Standing Up for Children + Unity | Francis Chan | Fit to Fight for the Family

Fit to Fight

Jul 11

Written By Randy Frazee

Standing up for Children | 9:30a

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Unity | 11a

Going Deeper Discussion

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:22-27

Jesus' brother James makes a point of connecting your internal belief with your external actions. In James 2 he writes "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless..." ("Dead" in some translations)

Focusing on Verse 27:

Why did he need to talk about widows and orphans?
Calvin says, “[James] does not define generally what religion is, but reminds us that religion without the things he mentions is nothing.” Does this agree with James' bigger idea in these 2 chapters? Why or why not?
With that in mind, what does "being polluted by the world" have to do with orphans and widows?
What danger is there for those who claim faith in Christ? What is James cautioning us against?