James 4
James 4 reveals the causes of conflicts and disputes that Christians face, and encourages them to break free from worldly desires and submit to God. It also emphasizes the importance of humility regarding life plans and God’s will.
1verseWhere do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members?
2verseYou lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.
3verseYou ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4verseYou adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5verseOr do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?
6verseBut he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7verseBe subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8verseDraw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9verseLament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10verseHumble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11verseDon’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12verseOnly one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?
13verseCome now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”
14verseYet you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
15verseFor you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.”
16verseBut now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.
17verseTo him therefore who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.
The Source of Conflict and Quarreling (Verses 1-3)
In the opening portion, James points out that the community’s quarrels and fights are not external, but come from inner desires and lusts(p). They end up having quarrels because they cannot satisfy their own cravings, and they say that even when they ask God, they do not receive an answer because they have improper motives.
Love of the World and Its Relationship to God (Verses 4-6)
Then he strongly warns that becoming a friend of the world is the same as becoming an enemy of God(p). He says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, and he also highlights the danger of a faith that shares its allegiance of the heart.
Submitting to God (Verses 7-10)
James urges people to submit to God and resist the devil. He calls for repentance of sin and sinful thoughts, and asks them to draw near to God. He promises God’s grace and restoration with the statement that when they humble themselves, God will exalt them.
The Boundary of Slander and Judgment (Verses 11-12)
He asks the community to be careful about slandering and judging one another within it.p Judging a person is an act of standing on the law, and he emphasizes that the one who ultimately judges is God alone.
Life Plans and the Will of God (Verses 13-17)
James explains how uncertain human plans for the future are, using a comparison to how human life is like a fleeting mist that disappearsp. He urges an attitude of humility: “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” Finally, he emphasizes that it is sin to know God’s will and not do it.
Points to Reflect On
- Reflect on what conflicts and desires in the deep place of your heart originate from.
- Consider how you distinguish between your relationship with God and worldly desires as you live.
- Check whether, within the life plans you make, you humbly seek God’s will.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Examine whether there are any conflicts or quarrels that arose from your own desires.
- Make the decision to come before God today as well, humbly confess your sins, and seek God’s guidance rather than relying on your own strength.
