Nowhere does God call his set-apart people to become like the world, rather, we are to be different from the world. Commentary on James 4:1-10 (Read James 4:1-10 ) Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that war in the members. He exhorts us to meekness and purity, spirituality and sincerity and warns against envy and strife, boasting and deceit.. and James gives us various steps to achieving a spiritual walk.. including submission to God; drawing near to our heavenly Father; humbling … He addresses them 15 times in this way, making the letter very persona1 (1:2,16,19; 2:1,5,14; 3:1,10,12; 4:11; 5:7,9,10,12,19). Thus we are able to repent and draw near to God for forgiveness. Here "world" refers to the fallen world system 2. Jun 3, 2020. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Keep my humble of heart before You, knowing that this is Your will for my life, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN. As James reaches the middle of His epistle to his brethren in Christ, he voices some very severe warnings against pride, worldliness and intimacy with the world’s system, which is diametrically opposed to righteous living and the things of God. As explained below however, kosmos as used here in James 4:4 and many places in the NT, takes on a considerably more negative shade of meaning. 3. Let us expel all pride and ungodly lusts that can creep into a heart that becomes enamoured with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the world and the pride of life - and let us in humility of spirit earnestly draw near to God, knowing that He died --- to draw near to us. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1. Thus many understand these expressions, because God himself represented his relation to the Jews as his people under the idea of a marriage, and because the prophets, in conformity to that idea, represented the idolatry of the Jews as adultery. God is in conflict with us when we make friendship with the world 1. [] Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of GodI say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. The kindest and most loving thing is to oppose the world with urgency, calling men and women to repent and turn and be saved. have not --The lust of desire does not ensure the actual possession. A. James 4:4. (James 4:8-9). What does James 4:4 mean? "Ye desire"; literally, "ye set your mind (or heart) on " an object. He longs that they live a life that is pleasing to God. James 4:4 Meaning of Friendship with the World Means Enmity Against God. Ye adulterers and adulteresses — Who have broken your faith with God, your rightful spouse. James 4:4. “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Jesus Christ came into the world as a friend, to seek and save what was lost. 4:4 adulteri nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi inimica est Dei quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse saeculi huius inimicus Dei constituitur. James 4:4 . In James 4 there is a logical progression throughout the chapter, while still allowing some verses to cover individual topics. Everyone needs friends, and I believe everyone has them. Loving Father, I confess that I am too easily drawn into worldly thinking, which I know grieves the Holy Spirit. James often alludes to Jesus' teachings in Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (cf. It is not possible to love what is anti-God and also love God. e Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Let your laughter be turned to grieving, and your joy to gloom. James takes his language from God himself through the prophets and Christ himself. God is opposed to the fallen and idolatrous desire of the world B. When we are struggling with anxiety, fear, or guilt about our lives we listen easily to the devil's voice about ourselves and our situations. James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? In 4:4 James quickly moves into our conflict with theLord. What is the context and meaning? Matthew 5-7). Mark tells us that Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will shamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mk 8:38). God is to be our lover and not the fallen world system C. God is jealous for our affections The same disordered affec… We cannot have two masters (Mt 6:24), and we cannot have two husbands. God is the Lawgiver and Judge, not man. It's ''cheating'' on God. Hence "ye kill" (not as Margin, without any old authority, "envy") to ensure possession. Stronger Jeans(optional): Study the term repentance. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] In the previous verses, James has been blunt: His readers have been living according to worldly wisdom. Let us search our hearts, and in the power of the Spirit of God, let us turn from any worldly ways that we know must grieve the Holy Spirit that indwells our heart. 2 My brothers, 1 w show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, x the Lord of glory. They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him” (James 4:5 NLT). Humble yourselves. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? The Lord is, as is usual in the Epistle of St. James, not Christ, but God. By Rev Charles Seet. To get what James 4:4 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context  and relative popularity. Look up both Old Testament and New Testament verses to see how they use the word. He is writing words of encouragement in the trials and temptations that they are facing. He uses the feminine form deliberately, however, because he is referring to believers as married to God. The little boy who is left out by everyone else will find a friend in his dog who is always glad to see him. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Literally, he addresses the pleasure-loving reader as "You adulteress!" The “friendship of the world” (φιλία τοῦ κόσμου philia tou kosmou) is the love of that world; of the maxims which govern it, the principles which reign there, the ends that are sought, the amusements and gratifications which characterize it as distinguished from the church of God. #3 “Therefore anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Care must be taken on this point. He urges against exhibiting favouritism and forewarns them to be careful in the things that they say, as well as the things that they do, knowing that true wisdom and godly living comes from above. James 4:10. His eye was on envy as at the bottom of many of the contentions and strifes existing on earth, James 3:16, and of the spirit of the world which prevailed everywhere, James 4:4; and he refers to the general teaching of the Old Testament that the soul is by nature inclined to envy; or that this has a deep lodgement in the heart of man. In this sense kosmos is much like the Greek word for flesh ( sarx ), which can be a neutral word, but which many times in the NT takes on an evil connotation. To have a warm, familiar attitude with this world is to be on good terms with God's enemy. Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? My brethren--James' firmness is coupled with warmth as he identifies himself with his readers. This helps us to see that the lines between conflict with God and man are often quite blurry. King James Version 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”. Consider (aorist mid imperative)--Meaning "to consider," "deem," "regard as." This he calls “friendship with the world,” and this friendship he considers adultery. It has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but not yet fully restored. All the above exhortations are enforcements of humility. These are pretty tough words for any believer to receive from an author of the God-breathed scriptures, but in the next verse the same Holy Spirit, Who dwells within each one of us, is seen yearning jealously over us – for His desire is to make all believers more and more like the lovely Lord Jesus. Do you not know that d friendship with the world is enmity with God? b Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Moo says that “to submit to God” means to place ourselves under his lordship and therefore to commit ourselves to obey him in all things.”29 James 4:4-10is a call for repentance from God’s people (meaning us) who have allowed the world to encroach upon their loyalty to God. in the sight of the Lord: that is, before the Lord, as in His presence. James 4. “Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (Ja 4:10). 