James, the half-brother of Jesus, writes in James 1:26 concerning a man who thinks himself to be religious. The word he uses for ‘religious’ conveys a ritualistic or ceremonial form of observance intended to display one’s belief.
If someone supposes himself to be religious, then his actions must show forth a clean and unpolluted religion before God. He must also be a man who controls his tongue, or else he deceives himself, and his religious appearance is useless.
When we desire to display that we are Christians, we must be cautious to ensure our conduct reflects our religious appearance. Whether it is wearing a cross, a shirt with a religious message, a symbol on a vehicle, a tattoo, or any other outward expression of belief in the one true God, such a display is worthless if our conduct does not align with it.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul writes, ‘For this is the desirous will of God, your sanctification, to abstain from fornication.’ Fornication—sex outside of marriage—is a work of the flesh and is not to be named among the saints (Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3). Yet it is not uncommon to see men and women openly engaging in such activity while outwardly proclaiming to be religious.
The man who wears a cross around his neck yet cannot control his filthy tongue makes his display of religion worthless. Likewise, the woman who wears a cross while also dressing in overly revealing clothing makes her religious appearance useless, for her outward appearance contradicts her display of faith.
There is nothing wrong with displaying our religious belief in the way we dress. However, we need to be attentive and cautious, giving appropriate consideration to what we wear and how we act, for these must align with each other. The display of a cross is not appropriate for a Christian, for our Lord is not on the cross—He has been raised from the dead. This symbol has been promoted by many false teachers throughout the centuries as a means of religious appearance. The early Church used the symbol of a fish, not the cross, to display their faith to others.
Therefore, if we are going to wear a cross, display a Christian fish, or use any other outward means to show our faith, we must ensure that our actions align with the way we dress and with the appearance we seek to display.
As James goes on to explain, true religion is not about outward display but about actions. Living out our faith is far more important than displaying our religion through appearance. True religion involves caring for those among the saints who are in need and keeping oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27).
This makes sense - Thank you!