James 1:26 (GNV)

Passage

If any man amog you seeme religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiueth his owne heart, this mans religion is vaine.

Nearby Context

James 1:24 For when he hath considered himselfe, hee goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what maner of one he was.

James 1:25 But who so looketh in the perfect Lawe of libertie, and continueth therein, hee not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the woorke, shalbe blessed in his deede.

James 1:26 If any man amog you seeme religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiueth his owne heart, this mans religion is vaine.

James 1:27 Pure religion and vndefiled before God, euen the Father, is this, to visite the fatherlesse, and widdowes in their aduersitie, and to keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "amog", "seeme", "religious", "refraineth", "tongue", "deceiueth", "owne", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "amog" and "seeme", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "But who so looketh in the perfect..." into verse 27's "Pure religion and vndefiled before God euen...", so "amog" and "seeme" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "amog" and "seeme" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.