JEAN'S BIBLE STUDY
| KJV WEB
| Endtime Prophecy
| Parallel Gospels
Page Numbers | Plywood Canoe
OT Commentary | Books
Contact | Gospel Tract

JAMES CHAPTER 4 KJV WEB See previous page Jm 4,1-10 (187aa) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to minister to God >> Jesus died for us; now it's our turn to die for Him – Instead of using their flesh as a seed to invest in His Kingdom, some have as their goal to extract as much pleasure from this life as possible. Jesus said in John 12-24,25, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Jesus' seed was His flesh; had He sought to preserve His life, He wouldn't have died for our sins, and if we seek to preserve our life, we will not live for him, and at the end of our life there will be nothing to show for it, but if we plant our life in the rich soil of God’s will, He promised to grow a harvest that will make God proud of us. Comparing a seed, a human soul, to a grain of wheat and the number of grains that can grow on a stalk, let that number be the exponent with the number of generations that have transpired since Christ was crucified, the product is astronomical, representing the joy that Jesus will have in heaven. We have the hope of eternal life, and the lowliest soul in heaven will have it far better than the richest king on earth. (187j) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Spirit versus the flesh >> Trying to work the Spirit by the flesh Jm 4,1-5 (3f) Responsibility >> To the Family >> Divorce because of your hardness of heart – These verses explain why divorce is so rampant in America: the lust for pleasure. They get married hoping the other person will bring them happiness, rather than having as their goal making their spouse happy. Every Christian family (and nearly every non-Christian family) knows to put Jesus first to solve all their problems, but they are unwilling to do it. We are an adulterous, pleasure-seeking generation of divorcees who are raising children worse than ourselves, who lead the next generation into untold punishment and despair, because we refuse to put Jesus first in our lives. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4,1-4 (16c) Sin >> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Man has a body of sin (22g) Sin >> Lust (craving pleasure) >> Fleshly mind (24h) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Being envious of your brother – When resources start dwindling, people do desperate things to maintain their lifestyles. They steal from others, cheat, commit fraud and murder (up to and including actual murder). The spirit of God is not leading them to do this but their flesh. (25d) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Murder >> Persecution to the death >> Murder is the way of the world – To commit murder is to hate the person we are murdering. Many in a rage have struck a person and he died, proving that hatred and murder are the same. One feels hatred rise in his flesh and suppresses it, while the other allows hatred to reign in his flesh, holding it dear to his heart and lives by it. James says he will never know the goodness of God until he dies to his fleshly impulses. We get so busy fighting for the things we want that we never think to pray, and if we did pray, we would not pray for God's will but our own that we might spend His gift on our pleasures. Fleshly impulses define the sinner; his prayers become saturated in restless desires. Those who want God must break this vicious cycle before anything can be resolved, and the only way to do that is to take on God’s calling and abandon our own agenda. We need a change of heart. The person whose heart is with God can do no wrong, but the one who is contrary to God can do no right. The righteous man sins and God glosses over it, while a sinner attempts to do good, but it vanishes like fog. (49g) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Enemies of God’s will are destroyed (57e) Paradox >> Opposites >> World hates what God loves and God hates what the world loves (79c) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Compromising your convictions (96m) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about sin >> Having an attitude of greed (158c) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Contentions, especially about words (semantics) – James speaks to the contentious man about the war of words that rages in his flesh. To the extent that he refuses to die to his evil passions and desires is the extent that he wars with his family members and his neighbors. He disputes with the pastor over every word, when he should be killing the contentious tendencies of his flesh by the spirit. The person interested in confrontation leaves in a huff and holds a grudge for life, but he must keep it to himself, because no one is interested in sharing his darkness. (161m) Works of the devil >> Carried away by greed (165f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Do not partake of the world >> Do not love the world – Everything costs money, but the life that God wants us to adopt is one that focuses more on people and relationships than on a lifestyle and things. We like to invite over our friends and entertain them, but according to worldly standards to do that we must have a nice house to impress them. We should also have a few kids and a dog, nice furniture and good wine. The list continues indefinitely of all the things people think they need who love the world; even children are a status symbol, but these things are a trap. The cheaper our way of life, the less pressure we put on ourselves. It doesn’t take a big house to make a great home; hospitality can go a long way to make any house a place where friends want to go, which is one of the great ministries of the saints. We cannot buy hospitality; visit a friend in a big, fancy house and ask the owner for a glass of water and he might tell you to get it yourself. Hospitality is possibly the subject that James would prescribe as a substitute for worldly pursuits. Hospitality is highly fulfilling and is virtually free. We can take a low budget meal and turn it into a memorable evening, which only a good cook can do, and acquiring cooking skills is part of hospitality. (166e) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >> Man’s wisdom is fixed on gaining personal advantage (167a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind is set on the flesh >> Lust of the fleshly mind – When an author writes a book, he has an audience in mind; the same goes for the Bible. Those who read the Bible presumably believe in God. Unbelievers generally don’t read the Bible. If they do, they usually have an ulterior motive, such as looking for contradictions they can use to excuse themselves from heaven, but James wasn’t talking to them but Christians, saying that worldly Christians act more like His enemies than His brethren. 