5 Indicators of Useless Religion

Useless Religion

James is a realist about faith. He often invokes the class of lifeless, poor, or false religion as a foil to the residing religion that the apostle enjoins on his readers. Certainly, James repeatedly warns his readers that verbal claims or non secular self-assessments don’t essentially point out one’s true religious situation. To correctly perceive the class of residing religion, one should additionally acknowledge the class of lifeless religion. One class necessitates the opposite.

James wastes no time in introducing the class of faulty religion. In James 1:5, he instructions individuals who lack knowledge to ask God for it. The apostle additional notes that some individuals who petition God for knowledge might not likely ask “in religion” (James 1:6). In different phrases, they ask God however doubt whether or not he’s good, ready, or inclined to reply their petitions. James tells us, “That particular person should not suppose that he’ll obtain something from the Lord; he’s a double-minded man, unstable in all his methods” (James 1:7–8). James doesn’t assemble a nuanced continuum however solely affords two methods of prayer—one in religion and one doubting. And the doubting man is double minded and receives nothing. We should always observe that the doubting, double-minded man nonetheless has an outward non secular expression—on this case, prayer for knowledge. But, that outward religiosity is condemned as tragically poor.

James’s exhortation about praying in religion is reflective of a lot of his letter. James confronts his readers with stark religious dichotomies, just like patterns present in knowledge literature, such because the e-book of Proverbs or within the opening traces of the Didache.¹ James’s polarities confront the reader with the belief that, within the closing evaluation, beliefs and behaviors solely finish in certainly one of two methods—life or loss of life. With such a confrontation comes the invitation to reply appropriately.

1. Prayers That Lack Religion

Christians with delicate consciences might really feel too simply condemned by James’s insistence that prayer be provided in religion. Certainly, for a contemporary reader to summarily inform different individuals that they haven’t had their prayers answered as a result of they don’t have the requisite religion would probably be religious abuse. But, in establishing a full-orbed biblical view on religion, we should do not forget that Jesus repeatedly calls for religion from those that method him and qualifies his healings with statements similar to “In keeping with your religion be it finished to you” (Matt. 9:29). When Jesus’s disciples couldn’t heal a toddler with demonically induced seizures, they privately requested Jesus why. He replied “Due to your little religion. For really, I say to you, in case you have religion like a grain of mustard seed, you’ll say to this mountain, ‘Transfer from right here to there,’ and it’ll transfer, and nothing can be not possible for you” (Matt. 17:20).

In noting the need of religion in prayer, nevertheless, James doesn’t condemn the maturing cry of a striving religion (“I consider; assist my unbelief!” Mark 9:24); he’s as an alternative describing the mindset of 1 who doesn’t depend on God whereas emptily mouthing a petition for assist. Praying whereas not trusting the goodness, energy, or inclination of God matches within the class of poor religion, hypocrisy, and empty religiosity. On the similar time, it can’t be emphasised sufficient that to insist on religion for answered prayer isn’t the identical as concluding that unanswered prayer is essentially an indication of faulty religion.

2. Sin

James’s assertion a few lack of religion leading to unanswered prayer is analogous to his later remark {that a} illness may consequence from sin and, thus, that confession of sin may very well be applicable for the sick particular person (James 5:15–16). The Bible’s educating on illness and sin is kind of nuanced and won’t match into the reductionistic schemes one often encounters in widespread faith. Illness might consequence from sin (1 Cor. 11:30). Illness and even loss of life could also be fatherly self-discipline—and even judgment—from God (Acts 5:1–11; 1 Cor. 11:29–32). Extra generally, it might appear, an individual’s illness or incapacity has no correlation with sin, and but, illness isn’t outdoors God’s sovereign functions of bringing glory to his title (John 9:3).

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3. Superficial Listening to of God’s Phrase

A superficial listening to of God’s phrase can be an instance of faulty religion. James avers that an individual is self-deceived if he solely listens to the phrase of God however doesn’t alter his conduct in response to that phrase (James 1:22). He explains, “For if anybody is a hearer of the phrase and never a doer, he is sort of a man who seems to be intently at his pure face in a mirror. For he seems to be at himself and goes away and directly forgets what he was like” (James 1:23–24). The important thing function of this analogy is to sentence superficial data accompanied by lack of motion. The world is full of non secular pretenders, and James repeatedly warns his recipients in opposition to the dire scenario of being present in that class.

