I've read this verse many times. The first time I noticed it was in college. That's when it got highlighted. But I have to say, I don't think I really got what this verse was talking about because nothing in my life really changed after reading it except feeling like the verse is very touching. And I would say it's only within the last 6 months or so (when I've seen other people put this verse in practice) that I finally got a light bulb moment.
For the past year, I’ve noticed a couple at Pacifica church bring truthseeker after truthseeker to the church. What surprised me is how involved they are in these friends’ lives. For a period of time I know that they were actively helping a friend with job search. Like not just praying for them to get a job, but actually going out there looking for one for them.
A sister at Pacifica church noticed that a recently baptized sister doesn’t seem to know the scripture too well. In order to help her, she invited her to sleep over at her house and read the Bible with her. (Note that the newly baptized sister is at least 30 years older than this sister.) She joyfully told me that after that night, the newly baptized sister was determined to finish the 4 gospels on her own.
Another sister at Pacifica has noticed our J1 students are sort of languishing spiritually. Unlike the rest of us who merely complain about their state and wishfully hoping/praying that they will grow up and become mature, she has been actively encouraging them to join choir, talking to the choir manager to include them and offering/arranging rides home afterwards.
I’m saying all this because after seeing their work, I feel like I finally understand James 1:27 better. I think one misconception we may have is the best way to help someone is to pray for them. Because that's what it means to rely fully on God's power. I’m not denying that many things are beyond us and we can only apply to God for mercy and help. But sometimes, actually many times, we can immediately do something to answer someone's prayer. True religion is to do something to help someone. To be the tool used by God to answer someone’s prayer.
Please don’t mistaken me to mean that actions can replace prayer. Rather, I feel they are quite complementary. Prayer helps us have the wisdom from God to see how to help someone. And it gives us strength to help. You can pray for someone and at the same time actively find ways to give them help in their present need. I feel that’s why James say this is the pure and defiled religion. It’s not words or good intention only. It is pure action motivated by love.
I find this verse to be so interesting now. I noticed it doesn't say that pure and undefiled religion is to go to church every week. Or read the Bible and pray every day. Or maximize the number of times your name shows up on the workload schedule. Or how many church events you have attended. All those are good to increase our knowledge of how to live our lives. But ultimately knowledge has to be put into action. Pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and be sinless.
Some of us may fall into the mistake of the workers who left the man half beaten to death by the wayside. They may have more pressing spiritual matters to attend to. Perhaps they thought they can go to church and pray for that poor man they've just seen and pray that someone will help him. But isn’t the better thing to simply help the man themselves? Isn't the better thing to be the Good Samaritan?
For me, this realization was quite eye-opening. It blew the hole through the roof of what I thought it meant to be perfect. Praying and reading the Bible and going to church and serving every week is easy in comparison. But to open our lives and extend our hand each and every day to widows and orphans and those who are needy around us – that is love and that is to be truly religious. And that is so very hard to do.
Even though knowing this brought trepidation and a keen awareness of how inadequate I’ve been. Maybe even like a hypocrite who sometimes just hand waves and pay lip service. Who greets someone, asks and hears his problem, but walks away thinking all I have to do is pray to do my part. Yes, I feel very humbled and inadequate and quite ashamed of myself.
But knowing is also the first step to doing and I thank God for helping me understand this verse better through the testimonies of the examples around me. Thank God and I hope I will do better with His help.