Religion is the external, observable qualities of the life of faith in Christ.

Now James offers a concrete example of self-deception (vv. 26, 27). He introduces you to the counselee who swindles his own heart. It is foolish to swindle anyone, but particularly foolish to swindle yourself! He is the one who thinks that he is putting it over on others (and may do so for a time) but, in the end, he shortchanges only himself. How is that? Not only by the way that others treat him once he is found out—and inevitably he will be—but by the fact that he cannot swindle God! God is not mocked; He is not duped; He is not swindled. He Who sits in the heavens only laughs that laugh of pity as he views the self-deceiver thinking that he can even put it over on God! God will accept no such approach.

The word threskeia means “participation in outward ceremonies.” It refers to ritualism, pure and simple.

ἐπισκέπτομαι: “visit,” “assist,” which often in Scripture refers to the coming of God to deliver his people from crisis or else visiting the sick; cf. Gen 21:1; 50:24; Exod 3:16; 4:31; Josh 8:10; Ruth 1:6; 1 Sam 2:21; Zech 10:3; Matt 25:36, 43; Luke 1:68, 78; Acts 7:23; 15:14; Sir 7:35.

The kind of works that are clean and undefiled by hypocrisy, inconsistency and self-centeredness usually take place in spheres that are not readily identified as religious by others. These are areas like helping orphans or widows when they are needy or in trouble. And it means personal purity as one keeps himself unspotted from the world.