Studying the book of James in my Greek Exegesis class has been a challenge as I look deeper into the text. We will finish the first chapter by this week and the chapter is rich in wisdom and advice. It also has many OT allusions.James encourages his readers to be doers of the Word and not only hearers. In other words, don't be NATO (No Action, Talk Only)!
Christianity is not a religion that you can pay lip-service only. It demands action! If you love me, feed the lamb... This is what Jesus told Peter after his three-time denials. In James 1:27, James describes Christianity as a "Pure and Undefiled Religion". What does that mean? In order to better understand this, we need to know that it is related to OT (Old Testament): the devotion to compassion and Torah observance that determines the separation. Therefore, this "pure and undefiled religion" exists to "care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world".
The two emphasises of Christianity are:
1) to visit orphans and widows in their distress
2) to keep oneself spotless from the world
Are we doing this today? What keep us from doing this?
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