4. Sinful Speech

Sinful speech is one other signal of insincere or inauthentic religion. James writes, “If anybody thinks he’s non secular and doesn’t bridle his tongue however deceives his coronary heart, this particular person’s faith is nugatory” (James 1:26). To “bridle the tongue” is a broad class that encompasses the concept of guarding one’s speech from all method of sinful utterance, similar to slander, lies, or coarse jesting (cf. Ex. 20:16; Lev. 19:16; Prov. 6:16–19; 12:22; 26:18–19). Speech is an overflow of the center (Luke 6:45), and sinful patterns of speech point out the true nature of 1’s religion. To have a life characterised by sinful speech and nonetheless assume oneself “religious” or “non secular” is to be self-deceived, declares James. Over time, each our phrases and our actions present who we actually are (Matt. 7:15–20).

Works and religion are usually not the identical factor. Slightly, works are produced by a real religion and are, subsequently, proof of it.

5. Sinful Favoritism

James additional observes {that a} life exhibiting sinful favoritism is inconsistent with a wholesome, residing religion within the Lord Jesus. Solely a lifeless, misleading, or inconsistent religion is characterised by sinful favoritism. James instructions, “My brothers, present no partiality as you maintain the religion in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1). Actually, the textual content interprets as “My brothers, don’t maintain in favoritisms the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” At the same time as James lays out such polarizing theological appeals, he reminds his readers that he’s their religious sibling, and by calling them “brothers,” he assures them that he’s interesting to them as a fellow neighborhood member. James’s crucial to not “have” or “maintain” (echō) the religion in “favoritisms” (or “acts of favoritism”) is uncommon. Slightly than utilizing the verb for consider (pisteuō), James chooses the expression “place confidence in” or “maintain religion in.” Maybe this phrase alternative serves to focus on the motif of objectively demonstrable religion—whether or not as a residing or lifeless actuality—that we discover all through James’s letter. The dative plural “favoritisms” (prosōpolēmpsiais) implies {that a} religion marred by sinful partiality could have various manifestations of that favoritism. The genitive “of glory” (tēs doxēs), qualifying the implied repetition of the noun “Lord” (kyrios), instructs the readers that there’s, certainly, one one that is worthy of particular honor and preferential remedy—Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. If we rightly honor Jesus as wonderful, how then can we mistreat his picture bearers and fawn over some folks for our egocentric profit? To deal with somebody preferentially throughout the Christian neighborhood as a result of she is wealthy or socially linked or lovely or well-known is to undertake the world’s values and to disclaim the religion one professes. A residing, wholesome religion within the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ won’t specific itself in opportunistic obsequiousness.

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In James 2:14–26, the apostle houses in on a major instance of lifeless religion. He describes a member of the Christian neighborhood who sees a Christian brother or sister in want, presumably has the power to assist her or him, however fails to offer any tangible help. James declares, “So additionally religion by itself, if it doesn’t have works, is lifeless” (James 2:17). Thus, James instructs us that there are two classes of religion—(1) religion that has works and is thus residing and (2) religion that does not have works and is thus lifeless. Works and religion are usually not the identical factor. Slightly, works are produced by a real religion and are, subsequently, proof of it. The truth is, James’s specific language would even name into query my use above of the verb “produced.” Real religion has works. Works are inherent and natural to residing, saving religion.

Merely to affirm monotheism (“God is one,” James 2:19) isn’t enough to show one has a residing religion. Even the demons consider (intellectually) that there’s one God and tremble in response—a response that, paradoxically, is extra seen and measurable than the response one expects from an individual of lifeless religion. Mental or propositional statements about God, whereas crucial and correct, are insufficient to discern if one has a residing or lifeless religion. James supplies this pungent abstract: “For because the physique aside from the spirit is lifeless, so additionally religion aside from works is lifeless” (James 2:26).

This text is tailored from Residing Religion: A Theology of James by Robert L. Plummer.

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