cyberjosh
Member
In chapter 4 of James there are some startling warnings given that are important to consider. The temptation would be to cast this off as all towards unbelievers but let us look at it and then decide who James is talking to.
James 4:1-3 talks about the wars among the members of the Church and their murderings (most likely in the line of thought as Matthew 5:21-22 where Jesus says hating your brother is as murdering him). Jesus actually gave that admonition about not hating your brother (Matthew 5) in his series of admonitions for grace under the New Covenant. He said several times "You have heard it said of old" (in the law) but I say to you (bound under grace)... Grace is the higher standard (you can't even think about killing or even imagine lustful thoughts without it being the same as doing it) because grace allows us to do more. For those who are not under grace such admonitions fall on deaf ears and are useless, thus I am inclined to believe that both James and Jesus are talking to believers who can fall into the lusts of their flesh on occasion.
James 4:4-5 pulls on OT terminology of God's unfaithful people who turned aside to idols (especially in Ezekiel) and defiled themselves because God consistantly used the marriage concept in the covenant. Israel was married to God under Covenant and when they broke his Covenant they were considered as an unfaithful wife. James writes "You adulterers and adulteresses!" James is talking to Christians who are living unfaithfully to the God who saved them. Unbelievers have nothing to be faithful to thus cannot be adulterers for they are bound by no such covenant agreement. James then says, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." An unbeliever is already an enemy of God and the world is their normal way of live and their natural atmosphere. They do not prostitute themselves (Ezekiel 16) as an adulteress to the world for they are in the world. James is warning believers not to turn back to the world's ways!
James 4:6-10 talks about what such people are to do to remedy their horrible position that they have fallen into. They are to humble themselves, submit themselves to God, resist the devil, and cleanse themselves (2 Corinthians 7:1). Unbelievers have no means of themselves by which they could submit to God, much less have power to resist the Devil, and would have nothing with which to cleanse themselves. We believers however can pick ourselves up out of our sins by God's grace which he graciously provides to those who are his. BUt James called them "double-minded" because they were vacilliating between sertving God and the world.
James is saying, "Use the grace given to you by God's Holy Spirit in you! Put away your sins, and clean your hands from the filth on it by God's grace." This is similar to what Paul said of "Put off the old man, and put on the new" and also "Do not recieve the grace of God in vain!" Paul also said, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
We are not automatically perfect or 100% clean when we are saved, we go through a process of cleansing ourselves from the remnant of our evil ways by crucifying our flesh daily by putting of the old man. God by Covenant reguards us blameless on account of Jesus sacrifice but our blamelessness here on earth now is up to us and we must sanctify ourselves (progressive santification) by seperating (the root meaning of sanctify, holiness, and consecreate - all the same Hebrew word) ourselves from the world (Do you not know that friend ship with the world is enmity with God?!) by cleansing ourselves. And we would do well to heed the warnings given in scripture and not act as adulterers and adulteresses against whom we have been pledged in marriage (the Holy Spirit is our downpayment/earnest/engagement ring), and rather please our Husband Christ and be a spotless bride as Revelation shows the end times bride!
God Bless,
~Josh
James 4:1-3 talks about the wars among the members of the Church and their murderings (most likely in the line of thought as Matthew 5:21-22 where Jesus says hating your brother is as murdering him). Jesus actually gave that admonition about not hating your brother (Matthew 5) in his series of admonitions for grace under the New Covenant. He said several times "You have heard it said of old" (in the law) but I say to you (bound under grace)... Grace is the higher standard (you can't even think about killing or even imagine lustful thoughts without it being the same as doing it) because grace allows us to do more. For those who are not under grace such admonitions fall on deaf ears and are useless, thus I am inclined to believe that both James and Jesus are talking to believers who can fall into the lusts of their flesh on occasion.
James 4:4-5 pulls on OT terminology of God's unfaithful people who turned aside to idols (especially in Ezekiel) and defiled themselves because God consistantly used the marriage concept in the covenant. Israel was married to God under Covenant and when they broke his Covenant they were considered as an unfaithful wife. James writes "You adulterers and adulteresses!" James is talking to Christians who are living unfaithfully to the God who saved them. Unbelievers have nothing to be faithful to thus cannot be adulterers for they are bound by no such covenant agreement. James then says, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." An unbeliever is already an enemy of God and the world is their normal way of live and their natural atmosphere. They do not prostitute themselves (Ezekiel 16) as an adulteress to the world for they are in the world. James is warning believers not to turn back to the world's ways!
James 4:6-10 talks about what such people are to do to remedy their horrible position that they have fallen into. They are to humble themselves, submit themselves to God, resist the devil, and cleanse themselves (2 Corinthians 7:1). Unbelievers have no means of themselves by which they could submit to God, much less have power to resist the Devil, and would have nothing with which to cleanse themselves. We believers however can pick ourselves up out of our sins by God's grace which he graciously provides to those who are his. BUt James called them "double-minded" because they were vacilliating between sertving God and the world.
James is saying, "Use the grace given to you by God's Holy Spirit in you! Put away your sins, and clean your hands from the filth on it by God's grace." This is similar to what Paul said of "Put off the old man, and put on the new" and also "Do not recieve the grace of God in vain!" Paul also said, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
We are not automatically perfect or 100% clean when we are saved, we go through a process of cleansing ourselves from the remnant of our evil ways by crucifying our flesh daily by putting of the old man. God by Covenant reguards us blameless on account of Jesus sacrifice but our blamelessness here on earth now is up to us and we must sanctify ourselves (progressive santification) by seperating (the root meaning of sanctify, holiness, and consecreate - all the same Hebrew word) ourselves from the world (Do you not know that friend ship with the world is enmity with God?!) by cleansing ourselves. And we would do well to heed the warnings given in scripture and not act as adulterers and adulteresses against whom we have been pledged in marriage (the Holy Spirit is our downpayment/earnest/engagement ring), and rather please our Husband Christ and be a spotless bride as Revelation shows the end times bride!
God Bless,
~Josh