James 1:26

James 1:26-27 . If &c. — Here the apostle shows more particularly who are the doers of the word; 1st, Negatively, in this verse: 2d, Positively, in the next verse. If any man among you — Who are professors of Christianity; seem to be religious — Θρησκος , pious, devout, or a worshipper of God: and if his conduct in other respects be irreprehensible, and he be exact in all the outward offices of religion, yet if he bridleth not his tongue — From tale-bearing, backbiting, evil-speaking, slandering; or from vain, foolish, ostentatious talking and jesting; or rash, bitter, passionate, malicious, revengeful expressions: this man only deceiveth his own heart — If he fancy he has any true religion at all; for his religion is vain — Is a mere empty profession, and neither is nor will be of any service to him. Pure religion — The word θρησκεια , here used, properly signifies worship, which branch of religion is put for the whole. In the epithets here given to it, pure and undefiled, Archbishop Tillotson thinks there is an allusion to the excellence of a precious stone, which consists much in its being καθαρα και αμιαντος , clear, and without flaw, or cloud. And surely, says Doddridge, no gem is so precious or ornamental as the lovely temper here described.

Here then the apostle describes the religion which Isaiah , 1 st, True and genuine, in opposition to that which is false and mistaken: 2d, Sincere and solid, in opposition to that which is feigned and pretended: 3d, Pure and holy, in opposition to that which is mixed with the inventions and superstitions of men, and defiled by erroneous principles and vicious practices. But what is this religion? In what does it consist? The apostle informs us: it consists not in speculations or notions, however just and orthodox. Not in forms or modes of worship, however Scriptural and necessary to be observed. Not in the warmth of affection, or ardour of zeal, &c., during worship. But, in consequence of repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, of justification by faith, and regeneration by the influence of the Divine Spirit, it consists in the possession and exercise of that love to God and all mankind, which is the source of the various branches of practical religion, of mercy as well as justice toward men, and of holiness toward God. True religion before God — Before his penetrating eyes; even the Father — Whose intelligent and immortal offspring we all are; is this, to visit — With counsel, comfort, and relief; the fatherless and widows — Those who need it most; in their affliction — In their most helpless and hopeless state; and to keep himself unspotted from the world — From the maxims, tempers, habits, and customs of it.

Seem to be (δοκεῖ) Rev., correctly, thinketh himself to be. A man can scarcely seem to be religious, when, as Trench observes, "his religious pretensions are belied and refuted by the allowance of an unbridled tongue." Religious (θρῆσκος) Only here in New Testament, and nowhere in classical Greek. The kindred noun θρησκεία, religion, occurs Acts 26:5; Colossians 2:18; James 1:26, James 1:27; and means the ceremonial service of religion. Herodotus (ii., 37) uses it of various observances practised by the Egyptian priests, such as wearing linen, circumcision, shaving, etc. The derivation is uncertain. Θρέομαι, to mutter forms of prayer, has been suggested, as the followers of Wycliffe were called Lollards, from the old Dutch lullen or lollen, to sing. Hence the adjective here refers to a zealous and diligent performance of religious services. Bridleth (χαλιναγωγῶν) Used by James only. See James 3:2. Lit., to guide with a bridle. So Plato, "Laws," 701: "I think that the argument ought to be pulled up from time to time, and not to be allowed to run away, but held with bit and bridle."

{18} If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his {y} own heart, this man's religion is vain. {18} The third admonition: the word of God lays down a rule to not only do well, but also to speak well. (y) The fountain of all babbling, cursed speaking, and impudence is this, that men do not know themselves.

Jam 1:26 . Εἴ τις , if any man ) He now adds examples of doing the work .— θρῆσκος , religious ) A worshipper of God, in private and in public. Hesychius, θρῆσκος , ἑτερόδοξος , εὐγενής : that is, one who has more knowledge than others, and is endued with a nobler mind. The commentary of Œcumenius agrees with this; for with him θρῆσκος is one who knows the secret things of the law, and diligently observes them.[16]— ΜῊ ΧΑΛΙΝΑΓΩΓῶΝ , not bridling ) A most appropriate metaphor. Comp. ch. Jam 3:2-3 .— γλῶσσαν , his tongue ) and heart also.— καρδίαν , his heart ) and tongue also. The one leads and follows the other. The tongue has its faculty of speech, and the heart its affections;[17] Jam 1:19 . [16] γνώστης τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἀποῤῥήτων καὶ ἀκριβὴς φύλαξ . [17] These two things are joined together in a similar way, Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 : “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God.” And that Book of Solomon agrees with this Epistle of James in this respect especially, that they both urge moderation in all things. Compare Matthew 12:34 , “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The tongue sins in reproaches, perjuries, lying, jesting, false promises, murmuring, etc.—V. g.

