The Challenge to Be Genuine

By Mike Randall, Retired President of Baptist Bible College, Springfield, MO

Read James 1:26-27.

The passage before us continues the theme of being a genuine follower of Jesus Christ (vs. 18ff).  An individual’s participation in religious observances, attendance at church services, prayers, giving, etc., are outward gestures of faith.  However, they can become a form of camouflage.  Here, James teaches us that personal obedience involving our whole person actually reveals if we are genuine.  Notice four thoughts in his challenge to be genuine.  

James teaches us that personal obedience involving our whole person actually reveals if we are genuine. 

A tongue under control.  The genuine Christian desires to please Christ through speech that honors Him, such as praise, thanksgiving, truth, kind words, and prayer. They also desire to please Christ by avoiding what dishonors Him, such as cursing, profanity, slander, evil speech, and idle words.  Thus, the words we use reveal our authenticity.

A heart that is honest.  Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart of man is naturally deceitful.  Honesty about oneself is required to become a Christian.  Confessing personal sinfulness and wrong makes us a candidate for forgiveness.  A person must honestly recognize his or her accountability before God.  That personal honesty helps produce repentance and faith, which results in regeneration, the new birth.  Honesty of heart is part of being genuine.

Feet and hands that care for the helpless.  Genuine Christianity infuses compassion for others.  This care motivates personal involvement in meeting the needs of others.  Orphans and widows were the most needy in the time of the New Testament.  The picture here is more than giving money. It suggests being personally present “in their affliction.”  This kind of caring is evidence of a genuine Christian.

A soul that is unspotted.  It is most difficult to keep from being contaminated by the evil influences, lures, values, and patterns of the world.  The genuine Christian works at it daily by reading the Bible, confessing and seeking forgiveness for sin, self-denial, service, and prayer.

Genuine Christianity infuses compassion for others.

Reflective Questions:

1. What areas of speech do I need to work at controlling?  What do I need to add?
2. Am I really honest with myself?  Would my closest friends say I am honest with myself?
3. What can I do to become more personally involved in meeting the needs of others?
4. How is my personal daily walk with God?  What steps do I need to take to improve my daily walk?

Memory Verse:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Prayer: 

Dear God, I want to be wholly obedient to You. You know me better than I know myself. Help me to be fully genuine in my relationship with You. I pray that my outward actions match my inward commitment to You. Help me control my tongue, have an honest heart, have compassion for others, and stay pure.  

Related Scriptures:

James 1:19-20; Exodus 20:7, 16; Matthew 12:36; Ephesians 4:25, 29; I Timothy 6:20; Romans 12:17; I John 3:17, Matthew 25:34-46; I John 1:6-9