Today’s reading is at the heart of James’ book. Today, we see what true religion looks like. It is not enough that we hear the word; we are to do the word. We talked early this week that for James, religion is not just an intellectual agreement to a collection of facts, but faith is a life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Today, James tells us exactly what that life should look like. Today, we see true religion.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history.

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

If you’d like to receive this daily reflection on your phone, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up.

Click on the image above or this link to watch today’s video.

You can read today’s passage here.

You can podcast this reflection here. You can subscribe through Spotify or Apple Podcasts as well.

Or, if you’d like to read the transcript of the video, keep reading!

Good morning. It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning as we conclude our week together in James. We’ll finish chapter one today, and I hope you have a great weekend ahead. I don’t think I have much planned this weekend, other than preaching in our contemporary service at Saint Matthews, our Intersection service. It’ll be fun to be there again. Looking forward to it.

Wherever you find yourself this weekend, I hope it’s restful, meaningful, and good.

Today, we’ll finish out James chapter one. This passage really serves as the heart of the book of James.

In this passage, we see the heart of James’ message. He’s showing us what pure and undefiled religion looks like. What is real, true Christianity? What does a heart transformed by the gospel look like?

James begins by addressing anger. He tells us to be slow to anger, because human anger does not produce God’s righteousness. This is such an important message for our time. Right now, we swim in an ocean of anger. It’s everywhere—on social media, in the news, in our communities. People are quick to react, quick to attack, and quick to divide.

Yes, there are things in this world that should make us angry. Jesus himself flipped over tables when he saw injustice. But notice what James says: be slow to anger. That shouldn’t be our first impulse. If we find that our default reaction to everything is anger, that’s a sign of a deeper issue. Anger should be rare, not constant.

Then James tells us not just to listen to the word but to act on it. True faith isn’t just about hearing scripture or knowing theology—it’s about living it out. If we say we believe in God but don’t live differently because of it, we deceive ourselves.

Finally, James gets to the core of what real, godly religion looks like. He gives three characteristics of true faith:

1. Bridle your tongue – The words we speak matter. If we claim to be religious but don’t control our words, our faith is worthless. This ties back to anger—what we say and how we say it reflects what’s in our hearts.
2. Care for orphans and widows – In biblical times, orphans and widows were among the most vulnerable people in society. They had no protection, no provision, and no voice. James says true faith means caring for those on the margins. Our faith is not just about what we believe—it’s about how we love and serve those who are overlooked.
3. Stay unstained by the world – This doesn’t mean withdrawing from the world, but it does mean living differently. If people are surprised to find out you’re a Christian, that’s a problem. Our lives should reflect Christ so clearly that people see the difference without us having to tell them.

James makes it clear that faith isn’t just about words—it’s about action. If we truly believe in Jesus, our lives should show it. We should be slow to anger, quick to love, careful with our words, and always looking out for those in need.

James doesn’t pull any punches. He lays out exactly what the Christian life should look like. It’s a high calling, but through God’s grace, we can live it out.

Thanks for being with us today. Hope you have a great weekend, and we’ll pick up with chapter two on Monday. See you then!