“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27, NLT)
You may not believe it but there are two kinds of religion in the world. One is based on the true God. The other is based on worldly achievements, worldly values, humanistic interpretations of life, and the worship of worldly things or people. Sadly, many religions look godly and even adopt holy mannerisms, but they are worldly religions. Godly religion looks to God for the truth, for righteousness, and for grace. In your time on this earth, you will have to choose between a worldly religion or a godly religion. Even if you choose to side with God, you may water down your beliefs to the point that you practice just another form of worldly religion. I wonder which way your spiritual life will gravitate.
George is a lawyer. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. Charles is a Gas Company employee. He is Lutheran. Both men go to worship most weeks. Both have taught their children to pray. If you talk to either one, you will hear how they believe in God, know the Lord’s Prayer, give regularly in the collection plate, and take part in church activities. Both men are religious. The problem is that both men have been worldly in their beliefs.
George sought to make a lot of money and retire early. In his desire to do so, he did not act faithfully at work. He charged high fees, took advantage of the needy, and ignored the poor who needed his services desperately. Charles was a faithful employee. He often filled in on holidays so other people could be with their families. Though divorced, Charles spent a good deal of time with his children. He was always there when there was a need. He was also dedicated to caring for his aging parents. But Charles had a hidden side to his life. He was a closet alcoholic. His wife divorced him after a particularly bad drinking binge when he did not come home for three days and had blacked out portions of that weekend. Each of these men desires to be close to God but their actions tell another story. Aspects of their spiritual life clearly display a worldly religion, where they continue to live in sin while practicing the outward displays of true faith.
Both men need to leave their worldly religious practices and make things right with Almighty God.
After stating that there are two kinds of religions in the world, you might get the impression that I forgot to mention atheists or agnostics or those who deny God’s existence. I stick to my belief… there are two kinds of religion in the world. Atheists and agnostics practice worldly religions. Atheists worship human achievement and humanism. They live to devote their time and money to worldly endeavors, even if that means only themselves. Agnostics might believe in God, but they do not believe in worshipping God communally. They too have fallen into a worldly religious mode. Instead of worshipping God publicly and reaching out to save the souls of the fallen, they prefer to practice their religion independently and alone. In doing so, they are selfish and ungrateful. People need to hear about our God in Christ!
Every person you meet worships something. It might be money, worldly things, philosophies, ideologies, politics, power, famous people, physical objects, or even themselves. Very few leave their worldly religious practices to worship Almighty God in Christ Jesus. Those who continue in their worldly religious practices may not realize that they have been “stained” or “corrupted” by the world. Their religious views have been molded or framed by worldly ideals and understandings. Only godly beliefs are allowed to be in the heart of the true believer.
Look at the scripture for today from James 1:27. It clearly displays the two forms of religion. This verse states that people who have a “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God the Father” care for “orphans and widows in their distress”. They live out their love of God by serving others. They also “refuse to let the world corrupt them.” They remain undefiled by worldly religious beliefs. Their beliefs are shaped by the word of God. Their faith is in Almighty God above all else. Worldly religions are “corrupted” by the world. Their beliefs have been tainted by worldly ideas and biases and divisions and values.
Have you figured out if your religion has been “corrupted by the world”? Or do you hold fast to your faith in God above all?
In the meditational, Drawing Near, the author explains this split delineation of the religious world. He wrote: “Religion comes in many forms. Almost every conceivable belief or behavior has been incorporated into some religious system at some point in time. But really there are only two kinds of religion. One says you can earn your way to Heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone. One is the religion of human achievement; the other is the religion of divine accomplishment.
Those who rely on their achievements tend to compare themselves to others. But that’s a relative, self-justifying standard because you can always find someone worse than yourself on which to base the comparison.
Jesus eliminated all human standards when He said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Even the Jewish religious leaders, who were generally thought to be the epitome of righteousness, didn’t qualify according to that standard. In fact, Jesus told the people that their righteousness had to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees if they wanted to enter Heaven (Matt. 5:20). That must have shocked them, but Jesus wasn’t speaking of conformity to external religious ceremonies. He was calling for pure hearts.”” (p. 121).