26, 27. An example of doing work. religious … religion—The Greek expresses the external service or exercise of religion, "godliness" being the internal soul of it. "If any man think himself to be (so the Greek) religious, that is, observant of the offices of religion, let him know these consist not so much in outward observances, as in such acts of mercy and humble piety (Mic 6:7, 8) as visiting the fatherless, &c., and keeping one's self unspotted from the world" (Mt 23:23). James does not mean that these offices are the great essentials, or sum total of religion; but that, whereas the law service was merely ceremonial, the very services of the Gospel consist in acts of mercy and holiness, and it has light for its garment, its very robe being righteousness [Trench]. The Greek word is only found in Ac 26:5, "after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." Col 2:18, "worshipping of angels." bridleth not … tongue—Discretion in speech is better than fluency of speech (compare Jas 3:2, 3). Compare Ps 39:1. God alone can enable us to do so. James, in treating of the law, naturally notices this sin. For they who are free from grosser sins, and even bear the outward show of sanctity, will often exalt themselves by detracting others under the pretense of zeal, while their real motive is love of evil-speaking [Calvin]. heart—It and the tongue act and react on one another.

If any man among you seem to be religious; seems to others, or rather to himself; thinks himself religious, because cause of his hearing and outward worship: thus the word rendered seems is often taken, 1 Corinthians 3:18 8:2 14:37 Galatians 6:3 . Here he shows who are not doers of the work, as in the next verse, who are. And bridleth not his tongue; restrains it not from the common vices of the tongue, reviling, railing, censuring, &c. But deceiveth his own heart; either deceiveth his own heart in thinking himself religious, when indulging himself in things so contrary to religion, or deceiveth his own heart, being blinded with self-love, and lifted up with self-conceit, which is the cause of his censuring and speaking evil of others. This man’s religion is vain; empty, and to no purpose, having no reality in itself, and bringing no benefit to him.

Verse 26. - Seem ( δοκεῖ ); seems to himself rather than to others; translate, with R.V., thinketh himself to be. Vulgate, Si quis Putat se esse. Religious ( θρῆσκος ). It is difficult to find an English word which exactly answers to the Greek. The noun θρησκεία refers properly to the external rites of religion, and so gets to signify an over-scrupulous devotion to external forms (Lightfoot on Colossians 2:18 ); almost "ritualism." It is the ceremonial service of religion, the external forms, a body of which εὐσεβεία is the informing soul. Thus the θρῆσκος (the word apparently only occurs here in the whole range of Greek literature) is the diligent performer of Divine offices, of the outward service of God, but not necessarily anything more. This depreciatory sense of θρησκεία ισ well seen in a passage of Philo ('Quod Det. Pot. 'Jus.,' 7), where, after speaking of some who would fain be counted among the εὐλαβεῖς on the score of diverse washings or costly offerings to the temple, he proceeds: Πεπλάνηται γὰρ καὶ οϋτος τῆς πρὸς εὐσεβείαν ὁδοῦ θρησκείαν ἀντὶ ὁσιότητος ἡγούμενος ( see Trench on 'Synonyms,' from whom the reference is here taken). "How delicate and fine, then, St. James's choice of θρῆσκος and θρησκεία !

'If any man,' he would say, 'seem to himself to be θρῆσκος , a diligent observer of the offices of religion, if any man would render a pure and undefiled θρησκεία to God, let him know that this consists , not in outward lustrations or ceremonial observances; nay, that there is a better θρησκεία than thousands of rams and rivers of oil, namely, to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God ( Micah 6:7, 8 ); or, according to his own words, ' to visit the widows and orphans in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world'" (Trench on 'Synonyms,' p. 170: the whole passage will well repay study. Reference should also be made to Coleridge, 'Aids to Reflection,' p. 15). Bridleth not ( μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν ). The thought is developed more fully afterwards (see James 3:2 , etc., and for the word, cf. Polyc., 'Ad Philippians,' c.v.). James 1:26

(26) But St. James has thus far dilated only on the first part of his advice in James 1:19 , “Let every man be swift to hear”; now he must enforce the remaining clause, “slow to speak.” If any man among you seem to be religious . . .—Better, If any one imagine himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. The sense of the Greek is slightly obscured by the English version. “If any man . . . seem”—i.e., to himself, and not to others merely; the warning is not to the hypocrite, but the self-deceived. A Christian may have, or rather cannot help having, the feeling that he is a religious man; and so far well. But if such a one deceive his own heart, as confessedly he may, and give to those around him the proof of his self-delusion in not curbing his tongue, vain and useless is all his religious service. Just as some mistakenly suppose there can be a religion of hearing without acting, so others rest satisfied “in outward acts of worship, or exactness of ritual.” “But,” remarks Bishop Moberly on this passage, and his voice may win an audience where another’s would not, “if a man think himself a true worshipper because he conforms to outward services, while he lets his tongue loose in untruth or unkindness or other unseemliness, he deceives himself.” The first mark of true religion is gentleness of tongue, just as the contrary, blasphemy, is the most damning fault of all.

Our Lord directly says, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). The text, however, is more a guide for self-examination than a stone to be cast at a neighbour; and “well is” it indeed for “him that hath not slipped with his tongue” (Ecclesiasticus 25:8). The Apostle returns to this subject, though from a different point of view, in James 3, which compare with the above. The best commentary on the whole is Bishop Butler’s Sermon, No. IV., “Upon the Government of the Tongue.”