Laying Aside Evil

Pure and Undefiled Religion

Lesson Twelve “Pure and Undefiled Religion” (James 1:27) The terms “pure” and “undefiled” are efforts to say that just being religious is not enough. Our religion must be characterized by these two terms or else it is invalid Man needs to fully realizes that he is estranged from God by his sinful rebellious spirit and needs to be reconciled to God.

The Need to Bridle our Tongue

Lesson Eleven “The Need to Bridle our Tongue” (James 1:26; 3:1-12) James briefly, but pointedly, shows the need for man to bridle his tongue. Then, in chapter three he comes back to the subject with strong warnings and dangers of the tongue. He is dealing with a very practical problem among humans—the lack of control of one’s tongue! James has a very forceful way of illustrating his subjects under consideration and his conclusions are very pointed, logical, and inescapable. It is as though he is saying that the way to evaluate a person’s religion is by his use of his tongue.

Doers of the Word

Lesson Ten “Doers of the Word” (James 1:22-25) The first emphasis of this lesson needs to be about the real dangers of not only being deceived, but being self-deceived! The dangers of deception are all about us! God tells us that there are many deceivers (2 John 7; Titus 1:10) who have gone out into the world.

Laying Aside Evil

Lesson Nine “Laying Aside Evil” (James 1:21; 4:1-10) Reception of the Word of God depends upon the kind of heart that we have. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13), Jesus pointed out four kinds of soils that evidently represented the kinds of hearts of mankind.

The Swiftness to Hear

Lesson Eight “The Swiftness to Hear” (James 1:19-21) James deals with some very practical factors in human relationships. One of the greatest evils in such relations can be the improper use of the tongue. (We will spend more time on the tongue in Lesson Eleven.)