1Cor 7-30,31 says, “Those who use the world... [should] not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” Worldly Christians want to have it all, though they can’t afford it. They don’t understand there are benefits to leading a godly life, but the benefits are at the far end of godliness. We must live out our faith before we will see any benefits of our salvation in this life. (170c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Seeking the glory of man >> Pursuing the glory of man turns us in the wrong direction >> Fighting God to keep the glory of man – What is the source of hostility in the world? Isn't it the same source that is in the Church? It is the pursuit of pleasure that wages war in our flesh that wants to live in luxury! The American dream is based on obtaining the highest possible standard of living and possessing gross materialism; does that reflect the Scriptures? We all want to live like kings, and some of us do by comparison to other people in other countries. What did Paul say about this? "Do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?" (1Cor 11-22). Should we have such materialistic goals? Shouldn't we pursue better things that hold greater promise of reward? As Jesus said to the Pharisees, so he says to us, “truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Mat 6-2). (182k) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Deceitfulness of riches -- These verses go with verse 7 (184f) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Spending His grace on your pleasures >> Trying to take advantage of God’s kindness (196d) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Immaturity >> Not mature enough to die to self >> Unable to put down the flesh (197i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Man withers when he is in control >> Unfaithfulness >> Unfaithful to God (198h) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Ordained by man >> Having evil motives for seeking leadership positions >> Seeking to gratify their flesh through the ministry – Paul quoted Deuteronomy 25-4 "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn," to make the point that pastors should get paid for their services, though Paul himself did not accept payment for his service to the Corinthians. Using the First Century Church as our standard, we quickly discover that the Church fell below this standard before the third century and has never recovered. For example, leaders of the early Church received a meager salary, just enough to by food and a few bare necessities; plus, they risked their lives taking on the role of pastor; and if they were arrested and killed, they were usually tortured first. From a human standpoint we could say they had nothing to gain and everything to lose, yet they wouldn't have it any other way, because of their faith in Christ. In contrast today in America, almost no pastors get killed, plus they get paid fairly well for their services, yet there is a pastor shortage, because not many people go to Church anymore, offering little promise of monetary benefit, making people think twice about entering the ministry, though paradoxically it is because of church leadership that people no longer attend their local congregations, making them to blame for the decline in attendance. What would be the pastor deficit if the deterrent of persecution were added? In the first century Christians were confident their pastor was committed to his faith, but what guarantee do we have that our pastor is committed to the faith today, since a monthly salary and having honor in society tends to cloud his motive for being a pastor? See also: History of the Church; 1Jn 2,15-17; 191j (199h) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Rejecting Christ >> The world rejects God >> Rejecting Christ to keep the world – When James used the word "world", he was saying that the lusts and pleasures of the flesh are its very essence. If a person does not belong to God, he is of the world. A person could be an unbelieving hermit, and be just as worldly as a party animal. A person can think he is virtuous because he doesn’t often commit grievous sins, but now that Jesus has been sacrificed the question is no longer about sin but righteousness. God considers a person’s lack of interest in Him our most grievous sin, making true worship our greatest act of righteousness. If we don’t serve our brother as a twin expression of a duel ministry, our worship of God will be incomplete. This takes us back to the statement Jesus made, “If you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Mat 5-23,24). Our relationship with God is in relation to our fellow man, but if we are not His true worshippers, then our benevolence is in vain. (200m) Denying Christ >> Whoever is not with Jesus is against him >> He is against Christ who does not receive Him >> Whoever receives the world is against Christ (209c) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Counterfeit relationship through religion >> I never knew you Jm 4-1,2 (25b) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Hate evil with hate (55d) Paradox >> Opposites >> Desires that keep you from what you want – Seeking God while pursuing the world just doesn’t work. James is saying it is our pleasures that keep us from what we want, that if we didn’t want them so much, maybe we could have them. God feels no obligation to gratify our worldly desires, only to see us sink deeper into the abyss of greed. It is our lack of relationship with God that keeps us from our heart's desire. The secret in this life is to not want anything, making it easier to be satisfied. That sounds appropriately ironic, like the parable Jesus told in Mat 13-45,46, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” His whole life’s work was in this one pearl, unlike investors nowadays who like to diversify. Christ is all we should value, investing our whole heart into the intangibles. Although the world claims it does not value such things, it values money, which is the least tangible of all