4 You adulterers! It is not logical, and so it is impossible. But to choose “to be a friend of the world” is to approve of and participate in the sin of the world. That truth which was uttered every where in the Scriptures, was not … One way or another all of us need and enjoy our friends. He calls them to quit their friendship with the world, humble themselves, repent from their sin, and receive God's grace. Text: James 4:4-10. (4:4) Now James gets downright personal. The Holy Spirit of God longs to shower grace and more grace over all that submit to His leading, humility of heart. You might think that he would use the masculine form of the word, "adulterer" since most of the readers would probably be men. James 4:4-6 (1977-78) The following text is taken from a sermon preached by Gil Rugh, Senior Pastor at Indian Hills Community Church in Lincoln, NE. The topic of our message this morning is useful to all of us, because we live in a world that holds different values and goals from us. God is in conflict with the world system 1. James 4:4 4 a You adulterous people! whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Read James 4:4-10. James has addressed “fights and quarrels” (Ja 4:1) and the fact that they are caused by desires that wage war within us, causing us to fight and even murder. NLT You adulterers! Ye lust --A different Greek word from that in James 4:1. The Sin of Partiality. Many subjects are handled quickly and succinctly in the book. 4:2-3 "ask" Un-Christlike motives and lack of prayer are two reasons why … Sep 27, 2020 by Editor in Chief. They were fighting with each other because they couldn't get what they wanted. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 3 Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James 4:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT). Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James wipes the smiles off their faces: "You sinners, cleanse your hands. The world is an amazing place by nature of the fact that God created it and called it good. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? #2 “don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?” “Friendship with the world” means that one loves the ways of the fallen world, the dominion of darkness and of Satan (Col 1:13). If we live in it, but not of it, as sojourners left here in order to be a blessing and continue Jesus’ ministry, who left his throne in heaven to come down to bless the world, then we can find our way here as friends of God. James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? His admonishment concludes with this searing accusation, You adulterous people! 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses - Who have broken your faith with God, your rightful spouse. James the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, like the apostle Peter, had a ministry to Jewish believers in Christ – in the early church, and this epistle is addressed to Christians from the 12 tribes of Israel, who are dispersed throughout the world. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. i. “More probably is the view that James was not citing a particular passage but summarizing the truth expressed in several Old Testament passages.” (Hiebert) ii. James the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, like the apostle Peter, had a ministry to Jewish believers in Christ – in the early church, and this epistle is addressed to Christians from the 12 tribes of Israel, who are dispersed throughout the world. James 4:4-10 - In The World But Not Of The World. The New Living Translation is a good rendering of this verse: “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? He also desires that they not only know - but reflect the godly character of Christ in their daily lives, while giving them some severe warnings against ungodly living. NKJV Adulterers and adulteresses! James goes on to say that in spite of our adultery, God, “gives us more grace,” and while he “opposes the proud,” he “shows favor to the humble” (Ja 4:6). They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. You double-minded purify your hearts. This is a wonderful statement. We make ourselves enemies with God when we choose what is antithetical to God and his ways. Know ye not that the friendship or love of the world - The desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life, or courting the favour of worldly men, is enmity against God? #1 “You adulterous people,” Those who love the world, do so in a way that precludes love and fidelity to God. He calls it adultery 2. The wisdom of the world says that to be successful, we must do whatever it takes to get what we want out of life. What does it mean, in more practical terms, to be a friend of the world? James 4:4. He is writing words of encouragement in the trials and temptations that they are facing. You adulterous people! The text has been edited and condensed by IHCC staff for use as a Bible Study aid. But James is saying this is not a hopeless circumstance at all. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? James tells his readers to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." Having reprimanded them for this, James tells them, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). These are pretty tough words for any believer to receive from an author of the God-breathed scriptures but nonetheless they are contained within the canon of holy writ and need to be explored with an open heart, that is not hiding behind a self-righteous exterior. James says that living that way is adultery. Hosea was told by God, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD” (Hos 1:2). The little girl who is shunned by her schoolmates knows that she will always be accepted by her dolls. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. "envious" This Greek term, like "lust," is a neutral term and can be used of "zeal" or "strong desire." “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Preached at Life BPC 10:45am service, 2006-03-26. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James contrasts the gracious wisdom of God with the foolish 'wisdom' of the world, and calls Christians to be spiritually-minded and not carnally-minded. It is a great kindness to offer up himself because he “so loved the world” (Jn 3:16). It is to adopt the world's set of values and wants, to desire what the world wants instead … Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) So begins a new paragraph which extends through 4:10. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by … Be miserable and mourn and weep! ESV You adulterous people! Intro. In this verse James gave scriptural support for what he just asserted in James 4:4. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4 4 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! KJV Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? We must provide for ourselves; nobody else is going to. Bible Commentary Bible Verses Devotionals Faith Prayers Coloring Pages Pros and Cons, 25 Powerful Prayers for Thanking God in Advance, 25 Comforting Prayers for Grieving Parents, Righteousness Exalts a Nation Meaning and Meditation, 18 Strong Prayers for a New Place to Live, Having Done All to Stand Meaning and Meditation, A Good Name Is Better than Riches Meaning and Meditation, 50 Compelling Bible Scriptures on Direction. Part of the reason for this is that James is like Proverbs in that many of its verses really stand alone in their content. 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