James 1:27: Pure Religion for Orphans and Widows
James 1:27 does not measure religion by ceremony or by how devout we feel, but by concrete mercy toward those with no protector, held together with personal holiness. It is a test of whether faith is real, not a price paid for acceptance with God.
How can churches support foster and adoptive families? A Biblical Guide
James will not let hearing the word stay a private feeling. Pure religion, he says, is concrete care for the vulnerable joined to personal holiness, and that is the ground churches stand on when they support foster and adoptive families.