James 1:26-27

What does it mean, "this man's religion is vain."?
Does it mean that the faith and devotion of that person is stark empty and devoid of saving faith?
Does it mean that person is not saved?
Curiosity has brought me here to these questions, Paul addresses the Corinthian church as "carnal" and there was alot of unchristian things going on there, but how about here how James addresses believers who dont bridle their own tongue?

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

"but deceiveth his own heart,"
now the preceding verse...
" But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and ((((continueth))))) therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

In any assembly of believers there will be varying degrees of maturity and some will inevitably, perhaps with great knowledge, spout off at the mouth while yet not "practicing” the words they themselves speak.

This is worldliness, carnality, hypocrisy, fleshly, old-man, former-selves, etc.... this is seeking the approval of man (even other believers) rather than God’s approval.... this is fearing man rather than God-

Most of the epistles warn against slothfulness all while encouraging us to continue on in the faith. If someone whom has come to faith and has grown in Christ but then stopped "following” Him yet continued to attend the assembly this might very well be the result. There are many such instances even under Paul and James,... and while their personal address of the issue might differ, their objective was the same 😇

Hope that helps🙏🏻