man's ambitions. (134g) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Body of sin >> Our bodies are home to the sinful nature (158f) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Division (Cliques) >> Jealously seeking prominence in the body KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4-2,3 (82b) Thy kingdom come >> Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What not to pray for – God will not support the pursuit of a hedonistic lifestyle. Those who are faithful in Christ can ask God and expect to receive, but those who eat their seed must fend for themselves. They have nothing invested in Christ, so when they ask God for help, they are requesting a stranger, and if He did anything for them, they would just spend His grace on their pleasures, leading them right back to the same problems in a never-ending cycle of worldly craving. Therefore, giving us our fleshly desires is at the bottom of His list of priorities, but God is very interested in giving His true children their hearts desire. We ask God for the essentials that we may live to serve Him, and for others that they may live and serve Him. Jm 4-2 (163c) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Being a slave to greed – This is what the world offers: bondage and slavery. The devil will see to it that if we obtain the things we seek, it will place us in a deep prison with fetters on our hands and feet, so we cannot enjoy the things we craved beyond our needs. Requiring shelter doesn’t mean we must live in a mansion; a roof over the head will suffice. Furthermore, some of the most nutritious foods are the cheapest, but some people like to go to fancy restaurants and pay big money and max out their credit cards, then pick up a second job and become slaves to their indulgent lifestyle. Craving things, seeking a life we cannot afford, quickly spirals out of control, but God is telling those who belong to Him that our number one goal should be to do His will and forget about the world. Remember what Paul said in 1Cor 7-30,31, we are to be like “those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” The secret to a simple and happy life is "contentment", but it is a dirty word these days. Talk about contentment to people and they would accuse us of being lazy, that we have settled on contentment because we don’t know how to get the things we want, but if we are genuinely content, we are in a much better position to find happiness and lead a richer life than those who don't have time or energy for God. Jm 4-3,4 (22b) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The idolatry of greed Jm 4-3 (76c) Thy kingdom come >> Motives >> Seeking authority for security >> Motives based on greed (222e) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> God does not entrust his treasures to dogs >> If you are unfaithful, God won’t bother with you (241a) Ask but don’t receive (Key verse) (241c) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Obstacles in the way of the kingdom >> Ask but don’t receive >> Asking with wrong motives – People spiritually rate themselves, based on their prayers being answered, but this is not a very truthful gauge of their spiritual health. God can answer our prayers and we not know it, and by the same token we can thank God for things that He personally has not given us. For example, the person with an $80,000/year job prays for a new car and gets the exact one on his mind. He exclaims, ‘God is good; He answered my prayers.’ That makes him feel spiritual, but he only received a new car. It is doubtful that God wants him to have a high-pressure job and a fast car instead of his needs met some other way less taxing on his soul, that he may have something left over to give to his faith in Jesus and to his wife and children. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4-4 (2o) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Get out of His way >> Quit sinning (56l) Other Forms Of Kingdom Versus World Concepts (Key verse) (57d) Paradox >> Opposites >> Friend of the world is an enemy of God – How are we supposed to be enemies of God and His beloved children? We can only be one or the other! Once we become entrenched in the world, we have nothing to do with God, and our faith becomes like a picture on the wall; we don’t look at it anymore (Jm 1,23-25). Our faith becomes a mere artifact, yet we still think we have a saving faith, because we have accepted a set of facts about the Bible, thinking that this is more than what the world does; thus they compare themselves with people who hate God. Having nothing to show for their faith, no loyalty and no fruit, James says that anybody who befriends the world has forsaken God, and eventually the genuineness of his faith erodes to a mere relic of the past, just empty doctrines. A transformation has taken place; God is no longer a friend but an enemy. Having such a relationship with Him, how can we hope to see the Kingdom of Heaven? (134i) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Adultery >> Spiritual adultery – The book of Revelation calls the antichrist an adulteress, suggesting that Satan's kingdom is based on a false version of God’s Church. Jesus Christ is the husband, and the Church is His wife; in fact, the Church is even called the bride of Christ (Rev 19-7), so that God calls His people adulteresses who practice idolatry, because of their special relationship with Him. Therefore, a person who is an idolater technically doesn’t know God, whereas a person who claims to be a child of God and practices idolatry commits spiritual adultery, giving no room for idolatry in His true Church. Our faith takes time and effort just as any relationship. If we reserve five minutes each day for prayer before work, that’s our relationship with God, and we spend the rest of the day in the world. The Church taking on a selfish, hedonistic lifestyle is like a married woman having sex with a man who is not her husband. This is how God feels about His people pursuing the evil passions and desires of their flesh. Those who prefer an adulteress relationship with the world make themselves enemies of God. Spiritual adultery was the theme of Ezekiel chapter sixteen. He really laid into Israel, who was steeped in idolatry prior to the Babylonian takeover. They committed adultery against God, committing spiritual intercourse with the gods of greed, lust and pride, which are America’s favorite gods. If we can have spiritual