James4

James questions the source of conflicts among believers, attributing them to selfish lusts and asking amiss. He declares that friendship with the world constitutes enmity with God, urging believers to submit to God, resist the devil, and humble themselves. The chapter also condemns speaking evil of others and arrogant boasting about future plans, reminding readers of life's brevity and God's sovereignty. Finally, it states that knowing to do good and not doing it is sin.
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The Source of Conflict and Strife

1
Whence comewars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? ​
2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.
3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. ​

Friendship with the World is Enmity with God

4
Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. ​
5
Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying? ​
6
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. ​

Call to Submission and Repentance

7
Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. ​
9
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ​
10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Warning Against Judging Others

11
Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. ​
12
One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor? ​

The Danger of Presumptuous Planning

13
Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: ​
14
whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ​
15
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. ​
16
But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

The Sin of Omission

17
To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. ​

Study Notes for James 4

Verse 1

James identifies the true source of external conflict (wars and fightings) not in external circumstances but in internal selfish desires ('lusts') that battle within the believer.

Verse 3

To 'ask amiss' means prayer is motivated by self-gratification or self-interest, rather than seeking God’s will or glory; such prayer reveals a consumerist attitude toward God.

Verse 4

The term 'adulterers and adulteresses' is used metaphorically, drawing on Old Testament imagery where Israel’s unfaithfulness to God (the covenant husband) was called spiritual adultery. Friendship with the world means prioritizing worldly values over devotion to God.

Verse 5

This verse is a challenging allusion, likely summarizing the principle of Scripture: either that the Holy Spirit resident in us intensely desires our full devotion (a godly jealousy), or that the fallen human spirit is prone to selfish envy.

Verse 6

James quotes Proverbs 3:34 (via the Septuagint) to emphasize that while human desires lead to conflict, God responds to humility with an abundance of grace. Pride is the opposite of submission.

Verse 8

To 'draw nigh to God' requires active repentance and dedication. 'Double minded' refers to the instability (as seen in 1:8) of those who try to live simultaneously for God and the world.

Verse 9

This strong language demands genuine, visible repentance—a period of mourning over sin—as opposed to superficial confession or worldly indifference.

Verse 11

Slandering or judging a brother is equated with judging the Law itself. By condemning the person, one implies that the Law commanding love is either faulty or irrelevant, thereby stepping into the role of the Lawgiver.

Verse 12

James reinforces the exclusivity of God’s role as the supreme Lawgiver and Judge. When believers judge others, they usurp divine authority.

Verse 13

James addresses merchants or business people who make rigid, confident plans for the future without acknowledging divine sovereignty, revealing a self-sufficient attitude.

Verse 14

Life is described as 'a vapour' (or mist), a powerful image emphasizing the brevity, fragility, and uncertainty of human existence, contrasting sharply with the arrogant certainty of the planners.

Verse 15

The proper perspective requires acknowledging God's sovereignty using the phrase 'If the Lord will' (Latin: *Deo volente*). This recognizes that all success and life itself depend entirely on God’s permission.

Verse 17

This verse is a crucial summary statement defining the sin of omission: neglecting to do the known moral good is as much a sin as actively committing evil. It calls believers to ethical action based on knowledge.

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