PURE RELIGION by F. A. Howe

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 3, 1901

PURE RELIGION.

By F. A. Howe

F. A. HOWE.

THE apostle says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27.

In this first chapter of the book of James, which is a general epistle, a circular letter, so to speak, to all the churches of the apostle’s time, the inspired writer has been inculcating the principles of true Christianity. He warns his brethren against mistaking the counterfeit for the genuine; and such warning was needed, for it appears that some of the early Christians were being drawn away from the practice of pure religion. They were surrounded by heathenism of the grossest type. The worst vices of humanity were practiced openly, under the guise of religious worship; and the indulgence of every evil passion was devoted to degraded, false religion—gross idolatry. With this corruption, this moral decay, continually surrounding them, it is no surprise that some of them, yielding to the arguments of unconverted hearts and evil passions, were led astray by these false systems of religion.

And especially would many of those early Christians need a warning against the cold formalism of the Pharisees. How natural it would be to conclude that those sanctimonious Pharisees, who went about in their long robes, and who loved to pray so ostentatiously in the public streets, or to stand piously with clasped hands and upturned gaze in the market-place, to be seen of men,—how natural to suppose that they possessed a pure religion! Surely, did not they crucify themselves to the world? Did not they deny themselves, and, though they believed not on Jesus, did they not exhibit in their devout demeanor a religion undefiled? Did they not sit in Moses’ seat? And as they worshiped in the temple, conducting the impressive rites of their ancient religion, who that looked upon the scene could doubt for a moment the purity and exalted character of their faith and worship? Alas, how often, to our short, clouded vision, the counterfeit seems the genuine, the speciously false appears the truest and best of all! And this is true no less to-day than nineteen hundred years ago; nor do we need means of identifying the true any less now than were needed then.

To enable his brethren to avoid wrong conclusions respecting the false worship around them, and to supply a definition of pure religion, not as it might seem to fallible human judgment, but as it is before the searching eye of Omniscience, James said to them: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” Observe that this is a logical definition, consisting of two distinct propositions, which may be considered separately:—

1. “To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” It seems as if James were answering the question, How may it be known whether a professed follower of Christ has indeed pure religion? For him, this query had been answered; and the answer was bound up with tender recollections of the holiest associations man has ever enjoyed. Had not the Master, who had been his companion in sorrow as well as in joy, and who was now at the right hand of the Father, answered this question? “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” The conduct of their lives was to test men’s pretensions to religion. Is there not here a lesson for all professed Christians even yet? Religion is not a mere sentiment. Its distinguishing characteristic is not simply emotion, or feeling. It is true that at times the Christian may enjoy seasons of spiritual exaltation; but let none suppose that that constitutes religion, or is a necessary accompaniment of its presence at all times. Yet how many there are who think that as soon as deep emotion has passed, religion has departed with it. “Ah! let us remember that if the sweetness of religious emotions be sometimes wanting, faith and its power are left us; and that we may be always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

Through such false conceptions of the real nature of religion, has undoubtedly come much of the repulsion that is felt by the unconverted; and although such erroneous ideas are not all to be charged to those calling themselves Christians, justice would certainly lay a large portion of the responsibility upon them. It is not surprising that men revolt at the idea of a religion whose most prominent characteristic seems to be a sickly sentimentality. When a man can see no particular difference between those who profess religion and those who do not, except that the former are accustomed to assemble at stated intervals, and spend a certain time in discussing their feelings, and in exhibiting a transient emotion that never develops into good deeds, can we wonder that he can see nothing in it but utter folly? The difficulty is that he has not learned to distinguish the true from the false. He looks upon the counterfeit, carelessly supposing it to be the genuine, and seeing the emptiness of it, rejects it, and hardens his soul against the very idea of religion in any form. Could he recognize the qualities of true religion, it would not appear so repellent to him. His heart could not easily resist its attractive influence.

The apostle had learned to recognize pure religion, learned that it is not theory merely, but also practice. Indeed, the genuineness of Christ’s own profession as the Messiah was to be tested by His works. See John 5:36, etc. If the fact that the Father in Him was to be thus established, in what other possible way can the question whether Christ is in us be answered?

The first part of the definition which we are considering brings to view the noblest work in which man can possibly engage,—that of helpfulness to others. That was the kind of labor in which Jesus spent His earthly life; and it was for others that He finally yielded up that life upon the shameful cross. His true disciples will also be continually giving their lives for those for whom He died. And He has left the assurance, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt. 25:40. It is a wondrously simple lesson, to give up all for His sake, only to receive infinitely more of good here and hereafter. “He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Matt. 10:39. “There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal life.” Mark 10:29.

