“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)
Widows and orphans were in the society of James and his readers in the first century, especially among the population of persecuted Christians. Many bread winners had been martyred in that day leaving behind widows and orphans.
For whatever reason, widows and orphans are among us today. James reminds us that they are in affliction. Some of their affliction is that of being homeless. Other affliction is hunger, lack of warm clothing or lack of proper medical attention.
We are to “visit” them in their affliction. The word “visit” means to carry to their door sufficient goods to meet their afflictions and needs. Sadly, we have too often turned the care of widows and orphans over to a government agency. We Christians must meet our responsibility which God has laid on our door step.
We live in a dirty, sinful world as described in the Bible in Paul’s letter to the Romans in the first chapter. It is very easy to incorporate the filth of the world’s sins into our lives and thus spoil our testimony. God would have us to be helpers of those in need and to remain untainted by the sins around us.
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