The Bible is God's Word... please be careful!

For reasons that should be clear to those who were in the Jeremiah Chapel on Thursday morning, I sense a need for someone to expound on a couple of key passages in James... I think I'll do it.With no disrespect meant for the chapel speaker on Thursday morning, the following are some key points of his message:

1. Partiality is sin
2. "If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
3. The Bible says a lot about poverty (apparently there are lots of good books on the subject, too)

The Bible does say a lot about poverty, but please don't use James 1:26-27. Rather than poverty, these two verses alert Christians to what a religion of worth looks like:

1. A bridled tongue
2. Visiting orphans and widows in their distress
3. Remain unstained by the world

Unfortunately, many times preachers look at James 1:26-27 and set points one and three aside, and they focus on the "visitation of widows and orphans in their distress." Why is there so often such an emphasis on point two? I suppose there are different reasons for different preachers... some may think that Christians are already doing so well on bridling their tongues and remaining unstained by the world that little needs to be said (written with as much sarcasm as I can muster)!

Despite my alarm at "shortchanging" points one and three, I will acknowledge that it is essential to take a look at point two since it is certainly an important part of this passage. So, here is what I think James 1:26-27 has to say about poverty:

The New Testament teaches that the Christian is responsible for his/her own family (I Timothy 5). If I fail to provide for my parents when they are in need, then I am worse than an infidel. It is to my shame if the Church provides for my family, and I don't, despite my ability to do so. In this manner, the Bible does not allow for any member of the body of Christ to suffer with lack of provision. This principle is relevant to James 1:26-27 because I believe that it is significant that widows and orphans, who have no family, are listed as those who we must "visit." The Greek word that is translated as, "visit," literally has the idea of "to look after."

So, here is what I trust you "got out" of this post:
1. Don't approach a text of the Bible with preconceived ideas about what the text is going/supposed to say (e.g. "I'm looking for passages on poverty... oh, this looks like one!")
2. Beware to not extrapolate an individual verse in the Bible without first considering the Bible as a whole.
3. Take care of your family
4. The Church body must look out for those who do not have a family to provide for them (widows and orphans)

JE