Do you have a pure heart and pure religion before God? Or has the world somehow tainted your belief system, your values, your goals? Jesus is looking for pure hearts, not nice people. God is looking for those who practice a genuine religion, not those who have fallen for worldly philosophies and ideologies. When you stand before God on Judgment Day, will you be proven to have a pure godly soul, or a defiled heart corrupted by the world?
George is a lawyer. He is a practicing Roman Catholic. Charles is a Gas Company employee. He is Lutheran. Both men go to worship most weeks. Both have taught their children to pray. If you talk to either one, you will hear how they believe in God, know the Lord’s Prayer, give regularly in the collection plate, and take part in church activities. Both men are religious. The problem is that both men have been worldly in their beliefs.
George sought to make a lot of money and retire early. In his desire to do so, he did not act faithfully at work. He charged high fees, took advantage of the needy, and ignored the poor who needed his services desperately. Charles was a faithful employee. He often filled in on holidays so other people could be with their families. Though divorced, Charles spent a good deal of time with his children. He was always there when there was a need. He was also dedicated to caring for his aging parents. But Charles had a hidden side to his life. He was a closet alcoholic. His wife divorced him after a particularly bad drinking binge when he did not come home for three days and had blacked out portions of that weekend. Each of these men desires to be close to God but their actions tell another story. Aspects of their spiritual life clearly display a worldly religion, where they continue to live in sin while practicing the outward displays of true faith.
Both men need to leave their worldly religious practices and make things right with Almighty God.
After stating that there are two kinds of religions in the world, you might get the impression that I forgot to mention atheists or agnostics or those who deny God’s existence. I stick to my belief… there are two kinds of religion in the world. Atheists and agnostics practice worldly religions. Atheists worship human achievement and humanism. They live to devote their time and money to worldly endeavors, even if that means only themselves. Agnostics might believe in God, but they do not believe in worshipping God communally. They too have fallen into a worldly religious mode. Instead of worshipping God publicly and reaching out to save the souls of the fallen, they prefer to practice their religion independently and alone. In doing so, they are selfish and ungrateful. People need to hear about our God in Christ!
Every person you meet worships something. It might be money, worldly things, philosophies, ideologies, politics, power, famous people, physical objects, or even themselves. Very few leave their worldly religious practices to worship Almighty God in Christ Jesus. Those who continue in their worldly religious practices may not realize that they have been “stained” or “corrupted” by the world. Their religious views have been molded or framed by worldly ideals and understandings. Only godly beliefs are allowed to be in the heart of the true believer.
Look at the scripture for today from James 1:27. It clearly displays the two forms of religion. This verse states that people who have a “pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God the Father” care for “orphans and widows in their distress”. They live out their love of God by serving others. They also “refuse to let the world corrupt them.” They remain undefiled by worldly religious beliefs. Their beliefs are shaped by the word of God. Their faith is in Almighty God above all else. Worldly religions are “corrupted” by the world. Their beliefs have been tainted by worldly ideas and biases and divisions and values.
Have you figured out if your religion has been “corrupted by the world”? Or do you hold fast to your faith in God above all?
In the meditational, Drawing Near, the author explains this split delineation of the religious world. He wrote: “Religion comes in many forms. Almost every conceivable belief or behavior has been incorporated into some religious system at some point in time. But really there are only two kinds of religion. One says you can earn your way to Heaven; the other says you must trust in Jesus Christ alone. One is the religion of human achievement; the other is the religion of divine accomplishment.
Those who rely on their achievements tend to compare themselves to others. But that’s a relative, self-justifying standard because you can always find someone worse than yourself on which to base the comparison.
Jesus eliminated all human standards when He said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Even the Jewish religious leaders, who were generally thought to be the epitome of righteousness, didn’t qualify according to that standard. In fact, Jesus told the people that their righteousness had to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees if they wanted to enter Heaven (Matt. 5:20). That must have shocked them, but Jesus wasn’t speaking of conformity to external religious ceremonies. He was calling for pure hearts.”” (p. 121).
Do you have a pure heart and pure religion before God? Or has the world somehow tainted your belief system, your values, your goals? Jesus is looking for pure hearts, not nice people. God is looking for those who practice a genuine religion, not those who have fallen for worldly philosophies and ideologies. When you stand before God on Judgment Day, will you be proven to have a pure godly soul, or a defiled heart corrupted by the world?