intercourse with idols, how much more can we have spiritual intercourse with God? See also: Married to God; 208jb (154e) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> God bears witness against the world >> Witness that the world is godless >> Witness that the world hates God (159h) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit friendship (207a) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Eternal security? >> Perish By Losing Your Faith >> The apostasy (walking out the same door you came in) – There is a false doctrine called Eternal Security rampant in the Church today giving people a false sense of security. People who had no intension of serving the Lord concocted this doctrine, and those who have no intension of serving the Lord use it as an escape clause in case they change their minds about serving the Lord. It was invented as a way of filing for divorce from God, sort-a-speak, while simultaneously maintaining their eternal inheritance. It was made for so-called Christians who want nothing to do with God but still want heaven, or they don't want hell. The concept of Eternal Security simply doesn’t exist in the Bible. Those who would teach this doctrine have only a couple verses at their disposal, which all require interpretation, in front of a daunting mountain of passages that plainly teach otherwise without need for interpretation. James says that those who befriend the world lose their faith in God and fumble the gift of eternal life. We need to be careful because we can’t fumble the ball and expect to recover it, because we have an adversary, the devil, who will jump on it. Dropping the ball is what the foolish virgins did when they let the flame in their heart expire (Mat 25,1-13). The question is: how do we relight the flame? Jesus answered this when He called us the salt of the earth; it is good for nothing anymore, “except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Mat 5-13). There is no remedy for tasteless salt and there is no remedy for a dead lamp, for God did not equip us with matches to relight it. Our job is to keep the flame burning in our heart and not let it die in the first place, as Paul cautioned Timothy, “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you” (2Tim 1-6). (208jb) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> Knowing God >> We are bonded to Him – The fact that James called them adulteresses suggests that we are married to God; this is the level of intimacy He wants with us. God wants to make love to us, not some day in heaven but in this life, through the word of God and prayer. In Jewish weddings they would have a ceremony, then a celebration, then husband and wife would be excused to consummate their wedding vows. When James calls us adulteresses, he is saying that we perform these acts with demons. This world is just as spiritual as it is physical, so whatever idol we choose to worship will have a demon behind it, meaning when we commit idolatry, we are making love to demons. No wonder God foremostly commanded us to love the Lord our God to avoid committing idolatry against Him (Exodus chapter 20). The manner of spiritual intercourse with God starts with prayerfully reading the Scriptures, listening for the Holy Spirit to speak to our heart to transform our knowledge into truth, but to be complete we must obey the word that He reveals to us. The message that the Holy Spirit speaks in our heart always translates into something for us to do, and by doing it will bear fruit to manifest the Kingdom of God in the world. This whole process can also spiritually transpire through idolatry, only it bears fruit for sin, producing death (Jm 1-14,15), separation from God. We commit spiritual adultery with demons when we obey them, as a type of worship that transforms our knowledge into deception that burns into our heart as with a hot branding iron (1Tim 4-1,2), so that we cannot stop believing their lies. See also: Married to God; 134i / Working the grace of God (Grace that saved we use to do His will); Rom 3-27; 77k KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4,5-10 (99b) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Enduring the will of God >> Enduring the death of your flesh (111a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit sets you apart by the word >> Set apart through repentance (113e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of the new creation – There is a greater grace than the indwelling Holy Spirit: the anointing. When we use the words “mercy” and “grace” interchangeably, we miss a blessing. Jesus' cross is God's mercy, while the Holy Spirit whom He sent is His grace. The disciples were already born-again before Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Jn 20-22), but there is a greater grace: the anointing that the disciples received at Pentecost. (115b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> We receive the anointing through Christ – The jealousy that God has for His people is that He wants us to serve Him only and work with Him to build His blessing in our lives, yet there is a greater grace. There are times when we are too weak and battered to work with Him, when circumstances overwhelm us that He works alone in our lives to strengthen us, until we are able to get back on our feet. This is God working in us. (121b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with seeking God (233i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory through obedience (249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life Jm 4-5 (76k) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Desiring to be among the people of God (105k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit to the truth >> Spirit will lead you to Christ (132a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> Spirit of God in the spirit of man >> Spirit of the Father – The Holy Spirit is an aspect of God. When James says that He has made the Spirit to dwell in us, he was not saying that God created the Holy Spirit; rather, He created us to be vessels of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that unbelievers who do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them are incomplete. (207j) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The generosity of God’s salvation >> Salvation is the gift of God (247b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in His people >> God is interested in our spiritual health Jm 4,6-10 (8d) Responsible to prepare to interact with God >> Entering the realm of the Spirit – This is what we must do to be exalted by God: repent of our pride, stubbornness and filthiness, mourning the time wasted in the flesh. (103h) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Cleanse yourself (117a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Working the rest of God (190b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Taking your sinful nature by force Jm 4-6 (23a) Sin >> Pride closes the windows of heaven (73f) Authority >> Respect Positions Of Authority >> Respect the Father’s Authority (77k) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Having an attitude of humility – The purpose of the anointing is to produce humility in us, and it is through humility that we receive it. The anointing produces humility that we use to maintain it without smothering it with our prideful flesh. It is through humility that we understand God, and it is through humility that we do His will. God dose not give an anointing to the proud, but bestows it on the humble, which gives them power to remain humble, so their anointing can grow. Jesus is equal with God, and He dwells with the Father in a state of humility and submission; therefore, how much more are we to remain humble, using Jesus as our example that we might portray the attributes of God. Not all the creation will have the privilege of seeing God, except those who believe in Him, whose home is the New Jerusalem, who will live with Him forever. He has accepted us; we are His sons and daughters; He has raised us to be equal with His Son, Jesus Christ, and we will reign with Him over all creation. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4,7-10 (4i) Responsibility >> The choices you make >> Accountable for your sinful nature – James wanted to see our faith; He didn't believe people were Christians just because they said so; if they didn’t produce the fruit of the Kingdom, he was the first to cast doubt on their claim, and it happened that the book of James was one of the last to be included in the New Testament cannon of authoritative works. This is ironic since James was the brother of Jesus. They had difficulty accepting him because he spoke so differently from Paul, who sought to separate works from salvation because of problems with Jewish legalism. For example, there were many Jewish converts in Paul’s day who believed they couldn’t go to heaven unless they were circumcised. Paul showed that faith was the active ingredient in our salvation, and that works merely stood as evidence of our faith. God does not save us based on our performance; faith is all we can offer Him. James was in agreement with Paul; his contribution to the gospel was to describe the outward appearance of one who submits to God, saying that this is what it looks like to repent! (96h) Thy kingdom come >> Having an attitude of humility -- It is a difficult thing to be content with God's will because He makes us start over when we fail to understand what He is trying to teach us. We are always tempted to go ahead of Him or to pick up the lesson at a later time, but the lesson is to follow Him today, and if we leave, we will not get anywhere until we return to Him. To return means more humility, but it also means a promise to be healed with the hope of freedom. (191c) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Extract the leaven of hypocrisy (193k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Run to God to avoid running from Him – There is a spirit in the world that attempts to thwart us from serving the Lord. Demonic attack is not like a conversation we would have with an enemy; rather, it can be a feeling or an image in our mind that stays with us. There is a spirit of doubt and unbelief that comes over us, giving us a sense that we just awoke from a dream, and we suddenly find ourselves standing in a vast wilderness. We were serving the Lord a minute ago, and now we are trying to regain our bearings. Running blind is a recipe for getting lost; this is the work of the devil. He wants to discourage us from serving the Lord, asserting that we are wasting our life, and that we would be better living in the flesh for what it offers. He tries to convince us that what we see and hear is more certain than a lot of promises from the Bible. If we find ourselves lost in the wilderness, it is best to sit down and figure out a plan before proceeding. Reading the Bible will help us discover our location, which will lead to the direction we should go to find our way from the wilderness into God's purpose for our life. Jm 4-7 (46g) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Fall of Satan >> Removing Satan’s obstructions (46k) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to the Church through Christ (57k) Paradox >> Opposites >> Submit to God and resist the devil – Some of the things the devil said to Adam and Eve were not quite false, and other things were absolutely false, but nothing he said was actually true, because his motives were evil for speaking to them in the first place. When we serve the Lord to spite the devil, his failure to sway us will drive the fear he intended for us into his own heart, and he will flee from us. He controls the vast majority of the world this way, just by whispering a few words in people's ears, and they trot off performing whatever whimsical suggestion he made to them. Like James’ analogy of the tongue in the previous chapter with the devil being the rudder of the ship, isn’t it odd that the tongue and the devil are so closely related? When a person does not respond to the devil’s prodding, he is at a loss what to do. He gets easily flustered when his age-old tricks don’t work. The only thing he has is deception, and if he can’t deceive us, then there is nothing else he can do. He is not like God who has strong character to stay with a project until it is completed. The devil is a quitter, though we have all heard he is determined, yet he has so many loyal servants who do his bidding at the slightest prompt that his lack of endurance is rarely tested. (119f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Fences of freedom >> Being a slave to freedom (182k) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Deceitfulness of riches -- This verse goes with verses 1-4. Satan may be determined to literally rule the world and fulfill Bible prophecy, but he doesn’t have any choice in the matter; the stakes are too high for him not to try. His efforts are a self-deceived, futile attempt to beat the rap on his eternal judgment in the lake of fire by somehow defeating God. If he can just get the whole world to worship him and build an army against God to knock Him off his throne, what a joke, anyone who serves the devil is being used by him for a defeated cause. