OPINION:
Scripture provides a clear definition of “pure religion,” a description that I believe many Christians miss or ignore in today’s culture. In the Book of James, we are given an intimate look into the Heavenly Father’s heart — how He values an authentic faith that cares for the most vulnerable and pursues a life unstained by the world.
“Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for the fatherless and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
If you look at our world today, this crucial verse is often ignored not only in secular society but throughout the Church. While the Church is gradually becoming more blended with the world’s culture through ideologies of sin acceptance or indifference, trend-appeal and perpetual reinforcements of self-love, we are losing sight of our divine purpose as believers. In turn, countless families are negatively impacted, reinforcing cycles of abuse and brokenness as the church fails to care for those left behind and walking through abandonment and pain.
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Pointedly, this is the only verse in the Bible that explicitly states what “pure and undefiled religion” entails; I have a hard time believing this is unintentional. Yet, if this is so important to specifically define, why are we as Christians ignoring this vital call?
Pure and spotless religion isn’t about Sunday attendance or doing good “acts” that make up for the sins that we may do in secret. How Pharisaical would that be if we were clean on the outside, corrupt and infected on the inside; prideful in how much money we gift our church. Yet what about turning a blind eye to the struggling single mom (widows of our time), ignoring the rebel kid at youth group, hiding a pornography addiction or refusing to forgive someone?
Therefore, as we pursue our relationship with Christ and seek to practice what scripture notes as pure and undefiled religion, we must carefully examine James 1:27 and consider what this definition entails — and what it does not.
Do we care for the fatherless and widows?
Take a second to pause and consider the following questions: Are Christians leading the way by example by adopting children without homes? Are we taking the time to serve single mothers and steward kids without fathers? Are we lovingly tending to the widows in our communities?
The sad reality is that most Christians don’t practice these things. Adopting children doesn’t align with the nuclear family plan; discipling single mothers and fatherless children is messy; and tending to widows is inconvenient to our personal schedules.
Yet, here we are — professed believers — called to be different, called to more, called to go against the grain of the world in obedience to Christ. We must act in servant-hearted devotion towards these vulnerable people, in reverence to the Lord, even and especially when it isn’t fun or ideal for us.
Considering the staggering fatherhood abandonment statistics prevalent today, we must ponder the incomparable ramifications of showing abandoned children and single moms that they are seen, loved and unabandoned by God; this action-oriented love mimics Jesus and changes lives forever.
Are our lives unstained by this world?
We live in a fallen world. There are countless imperfect relationships, temptations around every corner and the inevitable nature of our flesh, which inherently rebels against God — thus perpetuating the issues of sin, selfishness and broken homes.
When we ponder the term “defilement,” we might think of sexual sin, addiction, or murder. And while these are certainly abhorrent to God, corruption can also encompass a series of issues that most of us brush right past in our everyday lives.
Take the sin of unforgiveness, for example. The Word of God so clearly addresses this sin, sharing how hating someone else is the same as murdering that person (1 John 3:15) and how we are forgiven by the same measure in which we forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). This is profound. When we harbor hatred and fail to forgive, we are stained in Spirit, defiled before God.
Likewise, failing to hold fast to God’s Truth in all capacities leaves us stained by the world. This includes forgetting our identity in Christ, believing the lies of the world that contradict our God-given roles as men and women and serving idols of comfort over that of obedience to the Father.
When we seek the Lord’s heart and His righteousness over the things of the world, we are able to lead our families well and serve the least of these in accordance with God’s Word.
Facing the cycle of our actions
We can no longer turn a blind eye to the broken home — whether it is our own or someone else’s. We need pure and undefiled religion over that of false religion to rectify this growing issue. It starts with us, followers of Christ.
We must begin breaking this cycle by examining our own hearts and the outflowing from them, our actions. Confronting sin in our lives involves accountability and true repentance. From there, we have the exciting opportunity to lead our families and others honorably in truth and love.
Obedience to James 1:27 in its entirety is the answer for the Church. It is the solution for the broken home — the outward-stemming blessing to our anguished society. May we become transformed by the love of Jesus, compelled to act in accordance with this valiant call and to restore what it means to faithfully follow Christ.
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John J. Smithbaker is an author, speaker, founding servant of Fathers in the Field and an Alpha male activator. His passion and focus are to help men recapture their divinely assigned roles of Pastor, Provider and Protector in the home, as well as in the Church. His latest book, “Man Enough to Forgive: Healing the Wounds of Fatherhood Abandonment” is available now.
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