And this unselfish labor is not only to relieve bodily wants, but also the deeper needs of the soul. Friend, has your heart never felt a longing for something more satisfying than all that the hollow pleasures of sin can bestow? “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.” Ps. 107:9.

Every one who has true religion is, and will be, a missionary. He will follow the footsteps of the Master, ministering to the needy in soul or in body. Having found that peace which the world knows not of, he will labor to lead others to its source. His heart will be ever joyful, his countenance serene.

But there are many who argue that they are living upright lives, are giving liberally of their time and money to causes of charity, and have no need of Christ. They say their religion is as good as the religion of many of those who profess Christianity. Let us see if their position is sustained in this definition of pure religion.

2. “And to keep himself unspotted from the world.” The world is a symbol of wickedness. It is used repeatedly in the Scriptures to represent the idea of all that is evil. It represents all the unholy pleasures, all the unsanctified ambitions, all the alluring aspirations and tempting attractions, the end whereof is death. The whole world lieth in wickedness. Like leaven, the infection of sin has spread, until no spot on earth is free from defilement, and we draw in poison with every breath. How can we live in such a world and be “pure in heart,” that we may “see God”? How can a man “keep himself unspotted from the world”?

Men have tried to do this by retiring to caves and deserts and living the lives of hermits apart from men, hoping thus, by avoiding contact with the wickedness around them, to escape the corrupting touch of evil. They did not understand that purity is only in the heart; that if there is impurity there, it must go with them wherever they go, even to the uttermost parts of the earth. It is not the evil that is without and around us, but that which is within, that mars the character with moral leprosy. See Matt. 23:25. The natural heart is corrupt; and not until Christ cleanses it, can sinful man be pure. No, indeed; pure religion is not possible without the Son of God.

Man, in his unaided strength, cannot “keep himself pure;” he cannot even make himself pure to begin with. Even if one could, from this moment onward, live a perfect life, he is already consciously spotted with sin. And being so corrupted, he cannot live a faultless life. What in heaven or on earth can wash out these stains? “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7. Unless that blood is applied, the soul of man shall remain soiled and spotted to all eternity. No, we cannot escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust,” and keep ourselves pure and unspotted from it, by shunning our fellow men, and living hermit lives in some remote wilderness.

To secure and retain physical cleanliness, we must make use of some cleansing agent, like water. And to become spiritually clean, and to be kept so, we must be washed in that fountain that will cleanse all our sins away. Then there is a robe we may put on, that is proof against all evil,—a robe of spotless purity, which no contact with the vileness or wretchedness of the lowest human creature can ever soil or stain. Clothed in it, you may reach a helping hand to the most miserable wretch on earth, and still be pure. You may visit not only the widows and the orphans, the needy in this world’s goods, but also those whose souls are hungry and diseased, and fear no contagion. You may go, even as the angels of heaven go, as Christ himself went, into haunts of infamy, if duty and the love of Christ call you, and be no more infected by the plague of sin than was He who bestowed that wonderful garment upon you, and who himself touched hands with lepers, and received no taint. This robe is the robe of His righteousness, which He freely gives to them who come to Him in faith, and ask. His prayer for His disciples is, not that God should remove them from the world, from all possibility of doing the good work Christ commissioned His followers to do, but that God would “keep them from the evil” that is in the world. John 17:15. And then He covers them with His own perfect righteousness, so that the evil one shall not touch them.

These two parts of the definition of genuine religion are so closely connected, so intimately interwoven, that they are inseparable. Each part alone is incomplete, each the complement of the other; and both together, the one divine expression of the essence of religion that is pure and undefiled before God. Man must be washed from sin, must wear the righteousness of Christ. To do this he must “deny himself,” devote his talents to the Master’s service, working in His vineyard,—the needy, sin-polluted world,—doing

good to even the least, and so to Him. Then the world may see in such a life the tokens of a pure religion.

Have we on that spotless robe to-day? We can wear it only as long as our lives are filled with deeds of loving-kindness, words and acts of helpfulness to the suffering, the needy, the downtrodden all around us, day by day. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” 1 John 3:14. Jesus Christ gave himself for all men; and they are all our brethren. Let us keep before our eyes continually the unselfish life and love of Him who is our Guide and Pattern in all things.