The Epistles · Chapter 4 of 5

James 4

James traces conflicts to selfish desires warring within, and to prayers unoffered. Friendship with the world is enmity with God, yet he gives more grace to the humble. So James calls for submission to God, resistance to the devil, cleansing, and mourning over sin, promising that God will lift up the humble. He forbids slandering and judging one another, since there is one lawgiver, and rebukes presumptuous planning that forgets life is a vapor.

What happens in James 4

James asks where fights and quarrels come from and answers: from the passions warring within. People crave and cannot obtain, yet they do not have because they do not ask, and when they ask, they ask wrongly, to spend it on their pleasures. He calls them spiritual adulterers: friendship with the world is enmity with God. But God gives more grace, resisting the proud and giving grace to the humble. So he commands: submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee, draw near to God and he will draw near, mourn over sin, and humble yourselves before the Lord, who will lift you up.

He forbids speaking evil of one another, for to judge a brother is to set oneself above the law and its one lawgiver. Finally he confronts arrogant planning: those who boast of business plans forget they do not know tomorrow, and that life is a vapor. They ought to say, if the Lord will.

James 4 in context

James continues diagnosing the causes of conflict in the scattered community, moving from the tongue and wisdom of chapter three to the desires and pride that fuel division. His language echoes the prophets, who called Israel's unfaithfulness spiritual adultery, and the wisdom tradition on humility and the brevity of life.

The chapter is intensely practical, exposing the inner roots of outward strife and calling for repentance and dependence on God's grace.

Main themes of James 4

James 4 (KJV)

1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 11Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Verses to carry from James 4

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”James 4:6

“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”James 4:8

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”James 4:14

Reflection

Where does your conflict really come from? James pushes past circumstances to the wanting heart within. His remedy is startlingly simple: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Not clean yourself up first, but come humbly as you are. Bow today, and receive the more grace he gives to the lowly.

A prayer from James 4