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4-8,9 (190e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Undressing >> Take off your sins Jm 4-8 (78k) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> Conform to the word of God Jm 4-9,10 (188h) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Sorrow >> Grieving over your own loss >> Grieving over your sinful nature – This is the description of a Christian when his heart is right with God, who has committed sin and is striving to overcome it. When we find victory, God will exalt us, not back to our former standing, but higher. Like a veteran who comes home war-torn, he is a different person, one who is experienced and can help others who are writhing in difficulties, who will never encounter anything horrible as war again, so nothing worse will ever befall him. In the same way, to a Christian in love with God writhing in bondage to sin, nothing is more freeing than repentance. If we are not humbling ourselves, if our sin does not make us weep and lament, if our laughter does not turn us to mourning and our joy to gloom, we can read the Bible all we want, but it won’t do any good if our heart is not with Him. (189k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Fasting >> Fasting is a state of mourning Jm 4-9 (77l) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Let your laughter be turned to mourning – The world teaches the opposite message of James: “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22-13), and another common slogan, ‘You only live once.’ Neither of these statements are true for the believer. The world scoffs at God’s people, calling them masochistic, feeding on doom and gloom, being emotionally and mentally ill and needing a beer, but James' solution is to repent. Happiness is not a meaningful goal, though the world would vehemently disagree. Happiness is the world's main objective in life, but this is unfair to many who can’t afford to be happy. The world’s rendition of happiness requires good health and lots of money. In contrast, faithfulness and joy are attainable regardless of health and financial status. The world’s idea of happiness is not biblical, and they hurt people and themselves pursuing it, causing them to stray further from the will of God. The Bible says that if we are serving Him, we will be satisfied, for when we feed our soul, our flesh is nourished too. Joy is spiritual happiness, whereas happiness is prideful pursuit of pleasure. If we live long enough, our body will no longer be able to sustain youthful pleasure. Selfish hedonism and worldly happiness is temporary and aimed at the youth, which is here today and gone tomorrow, but God thinks in terms of eternity, and he wants us to do the same. Jm 4-10 (56c) Paradox >> Opposites >> Humble yourself to be chosen of God – God’s goal and purpose for us is just the opposite of the hedonistic lifestyle. Worldly people love to exalt themselves, but James advises us to let the Lord exalt us. He will reveal what He is doing in our lives and how it harmonizes with the things He is doing in heaven, and what His plans are throughout eternity, and He will glorify us through it all. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4-11,12 (17g) Sin >> Judging in the flesh >> Perceiving reality according to the flesh (Satanic world view) – James claims that while we commit sin we are judging the law, and to judge the law is to judge God. The law tells us to love your neighbor as ourselves, and if we are doing something to another that we would not want done to us, than we are making accusation against the law by living contrary to it. To violate the law is to arrogantly claim that we know better than God, suggesting by our very actions that the law is wrong, otherwise we would follow it. So arrogance is present in all sin. (18f) Sin >> False Judgment lacks evidence >> Accusing God (48l) Judgment >> Jesus’ enemies are destroyed >> Enemies of the truth (53l) Paradox >> Opposites >> Law was made for sinners >> Judging the law by sinning against it – The law condemns speaking against one another; what does the law say? The New Testament summarizes the law this way: “You shall love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… [and] You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22,37-39). Paul added in Rom 13-10 that love does no wrong to a neighbor, but how does the law read in the Old Testament? The initial giving of the law in Exodus chapter 20 says, ‘You shall not commit adultery or kill or covet our neighbor’s possessions, including his wife,’ but it doesn’t specifically say that we should love our neighbor. In a later book of the Old Testament in an obscure chapter it says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19-18). It is ironic for such a popular phrase both in the Church and in society to be buried in the Old Testament. The New Testament in summary of the Old Testament pulled this verse from the vagueness of Leviticus and placed it in the foreground as a highly important passage. (84h) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Gossip >> Attacking a person’s character – Anybody who judges his brother or his neighbor judges the law, and to judge the law is to condemn God. This was also Jesus’ message in Mat 25,41-46, the parable of the sheep and goats on the Day of Judgment, “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” To condemn our neighbor or our brother to starvation and exposure is tantamount to condemning God. James tells us these things in a logical procession to suggest that they are not his ideas but originated from Scripture, and then added that there is cause to fear, for God is the one who saves and destroys. (90k) Thy kingdom come >> Keeping the law >> Unless you keep the law you will not see heaven – If we want God to save us, then we should strive to live according to His word and avoid condemning our brother. All He asks from us is faith and a little proof that we actually believe. If we believe in God but cannot show it, how do we even know we believe? This was James' point