James 1:26-27-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. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
The tongue will inevitably reveal what is on the inside
Matt 12:33-Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
Matthew 12:35-37-A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
James makes it very clear that the true test of a person’s religion—Is Not That He Or She Is Unable To Speak Their Mind But Has The Ability To Hold Their Tongue.
Psalm 39:1-I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”
An uncontrolled tongue is the evidence of a heart that is not under the control of the Savior.
Psalm 141:3-Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Beneath this stone, a lump of clay,
lies Arabella Young,
Who on the twenty-fourth of May,
began to hold her tongue.
At an evening social for army officers and their wives, the commanding general of the base had been given a special award and proceeded to drone on in a long speech of thanks. A lieutenant mumbled to the woman at his side, "Why they would award him a prize is beyond me. He's nothing but a stupid old windbag."
The woman turned to him, her jaw set, and said, "Lieutenant, do you know who I am?"
"No, ma'am."
"I am the wife of the man you just called 'a stupid old windbag.' "
"I see," said the young lieutenant, "and do you know who I am?"
"No, I don't," said the general's wife.
"Good," said the lieutenant as he disappeared into the crowd.
Verse 27-Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
A person can only be pure before God when they are Saved and washed in the Blood of Jesus who cleanses us from all our sin.
1 John 3:17-18-But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
James is not saying that good works save us.
Being saved never results from good works, but being saved does result in good works.
We don’t work to get to heaven, we work because we are going to heaven!
