it labels itself as Christian, it is not because it doesn’t follow Jesus.

It reminds me of the frustrating thing that Jesus said,

Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you? (Luke 6:46)

So stick this question in your mind while I explain religion.

Are you following a religion that is doing what Jesus told you to do?

The Use of the Word “Religion”

As best as I can tell, the words religion and religious started to be used in the English language in the Middle Ages. There were people in the church who were not satisfied with casually following Jesus. These people desired to pursue a spiritual life in a way that would not be distracted by the world or confused with they world, and to devote their energy to simply follow Jesus. They hungered for a pure experience that was much more focused than what run-of-the-mill, hour-a-week Christians were doing.

These groups of people defined aspirations and spiritual disciplines that they called orders.

The Franciscans, the Jesuits, and the Dominicans are examples, and they are the largest orders. All three took vows of poverty (a simple lifestyle), of chastity, and of obedience to God. But their focus of obedience differs:

• A Franciscan focuses their obedience toward serving the poor, needy, and sick.

• A Jesuit sees their obedience as spiritual formation of themselves and those around them, focusing on education and evangelism (that’s why so many colleges are named after Jesuits).

• Dominican’s see their obedience as preaching. Their order practices prayer, study, preaching, teaching and community.

Back then, each of these packages of vows and activities were called religions, as the word religion derives from words that mean to “bind strongly together” or “a bond between man and God”. The vows and practices of each order define that bonding. They were all Christian. They all followed Jesus.

For any group that was not Christian, such as the Jews or the Muslims, they would be labeled as non-religious, and practicing a cult.

The Steps to Christian Religion

So, let’s use this classic understanding of religion in our reading of James 1:19-27, where religion is seeking to have practices that follow Jesus, and avoid practices that ignore Jesus and perhaps follow the world or some man-made designs. [1]

James begins this section with attitude. If you want to follow Jesus, you are going to have to set aside your opinion, your combativeness (or anger), and your ungodly behaviors. Your attitude needs to be humble, you need to first ingest the Word of God so that you can have clarity to be able to follow the Word of God.

¹⁹ Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:19-21)

But, the word of God is not an education. America is a culture that values education, and though there is value to education, the goal of being a Christian is not education. It is not to sit in endless Sunday sermon seminars, and multiple Bible studies. There is value in both those things, but that’s not the goal. The goal of being a Christian is to follow what Jesus said.

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22-25)

This is where we get into the deep part of this message – this is the practical part. This is the verse that basically says, shut-up … pay attention … don’t get distracted … and do what Jesus said.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ 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.

So, religion in the sense of James 1:27 is a response to the implanted Word of God. And, James here is saying that our response needs to be consistent with what Jesus described.

In two words, it is love combined with holiness.

It is the tangible activity of loving your neighbor and loving God.

Build-a-Religion

OK, so let’s get practical with this section of James. Let’s build a religion. Remember, I said that this was a pivot scripture for me. What I mean by that is that it caused me to ask the question, “What is my religion doing? Is it following Jesus, or someone else?” “What is important with my religion?”

So, what about you, or what about us as a group of Christians? We all want to follow Jesus, so this passage is reminding us that our primary energy and attention should be putting into practice the things that Jesus actually said.

We shouldn’t just learn about what Jesus said, and never intend to do what Jesus said.

We shouldn’t ignore what Jesus said, and instead busy ourselves with other activity that has little to do with what Jesus said.

We shouldn’t diminish what Jesus said, imagining shortcuts and cheats that don’t come close to what Jesus said.

We shouldn’t cherry-pick what Jesus said, choosing to do the easy and agreeable while ignoring the difficult and challenging.

In other words, we should aspire to have a Christian religion that actually follows Jesus, and does not follow ideas just because someone thought they were a good idea 50 years ago or 500 years ago.

So, put on your tool-belt, and let’s build a religion based on what Jesus said. Obviously, I’m not going to cover everything, but I’m going to give you eight pairs of contrasting ideas, both of which are practiced in churches today. One of the ideas is from Jesus, and can be found in the Gospels. The other idea of the pair is from … I don’t know where. To me, the ideas that are not from Jesus seem to be more self-enriching and less costly substitutes.

But you get to be the builder here, so you decide. Remember, as you are building your Christian religion, I want you to choose to do what Jesus said. For this building project, I’m only going to use the words of Jesus from the Gospels, but I could have pulled from any section of Scripture since all of that is the Word of God.

1) The poor and those in distress … which did Jesus say?

• Show love to people in distress: help the poor, welcome the strangers among you, care for the sick and imprisoned. This love even extends to helping those who treat you unfairly, your enemies, and people who are dishonest with you. (Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 6:28-36)

• Insulate yourself from uncomfortable people, and only spend time around those who are mostly just like you and who don’t ask anything of you. But, donate money to professionals and large Christian organizations that help people in distress, serving on your behalf.

2) Priorities … which did Jesus say?

• As a ceremonial obligation, carve out 1 hour a week on Sunday to give attention and focus to God … or, perhaps, whenever you get around to it like just on Easter and Christmas.

• Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. Pursue God as the top priority in your life, even over the pursuit of worldly needs. (Luke 10:27, Matthew 6:31-33)

3) Sin of others … which did Jesus say?

• When a fellow Christian sins, show mercy and patience, forgiving them over and over. (Matthew 18:21-35)

• When a fellow Christian sins, highlight their failure, shame them, condemn them, gossip about them to others, demean them, and show disapproval by separating yourself from them.

4) Greatness in the Kingdom of God … which did Jesus say?

• The greatest Christians among you should aspire to be humble servants, sacrificing themselves for you and those around you. (Matthew 20:26-28, John 13:12-17)

• The greatest Christians among you should aspire to be like celebrities, have large followings, impressive titles and stages, and large entourages and organizations that serve them and elevate their status among men.

5) The mark of a Christian … which did Jesus say?

• The world will know you are followers of Jesus by the necklaces you wear, the bumper stickers on your car, your regular church attendance, your knowledge of Scripture, and your frequent offers to pray for people all the time, without lifting a finger to actually help them.

• The world will know you are followers of Jesus by the genuine love you have for one another, and being merciful by serving those in need (John 13:34-35, Luke 10:25-37)

6) Generosity … which did Jesus say?

• Give generously so that nice state-of-the-art facilities can be built and maintained for Christians to have an enjoyable place to gather, and so that non-Christians can have an entertainment-style venue to hear the Gospel presented with modern expression.

• Give generously so that the needy can be cared for, and your proclamation of the Gospel is a going out into the world with demonstrated power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 12:32-34, Luke 9:1-6, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18)

7) How to pray … which did Jesus say?

• Pray for God’s will to be done, for your needs, for forgiveness, and for purity from sin (Matthew 6:9-13). Pray also for anything that is according to the Words that God has planted in you (John 15:7-8) or according to the will of Jesus, in whose name you pray.

• Pray empty, ritualistic prayers and fancy prayers that cause others to admire you (Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:7). Pray prayers according to your own will, even if in conflict with the will of God. (Luke 22:42)

8) The direction of money … which did Jesus say?

• Create Christian marketplaces, selling books, music, concert tickets, seminars, conventions, even charging people for healing, counseling, worship, etc.

• Give all benefits of the Kingdom of God without charging money, loan money to people without charging interest or even expecting to get repaid, and give to those who ask for help. (Matthew 10:8, Luke 6:34, Matthew 5:42)

So how are you building your religion? Is your religion following Jesus or some man-made substitutions that are less demanding and self-serving?

If we are serious about following Jesus, let’s do what he said. Let’s build our religion wisely, my brothers and sisters.

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NOTES:

[1] Fun with Greek. Ancient Greek has several words that describe our response to the presence, blessings, and love of God. I think we might only consider “worship” as the best fit for our response, but our culture seems to have narrowed this word to mean an emotional response such as awe or reverence, with our activity being singing, praise, and thanksgiving. Worship, though, is more than emotion and verbal expression, at least in the ways that Scripture talks of it.

In the English language translations of the Bible, the Ancient Greek word that gets translated into English in James 1:26-27 is threskeia, which roughly means the “the service and activities that we offer to God” or “our response to being awestruck by God”. Though the first English Bible by Tyndale (1526) chose to use “devotion” for threskeia, the second English Bible, the Geneva Bible of 1560, and most all subsequent Bible translations since then have used “religion”.

I assume that the Geneva Bible chose this word because of how the word “religion” was being used in the Middle Ages. As explained earlier, the Christian religion groups such as the Franciscans were serious about following Jesus, practicing activities that were consistent with the implanted word of God (James 1:21) while avoiding man-made religious activities, such as what Paul referred to in Colossians 2:23 (ethelo-threskeia).

In classic translation, threskeia would probably directly translate as “worship”, but because of our narrow and costless view of “worship”, it might not carry the full weight of its meaning. I also wonder if “religion” is no longer the best word for this, since today that word doesn’t connote the serious devotion to God that it once carried in the 1500’s, but a ceremonial activity that can be accomplished in an hour a week. One commentator on James, James Adamson in the NICNT, says that this word should not be thought of as either (a) works to please God, or (b) praise of God, but like an uncontrolled outburst of love that gets reflected in loving your neighbor and living to please God. He thought that it should be rendered “the way to win an account with God the Father for piety”.

These are some of the dimensions of worship that I noticed from the New Testament:

• Matthew 17:6 uses the Ancient Greek word, proskynein, that we translate into worship. This word’s connotation is to “fall face down in awe and reverence”. It seems to me that reverence is the most common way that we think of worship, particularly as we tend to view singing music or prayer as the primary form of worship.

• Romans 12:1 also has an Ancient Greek word that we translate as worship, latreian, which simply means “to serve”. This word is not specific to God or a deity, but could be applied to any service in the culture, which is why Paul qualified the word with “spiritual act of worship”. It seems to me that Paul here is describing one’s relational posture before God, as one would if they were a slave or committed to a life of service that one has relationally to another.

• James 1:27, as I’ve been mentioning, describes a worship response back to God because His word has been planted in us. You can’t help it. It drives you. It is a genuine outpouring.