throughout His epistle: prove your faith to yourself first, and then to your fellow believers in the Church. To do this, our faith is perfected and completed, but without evidence of salvation most likely we are just fooling ourselves. Believing in a set of doctrines that we have approved never saved anyone. That is not faith but mental ascent. (196i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Replacing God’s standard of excellence with yours >> Lukewarm Christianity Jm 4-11 (86h) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Be doers of the word >> Clothe yourself with the word of God >> Obey the truth (130j) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Accept one another >> Accepting the great and the small >> Small people cannot accept great leaders (158b) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >> Strife >> Grumbling Jm 4-12 (40e) Judgment >> Jesus judges the Church (52a) Judgment >> Judging Church with world >> Law judges sin >> Those who transgress against it KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4,13-17 (7j) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Take time to prepare – More often we spend our precious time preparing for things that are meaningless to God. We should ask ourselves before we embark on our next excursion whether our success will be useful in eternity. Do our plans for the future include God’s plan? Do we know God's plan? If not, how can we expect Him to fulfill His purpose in our life if we are not working toward that end? (18e) Sin >> False Judgment lacks evidence >> Presumptuous speculation – Many of us think we will live forever in the flesh. This life is all we have ever known, but someday we will die, and our experience in the flesh will suddenly end. James is saying we should be grateful to God for giving us our lives, but the one who is presumptuous and believes his life will indefinitely continue, his death will come as a surprise. He will not have prepared but denied the truth about his own mortality, his demise being a tragedy instead of a smooth transition into paradise. See also: Our mortality; 94c (23e) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Poor are those who are rich in their own minds (84k) Thy kingdom come >> Your words can lead to your own demise >> They will condemn you (94c) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on this life >> This life is temporary – This passage reminds us that our lives in the flesh are transient, a mere flash in the proverbial pan compared to eternity. If consciousness continues after death, then eternity alone will be hell to the man who dies in his sin. We are like a fog that forms in the middle of the night and is dispersed by the morning sun. See also: Our mortality; 178b (97c) Thy kingdom come >> Having a negative attitude about yourself >> Having a worldly attitude (166a) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature >> Man’s wisdom rationalizes his sin (166m) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind cannot discern between good and evil >> The carnal mind assumes the will of God (170l) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Vanity >> Vain effort >> Effort lacking direction (178b) Works of the devil >> The religion of witc hcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Presumption is not founded on facts – To presumptuously speculate the length of our lives is evil. The implication is that we are controlling our lives instead of God controlling us. None of us knows how much time we have; God doesn’t divulge such knowledge, for He wants us to live by faith. The sin that James addresses is the attitude that this life is permanent of those who are in denial of their own demise. A person who never considers his death never considers his life either, what it is and who gave it to him, and for this reason he never considers committing his life to Jesus. To the one who knows about his own mortality but refuses to acknowledge it, to him it is sin. It is not just those who commit sin who are sinners but also those who omit righteousness. See also: Our mortality; 214d (194i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Turn from sin to God >> Yielding >> Yield to God’s right to direct your way (214d) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s timing transcends our comprehension >> No one can interrupt God’s timing – James is pitting our lives against eternity, saying that we are just a vapor that is here for a moment and then disappears. Eternity and infinity are two sides of the same coin. If we looked at the earth in view of infinity and started backing away from the solar system, the earth would soon become a small circle, then a speck that disappears altogether in the vastness of space. Our sun would become lost in a complexity of stars, until the Milky Way Galaxy took shape, then shrank to become one of a thousand galaxies, and it too would become a speck that disappeared into the vastness of space. That is infinity, and eternity is the same. To call our lives a vapor is giving us more credit than we deserve. Our lives compared to eternity are less than a second, yet we make big plans. We think we matter, but if we don’t acknowledge God in all we do, we void His plan for our lives. If we dedicated our life to Christ and served Him, He would deliver us from the futility of this temporal life. God wants us to expand our horizons and integrate into His plan that we may enjoy eternity with Him. See also: Our mortality; 251c (216j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >> You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man is not in control of his own destiny (248a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> We play our part in the will of God >> Knowing the will of God (251c) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >> Making evil plans – It is evil to presume the length of our lives. The book of James and all the epistles were written to born-again Christians who are trying to make a go of Christianity. They have a deep interest in doing the will of God, yet James speaks to them as though they were not Christians, saying this is how unbelievers live. They presume everything, thinking they will live forever without ever considering their own mortality. James says that if we truly love God, we should long for the day of our death, because it would set us free from that which separates us from His presence, namely this body. The