James 1:26 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

NASB: If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

CSB: If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself.

NLT: If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.

KJV: If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

NKJV: If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

In the previous verses, James emphasized that those who trust God actually do what His Word says they should do. More specifically, they look into the perfect law that gives freedom and act on it. In verse 26, James gets specific about what it means to obey this freedom-giving law. James insists that we reveal the character of our religion in three areas.

First, nobody should think of himself as a religious person if he doesn't keep a bridle or tight rein on his tongue. That is, if we cannot control the words that come out of our mouths, we are lying to ourselves about being religious people. This closely relates to James' prior comments on anger (James 1:19–20), in that self-control is key to the Christian life (2 Peter 1:5–6; Galatians 5:22–23).

So is it a worthy goal to be "religious"? Most Christians avoid that word. In the modern world, the word "religion" tends to be associated with keeping of rituals or rules in hopes of earning some divine favor. Those who are saved by faith in Christ understand that they have already received God's favor. We seek to use His power in us to live as Jesus would, to make good choices in response to the grace He has already given to us. In other words, while Christians tend to recoil at the modern meaning of the term "religion," we certainly embrace the concept James is speaking of in these verses.

It should be noted, as well, that later in this letter, James will say that no human being is capable of perfectly taming the tongue (James 3:7). If it's not possible for us to achieve that standard, does James mean for us to spend our lives in pursuit of impossible religious perfection? It will soon become clear that he does not. Instead, he will encourage us to continue to act as if we believe God, to show with our choices that we are trusting our Father.

Still, as we see in the next verse, "religion" can be a good thing before God if it is focused on the correct things.

James 1:19–27 emphasizes that those who truly trust God don't settle for merely appearing religious. They give up trying to control the world with their words and their anger. They humbly receive the Word God has planted in them, listen to it, and proceed to do what it says. Part of what the Word says to us is that we should keep control over our words, to care for those who are weak and suffering, and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world around us.

How important is it for Christians to trust God? It's so important, James writes, that we should call our worst moments joyful things, because trials help us trust God more. People who trust God ask Him for wisdom—and then take what He gives. People who trust God make a bigger deal about their rewards in the next life than their wealth in this one. People who trust God don't blame Him for their desire to sin; they give Him credit for all that is good in their lives. They look into His Word, and they act on what they see there.

This first chapter in the book of James sets the course for the rest of his letter to Christians worldwide. God wants us to trust Him more, and more deeply, as we learn more of Him. This is so important to God that He calls on us to find joy, even in hard times, because hardship helps us trust God more. Those who really trust God will ask Him for wisdom, will be excited about their status in eternity, will recognize Him as the source of all good in their lives, and will work to act on what they find in His Word.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.