James1:26 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.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
“Religious”: This refers to ceremonial public worship, instead of one referring to internal godliness, to emphasize the external trappings, rituals, routines and forms that were not followed sincerely. Purity of heart is often revealed by controlled and proper speech which means we need to keep a tight reign on our tongue. This is speaking of someone who is a Christian in form only. The heart of man reveals what relationship he has with God. To be a true Christian, our heart must be washed in the blood of the Lamb. We must speak healing, peaceful words from a heart stayed upon God. James picks two synonymous adjectives to define the most spotless kind of religious faith – that which is measured by compassionate love. It is important that we pay special attention to those that cannot help themselves or else we will be like everyone else in the world.
The two things Jesus said were the important commandments were to love God above all else, and to love our neighbor as our self. You cannot be involved in the ways of the world and belong to God. Christians are in the world, but are not of the world. We must not get involved with the world. We are to be a separated people.
The neighbors that we are most responsible for are the neighbors that cannot help themselves. The widows and orphans are the responsibility of the Christians. Keep yourself stayed upon good things, and you will not have time to get involved with the bad. When you do for those who cannot help themselves, you are doing it unto God.