Keeping Oneself from Being Polluted by the World

James tells us that part of what God accepts as pure and faultless religion is keeping oneself from being polluted by the world (1:27). Christians have often done this by attempting to recreate the world they live in ex nihilo. By this I mean that they have not tried being redemptive figures in their existing culture in order to remake it, but by creating a separate culture. As a result we have Christian wrestling, Christian mints, Christian games, Christian music. This is not a counter-culture, meant to be a critique of the existent culture; this is a separate culture, meant to enjoy all the pleasures of the existent culture with none of the pollution.

But James' words cannot be heeded in this way because the source of sin is not culture. James warns us that we are tempted by our own evil desires, that these desires give birth to sin, and that sin, when it is finished, gives birth to death (1:14-15). The source of sin is not culture; it is us. So, if keeping oneself from pollution is not done by separation, how is it done?

Consider the socio-spiritual rules of disease and illness that Jesus bucked. Being touched by a leper, bleeder, dead body, etc. brought uncleanness according to the law. But when touched by lepers, Jesus did not become unclean; they became clean. When touched by a bleeding woman, Jesus was not defiled; she was healed. When touched a dead girl, Jesus was not polluted; she was restored to life! By the power of God's Spirit in Jesus, sin's contagion was stopped and righteousness spread. Jesus was kept from pollution not in his separation from others, but in his relationship to the Father. Righteousness spread. Jesus kept from being polluted by the world by justifying / rightifying it (making it right).

Likewise for James. Believers are kept from being polluted by the world by entering into the actions of their glorious Lord Jesus (2:1): Not showing favouritism. Just as Jesus showed no favouritism by including the poor, the sick, the betrayer, etc., so do his followers keep from being polluted by showing love to the poor (2:2-7). They are encouraged to speak and act as Jesus--as though the law gave freedom (2:12-13). And in this life of obedience--of rightifying the world, to be rightified (2:24), to find their righteousness and friendship with God (2:23). And yet this is not a salvation by merit because it is only through the word of truth, planted in us (1:21) that God has given us birth (1:18).