As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:
26If
someone seems to be religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart,
the religion of this one [is] useless.”
I’m not sure there is always any logical connection between
one verse and the next in James. I think he is teaching in the same style that Jesus
used where He just seemed to say whatever came to His mind next, with no
intention of presenting any kind of logical progression. For whatever it’s
worth, I suspect that was a normal teaching style in the first century, since I
think I see the same thing in I John. At any rate, if there is any logical
connection between the preceding verses and 26/27, it would seem to be this:
Verse 25 left us pondering the matter of being “doers” of the Word. The danger
perhaps was that someone could be very “busy” with “religious” duties and thus
conclude they were “doers.”
Certainly the Pharisees would have been case-in-point,
tithing of mint and cumin, making long their phylacteries, longing for the most
important seats in the synagogue, searching the Scriptures, and “doing” so
much. Certainly the same is part and parcel of today’s “church-ianity,” where
people can be heavily involved in all sorts of church activity, and thus read
James 1:22-25 and immediately congratulate themselves on being “doers” of the
Word. Perhaps the logical connection is that James wants to interject the
question of what is real doing, what
is true religion? There may be a great deal of “doing” that impresses others
and even oneself, but is it or is it not what God accepts?
Before I get into the verse itself, I want to observe this
warning that the person “deceives himself.” Here is a person who actually
“seems” religious – implying that they are in fact including in their life
elements of religious activity which may be admirable. That certainly is better
than someone who cares nothing for God and it is something in which such a
person is, in fact, deliberately investing time, energy, and perhaps money.
Jesus warned there would be people who will plead with Him, “Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and perform many
miracles?” (Matt 7:22). I’ve always thought it enormously interesting that
Jesus’ answer to them is not, “No you didn’t.” It is simply, “I never knew
you.” He didn’t deny they did all that work, all that “religious” activity. The
problem was, in some way, it was not “true religion.” What a tragedy. Very
busy, “religious” people will drop right off the pew and into hell … and then
wish they’d looked more closely at verses like the one before us.
What I notice in particular is that this is the third time
in just the 1st chapter that James has brought up the subject of
deception. In v.16, he said, “Don’t be deceived, every good and perfect gift is
from above …” Then in v22, he said, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so
deceive yourselves.” Now we have the verse before us where someone thinks they’re
religious but deceives themself.
The next thing I noticed is that James uses three completely
different Greek words for “deception.” In v16, he used the word “planao” which
means “to lead astray.” Perhaps there, he meant, don’t let sinful desire and
temptation lead you astray, lead you into the error of thinking they can give
you good gifts. In v22, he used the word “paralogidzomai” which means to
deceive by false reasoning. Perhaps there the point is not to convince yourself
you’re OK, just because you heard the Word. That would be false reasoning.
Finally here in v26, he uses the word “apatao” which means to cheat, to trick,
or to outwit. In this case, a person seems to be religious but at the same time
they are not bridling their tongue and in fact “tricking” their own heart.
All of this is very, very ugly and scary to me. The problem
with being deceived is that you don’t know you are. I know, I know. Everyone wants
to say, “If I was being deceived, I’d know it!” … Excuse me? The point of being
deceived is that you’re deceived! The fact is you don’t know it! Here is
a place where we need an enormous dose of humility to cry out to God and beg
Him for light. If there is any chance that I am deceived in any of these ways,
God help me see it! Without You it is true, I am poor, blind, and naked. In
Your light we see light. Open Thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things
from Your Word.
What an utterly terrifying thought – to not only be
deceived, but self-deceived. Surely only grace could ever rescue us from
such a self-imposed peril. This is precisely another reason why I study the
Bible. I try, God help me, to genuinely understand exactly what it says, and
what it does not, to actually let God speak without any pre-disposed angles,
then let Him pass my life through that grid. One of the very things I hope and
pray He’ll do is expose the places where I have deceived myself, where I have
for whatever reason come to believe something that simply is not true.
I believe that is exactly what He wants to do. Satan and sin
are liars and unfortunately my sin nature loves to believe their lies. Someone
once said, “People do not believe lies because they’re believable but because
they’re delicious.” To some extent, no doubt all of our lives are ruined
because we spend them believing lies. To me this is the negative side of Jesus’
promise, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” The
positive side is the freedom He gives. The negative side is that, in order to
do so, He must expose the lies we’ve been believing and help us see the Truth.
Only then can He “set us free.”
Would to God that every human being would look up and cry
out to God to show them the truth. Sadly, most of the human race never will.
But you and I can be different.
God help us. Don’t let us be deceived. Show us the truth.
And set us free.
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