world is immersed in spiritual darkness. The unbeliever denies that death will encroach his doorstep, so he makes plans and knows what he will do next week and next year and the year-after. They have their whole lives planned and refuse to acknowledge death, always right around the corner. We should make sure that God is leading us before making life-decisions. We see this in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 13-12; 1 Kings 13-6; 2 Kings 13-4; 2 Chronicles 33-12; Daniel 9-13). Before Israel acted, they would seek the counsel of the Lord and first get His approval. See also: Our mortality; Jm 4,13-16; 23o KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4,13-16 (22a) Sin >> Greed tries to satisfy man’s need for security >> The deception of greed – James addresses in this passage the assumption of how long we have to live, saying that this isn’t just wrong thinking; it's evil. There is a lack of gratitude inherent in this mindset. “If the Lord wills, we will do this or that” is the proper attitude, for in this way we will have incorporated God in our plans, but if we think we have time guaranteed to us that we can go someplace for a year and expect to succeed, James says this is all conjecture and if we go without God, the only guarantee is that we will not profit. Living without God is equivalent to dying, being a complete waste of life. The advantage of asking for God’s blessing is that we attribute all good things to Him. We may have worked hard, but He is the one who has given us all things to enjoy. People like to think that money holds value, but there is no mention of money in heaven; in fact, the streets are made of gold bricks as its only use, the very ones we see on the back of a one-dollar-bill. If money has no value in heaven, then why do we value it so much here on earth? We shouldn’t allow our lives to be completely overrun by the pursuit of happiness. We plan entire segments of our lives competing for it, whereas God would like us to plan our lives around Him. (23o) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of death – If we knew better, we would be afraid of our mortality instead of being arrogant and willfully ignorant about it. We are such finite creatures, so vulnerable to affliction and death. Our natural lives suddenly disappear, and we don’t understand death, much less life, in that we don’t involve God in what we are doing. If we did, He would teach us how to live and what is truly profitable. See also: Our mortality; 182c (170g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> This life is temporary (182c) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Self deception >> Lying to yourself – We know that ancient generations have lived before us and none of those people are with us today, and we know that someday we too will die, yet somehow we are able to block that out of our mind, saying that we must be doing something right. No, it's just our time, and time is wasting. We know the truth about our mortality, but we are in denial of it. We visit our late relatives in the cemetery, standing on the grass while they are buried six feet underground, and think we will never join them, but we will. We see what we want to see, and don’t believe what we don't want to believe, and when our time is up we will go the way of all men, regardless of how we think or what we believe. We want to believe this life will last forever, though we are growing older, being children only a few decades ago, seeing life progressing before our very eyes in slow and steady increments, and those changes will eventually lead to our demise. See also: Our mortality; Jm 4,13-17; 18e Jm 4,13-15 (251a) Making Plans (Key verse) KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Jm 4-16,17 (27c) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Condoning evil can bring a curse on your life (84g) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Boasting in men is not needed – Most people make big plans with intensions of exploiting the world for everything it’s worth, instead of seeking to fulfill God’s purpose and calling for their lives. 1Cor 7,29-31 says, “The time has been shortened, so that from now on… those who use the world, [should be] as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” Many try to avoid the knowledge of His will, so when they disobey Him, God cannot judge them for not doing it. This is twisted thinking; instead, God will judge them for evading the knowledge of His will. God’s greatest interest for us is to walk on the trail of good works that He has prepared for us and complete what He has called us to do, yet most say they don’t know what God wants them to do, but many would not do it even if they knew. Most people don’t believe God has a plan for their lives that He expects them to fulfill, but their unbelief is just more evasion tactics that God will add to their judgment. He is calling us to a ministry, and we need to discover it and jump in with both feet until it is complete, and nothing would make us happier. Jm 4-17 (200c) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Rejecting Christ >> Rejecting the will of God >> Rejecting God’s purpose – James has reduced the definition of sin to one word, “knowledge.” Sin is devised in the heart. When our day comes and we stand before God, He will judge us for the things we have said and done, but he will also judge us based on our hearts’ intent. For example, if God asks us to go talk to someone about the Lord and we don’t do it, we have committed a sin not covered by the law, though more egregious than any commandment. The Christian doesn’t use the law to determine what is right and wrong, but depends on the Holy Spirit to lead him into all the truth. When we hear the voice of God speaking in our heart, we must do what He says if we want to hear His voice in the future. If we ignore Him, it is the egregious sin of blasphemy, and there are dire consequences: our ability to continue hearing His voice will diminish. Eventually, His voice will grow distant in our heart, until the only time we hear Him is when He is yelling at us, and the only time He does that is when we are walking off a cliff. If we want to use God as nothing more than a danger signal, we will never hear about His spiritual blessings that He has prepared for us. See also: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Pharisees denied that Jesus was the Christ); Mat 12,9-14; 241k See next page