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.

The Source of Conflict and Strife

1
From whence are warres and contentions among you? are they not hence, euen of your pleasures, that fight in your members?
2
Ye lust, and haue not: ye enuie, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, and get nothing, because ye aske not.
3
Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures.

Friendship with the World is Enmity with God

4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, knowe ye not that the amitie of the world is the enimitie of God? Whosoeuer therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himselfe the enemie of God.
5
Doe ye thinke that the Scripture sayeth in vaine, The spirit that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie?
6
But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, and giueth grace to the humble.

Call to Submission and Repentance

7
Submit your selues to God: resist the deuill, and he will flee from you.
8
Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe neere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded.
9
Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.
10
Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp.

Warning Against Judging Others

11
Speake not euill one of another, brethren. He that speaketh euill of his brother, or he that condemneth his brother, speaketh euill of ye Law, and condemneth the Lawe: and if thou condemnest the Lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the Lawe, but a iudge.
12
There is one Lawgiuer, which is able to saue, and to destroy. Who art thou that iudgest another man?

The Danger of Presumptuous Planning

13
Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morowe we will goe into such a citie, and continue there a yeere, and bye and sell, and get gaine,
14
(And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe to morowe. For what is your life? It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a litle time, and afterward vanisheth away)
15
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.
16
But now ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.

The Sin of Omission

17
Therefore, to him that knoweth how to doe well, and doeth it not, to him it is sinne.
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