Pure religion

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. – James 1v27

This is one of those passages I am going to have to do more study on to try and grasp. Yesterday was all about useless religion, today talks about pure religion and defines it in a way that might surprise us. The second part is obvious, to keep oneself unspotted from the world. That we know and seems to fit logically.

It is that first part that gives me pause to consider – to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. That doesn’t seem to be that big a deal really, does it? Why is that here? Why is that listed as part of ‘pure and undefiled religion’?

It seems to be a reminder of the concept that God talks about all the time. There are really three parts to true religion, dealing with God, dealing with others, and dealing with self. Here we see some of the same things.

Love others – visit the fatherless and widows
Walk rightly – keep yourself unspotted from the world
Love God – is proven when we keep ourselves unspotted from the world

But God could have just said – pure and undefiled is this – love others and help them and show your love for God by keeping yourself unspotted from the world.

Orphans and widows, especially when this was written, are the most helpless of the helpless. Perhaps that is why God uses them. There is something specific here. I need more study. Maybe there is something more that I need to be doing.