James 1:26
“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Religion that fails to control the tongue is worthless and self-deceiving.
What Does James 1:26 Mean?
James tests the reality of religion by the tongue. If anyone seems religious, outwardly devout, yet does not bridle his tongue, his religion is empty. The unguarded tongue exposes a heart still untouched by the word, and such a person deceives his own heart.
The image of bridling recalls the bit that turns a horse; the tongue must be reined in the same way. Devotion that leaves the speech unchanged is a show without substance. James will return to the tongue at length, but here he makes it a measure of genuineness. True religion reaches all the way down into how a person speaks, and where it has not, the outward forms are vain, however sincere they seem.
In the Original Language
threskeia (θρησκεία), 'religion' -- outward religious worship and observance, the practiced expression of devotion.