One constant conversation that is going on throughout scripture, in both the Hebrew scriptures which we call our "old" testament, and in the Christian scriptures which we call "new," is, how can we be sure that our religion is the true, genuine article, and not just some human invention? One school of thought is that as a people of a faith, we must safeguard ourselves from others. That is where the "holiness code" weighs in. The dietary laws, the laws pertaining to personal appearance (what not to wear, how not to wear your hair or trim your beard), the instructions on how to number the days and celebrate festivals-- these are all about how "we" are distinguished from "them."
The warnings given voice in the stories of conquest-- do not leave any survivors, do not intermarry-- this is the extreme, violent end of the spectrum of the biblical conversation. The stories of Ruth and of Jonah are meant to contradict the xenophobia of the conquest narratives. One is the story of a foreign woman who gives rise to the kingdom of David; the other a testimony that God's love and mercy extends even to the non-Hebrew city of Nineveh.
The gospels tell us that Jesus was criticized for being irreligious. He ate with defiled hands (defiled, meaning not ritually cleansed before the meal). "So, you are supposed to be this great rabbi, and you don't even follow the rules? How come?"
Jesus responded by quoting another part of the scriptures, the book of the prophet Isaiah, who said,
This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.
You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.
The gospel of Matthew puts it even more plainly. In a series of curses, Jesus says,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin [the herbs from the garden, not very valuable], and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. (Matt. 23:23)
Even so, after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the early Christian leaders struggled to define their faith, when people who were not Jewish like them came to them to be baptized. Some thought these people ought to become Jewish first, obey the customs of the Jewish people, and be circumcised. That was the first Christian identity crisis. It was resolved in favor of inclusion. "What God has made clean, you must not call profane," is the message that Peter heard in a vision, and later told to the other apostles, adding "who was I that I should hinder God?" (Acts 11:17)
As it has through the ages, the question arises, even now. How do we know that our religion is the the religion? Some people respond by drawing boundaries between "us" and "them," establishing rules about who is in and who is out. The rules rarely have anything to do with the heart of the faith.
James' answer: it's not about what you wear. It's not about the words you use when you pray. Here is what genuine religion looks like, to God: go and search for orphans and the widows, and attend to them in their distress.
Your actions speak louder than your words. As he wrote elsewhere, what good is it if you talk the talk, if you say to someone who is naked and hungry, "God bless you, stay warm and eat well," and do not lift a finger to help them! No good at all!
As for that second phrase, "to keep oneself untainted by the world," well, I think by "the world" the author means the culture, the society, which is all about appearances. You are what you pretend to be in this world. Don't let the world color you phony.
