James - Chapter 4

JAMES 4:1-17

SUBMITTING OURSELVES TO GOD

We come to the final part of the teaching on wisdom by James. In chapter four he applies his thoughts to the question of community life. Failure to live out God’s wisdom has most serious consequences to the church. In chapter three James spoke of the general way that disorder and evil came from envy and ambition. Now he gets specific.

4:1-3

James begins by naming the root cause of all the strife. It is the desire for pleasure. He refers to wars and battles, which are long-term instances, not small and short term occurrences.

This word chosen by James, translated in our KJV as “lusts” is taken from the Greek word “hedone” from which we get the English word “hedonism”.

James also uses the words of warfare that paints a picture of the human personality as being invaded by an alien army. The point is that men and women are in the grip of this army inside them that causes them to seek pleasure. The question here is whether God or pleasure is the dominant concern of life? The struggle is between the part of the person controlled by the Holy Spirit and the part controlled by the world.

We kill and covet. This is worldly desire at work. The term “kill” is killing in a metaphorical sense. Jesus spoke of this same issue in Matthew 5:21-22 concerning anger which kills the spirit.

One reason for this poorly directed desire (not centered upon God) is the lack of prayer. We should ask for that which is in His will, and we must ask for it without wavering in faith (as we learned in chapter one) but we should not ask for that which satisfies baser things of the world. Prayer is communion, not magic.

4:4-6

More thought on prayer arrives. Prayer with the wrong motive is a sign of friendship with the world, not with the Lord and much more importantly do we know that friendship with the world is enmity to God. 

(Remember we cannot serve two masters). 

The use of the harsh phrase “adulterers and adulteresses” gives strong meaning to James’ point, which is that people are placing their love and desire to some other than the one to whom they are joined (such as in marriage). Isaiah 54:5 teaches “For thy maker is thine husband…”.

Spiritual allegiance given to the world is expressed in terms of adultery.

These people knew the way to live properly but were choosing to live otherwise.

Verse 5 is a clear warning that what they are doing by forming this allegiance with the world in very dangerous.

Verse 6 once more ends a thought positively as it tells us that all is not lost. The case is not hopeless. Repentance is possible and more grace is always available to those who are humble in heart to ask sincerely for forgiveness.

4:7-10

James now becomes VERY specific and gives ten commands to guide  repentance:

• SUBMIT

• RESIST

• COME NEAR

• WASH

• PURIFY

• GRIEVE

• MOURN

• WAIL

• CHANGE

• HUMBLE THEMSELVES

Submission must always precede victory. Since Satan has no direct power over us as believers, except by his temptation, he will flee from us when properly resisted. True repentance will often be shown by grief for past behavior. When overwhelmed by this grief, often we mourn and wail. The last command mirrors the first, submit in humility.

4:11-12

From the general call to repentance, James now moves to a specific form of wrongdoing that must be dealt with and resolved. His focus is on the sin of judgment and the pride that is its foundation.

By speaking evil of others, we slander them and therefore slander the Royal Law of Christ (love thy neighbor as thyself) and this action makes one a judge of this law, not a doer of it.

4:13

James now begins some discussion of his final theme of the last portion of his writing, testing.

This testing is centered upon those of wealth and the problems it brings both to them personally and to the community. These were likely Christian businessmen who were not meeting the test of their living faith because of their sins of omission.

Boasting about what will happen tomorrow is simply human arrogance. The future is known only to God, not to man. This trait is the exact opposite of humility that should be the hallmark of a Christian.

4:14

Planning for tomorrow arrogantly supposes that one will have a tomorrow. Proverbs 27:1 teaches well on this point:

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth”.

What is life but a vapor of a short time and then it is gone!

Hosea 13:3 speaks to this portion of the message as well:

“Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away…”.

4:15

This phrase “…If the Lord will” is not a phrase found inside Old Testament scripture but was used commonly by Paul in his writings (Acts 18:21, 1st Cor 4:19 & 16:7). Future uncertainty should not be a concern to the faithful Christian rather should force him to remember he is dependent upon God for his future.

4:16

James is not condemning merchants who trade for a living but is strongly speaking against their way of arrogant talk, which is boastful, and filled with empty and evil words, as they are not in control of their future. God is!

4:17

Some have said that this one verse was actually spoken by the half-brother of James, Jesus Christ, but was not recorded in any of the gospel accounts.

It is a powerful and profound teaching because almost all other New Testament teaching on sin dwells upon doing what we know is wrong. These teachings are what may be termed “sins of commission” We see it best taught in 1st John 3:4:

“Whoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law”.

In contrast to almost all other New Testament teaching, James now provides another view of sin, which is sin of omission. James now teaches us that sin may be active (by commission) or passive (by omission). Christians can sin by not doing what they know they ought to do.

The merchants may not be cheating or stealing but with their wealth they seem to James not to be doing the good they know to do as their duty to the poor. Their motivation is purely selfish if they neglect to demonstrate living faith by neglecting the poor. Let’s remember James 2:3 and its good lesson as to how our action can show our faith.