James 1:26 (YLT)

Passage

If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain <FI>is<Fi> the religion;

Nearby Context

James 1:24 for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was;

James 1:25 and he who did look into the perfect law--that of liberty, and did continue there, this one--not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work--this one shall be happy in his doing.

James 1:26 If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain <FI>is<Fi> the religion;

James 1:27 religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation--unspotted to keep himself from the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "doth", "think", "religious", "bridling", "tongue", "deceiving", "heart", and "vain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "doth" and "think", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "and he who did look into the..." into verse 27's "religion pure and undefiled with the God...", so "doth" and "think" 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 "doth" and "think" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.