Humble yourself by quitting your life's work of getting what you want, and trust God to exalt you far above anything you could have done for yourself (James 4:7–10). What grace! Cleanse yourself of sin, and be truly sad about it. So, James's plea to those caught up in the wisdom of the world is simple: turn around. James writes that if in your pride you stay on that path, God will oppose you, but He will not reject you.
If you make yourself a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God (James 4:1–5). Are you following the wisdom of the world, while claiming to be a Christian believer? If so, you're cheating on God with this world system of serving yourself first and at all costs. James elevates our awareness of how serious this problem is by putting a sharp label on it: adultery.
Instead of trusting that they have a loving heavenly Father to provide in His perfect timing, worldly-minded people insist on fighting to get what they want. When people follow this road, they try to get what they want for themselves, frustrated by the people standing in their way. This is what causes fights and quarrels among them. Here, in chapter 4, James says to these very readers that a worldly, unspiritual road is the very one they have been following. James has been writing to Jewish Christians of the first century (James 1:1). He described this earthly, unspiritual, demonic philosophy as the source of disorder and all sorts of evil in the world (James 3:15–16). Previously, James described the so-called wisdom of the world: figure out what you really want out of life (bitter envy) and plan to get it for yourself at any cost (selfish ambition). This passage continues to build on the end of chapter 3. What is the result of living by the wisdom of the world, rather than the wisdom of God? What should Christians do when they realize that's the path they've been on? James answers those questions in chapter 4. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. 9 Be miserable, and mourn, and weep let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Therefore it says, 'GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.' 7 Submit therefore to God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, 'He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us'? 6 But He gives a greater grace. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.ġ What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.