Mature Faith: Contrasting Examples

The mission statement of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago is to “serve with the compassion of Christ and minister with the transforming message of the Gospel.” For over 140 years, America’s oldest rescue mission has reached out to the hungry and the homeless with food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and biblical preaching. Last year they were able to help more than 1,100 people every month.

Serving the poor is a blessed and godly activity (v. 27; see Ps. 41:1; Prov. 14:21). Today’s reading offers one negative and one positive example related to obeying God’s Word in this area. The negative example is the self-deceived person. Such people can’t remember what they look like in the mirror (v. 26). They “do not keep a tight rein on their tongues,” they lack self-control in the area of words and communication (see also James 3:1–12). As a result, while they consider themselves religious, actually “their religion is worthless,” meaning futile or hypocritical. What’s the point of claiming to be a Christian if you don’t act like one?

The positive example is the person who hears the Word, obeys, and is blessed (v. 27). They “look after orphans and widows” and stay away from worldliness. Helping the poor and the powerless is selfless, because no possible advantage can be gained. God Himself evaluates it as “pure and faultless.” For the epistle’s Jewish readers, this was consistent with what they already knew about the Lord’s love for the poor (see Ex. 22:22–23; Deut. 10:18; Isa. 1:17). God even goes so far as to say that serving the poor helps us know Him better (Jer. 22:16).

Spiritual devotion must have practical effects on observable behavior. James continues to emphasize that our study of the Word must be accompanied by “Do what it says” (v. 22)!

Pray with Us

The last day of Founder’s Week 2019 is designated as Moody Alumni Day. It’s an opportunity for all of us to pray for our alumni, asking God to bless their visit on campus for alumni events and reunions and praising God for their ministry.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.