James Expounds on Faith Volume 43

 The Warning Against Worldliness Part 5

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle James in this very next verse wanted to emphasize to those then Jewish converts to our Lord Jesus Christ and wants to emphasize to those of us today and of every era and generation who have been born of His Spirit that it is not enough for us to just resist the devil 👿, but we must immediately and continually after doing so do this as he declares with these words, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4:8) (KJV). The first thing he tells us to do after resisting the devil 👿 is to then 'draw nigh' to God and this little English phrase is translated by the Greek word eggizō meaning to make near, that is, (reflexively) approach: - approach, be at hand, come near, come nigh. The way we most effectively draw nigh to God is when we entreat (request earnestly) Him in prayer for His presence, purpose, and power to be manifested in us and through us as we are sojourning here on the earth that He may be glorified through our lives, as so saith the Psalmist Asaph with these words, "But it is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works." (Psalms 73:28)(NKJV) and as it is written by the hand of the writer of the Book of Hebrews with these two (2) passages of Scripture, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22) (NKJV) and also, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16) (NKJV). When the Apostle James writes, 'cleanse your hands, ye sinners', he means that we are to cease from our known sins repenting of them and turning from them to our Heavenly Father so that our sin does not hinder our prayers to Him, as Job described, decreed, and declared with these words, "If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents; Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away, And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety." (Job 11:13-18) (NKJV). Lastly, when the Apostle James writes, 'purify your hearts, ye double minded, we get our understanding from what he means that the 'double minded' are because it is an English phrase translated by the Greek word dipsuchos meaning two spirited, that is, vacillating or wavering between conflicting positions or courses of action (in opinion or purpose): - double minded. In other words, when we purify our souls from allowing our indwelling sin to be manifested in our outward lives, then we will be clothed with the majesty, magnificence, and mighty power of our Great God and King Jesus Christ, as Jacob discovered when he obeyed the Lord God, as it is written here, "Then God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.' And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.' So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem. And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother." (Genesis 35:1-7) (NKJV). We purify ourselves and change our garments when we put off our 'old man 👨' or 'old woman 👩' and put on the 'new man 👨' and 'new woman 👩', as it is written with these words by the Apostle Paul, "But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:20-24) (NKJV). This act of obedience by us will cause our Father in Heaven to draw nigh to us as we are drawing nigh to Him. Amen!!!

Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of James 4:8, "This declaration contains a great and important principle in religion. If we wish the favor of God, we must come to Him; nor can we hope for His mercy, unless we approach Him and ask Him for it. We cannot come literally any nearer to God than we always are, for He is always round about us; but we may come nearer in a spiritual sense. We may address Him directly in prayer; we may approach Him by meditation on His character; we may draw near to Him in the ordinances of religion. We can never hope for His favor while we prefer to remain at a distance from Him; none who in fact draw near to Him will find Him unwilling to bestow on them the blessings which they need. There may possibly be an allusion here to Isaiah 1:15-16; 'Your hands are full of blood; wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.' The heart is the seat of motives and intentions - that by which we devise anything; the hands, the instruments by which we execute our purposes. The hands here are represented as defiled by blood, or by acts of iniquity. To wash or cleanse the hands was, therefore, emblematic of putting away transgression, Matthew 27:24. Compare Deuteronomy 21:6; Psalms 26:6. The heathen and the Jews were accustomed to wash their hands before they engaged in public worship. The particular idea here is, that in order to obtain the favor of God, it is necessary to put away our sins; to approach Him with a desire to be pure and holy. The mere washing of the hands, in itself, could not recommend us to His favor; but that of which the washing of the hands would be an emblem, would be acceptable in his sight. It may be inferred from what is said here that no one can hope for the favor of God who does not abandon his transgressions. The design of the Apostle is, evidently, to state one of the conditions on which we can make an acceptable approach to God. It is indispensable that we come with a purpose and desire to wash ourselves from all iniquity, to put away from us all our transgressions. So David said, 'I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar. O Lord,' Psalms 26:6. 'To obtain the favor of God, it is necessary to put away our sins' - is somewhat unguarded phraseology. If the favor of God were not obtained but on this condition, none ever would obtain it. The passage is a strong injunction to holiness and singleness of heart: it does not say, however, that by these we obtain acceptance with God. Of His favor, holiness is the fruit, the effect, and not the cause. The sinner must not think of getting quit of his sins to prepare him for going to God by Jesus; but he must first go to Jesus to prepare for laying aside his sins. Yet in every approach to God, it is true there must be a desire to be free from sin; and this doubtless is the view of the commentary; indeed it is so expressed, though some words are objectionable. That is, do not rest satisfied with a mere external reformation; with putting away your outward transgressions. There must be a deeper work than that; a work which shall reach to the heart, and which shall purify the affections. This agrees with all the requisitions of the Bible, and is in accordance with what must be the nature of religion. If the heart is wrong, nothing can be right. If, while we seek an external reformation, we still give indulgence to the secret corruptions of the heart, it is clear that we can have no true religion. The Apostle here seems to have had his eye on those who were vacillating in their purposes; whose hearts were not decidedly fixed, but who were halting between good and evil. The heart was not right in such persons. It was not settled and determined in favor of religion, but vibrated between that and the world. The proper business of such persons, therefore, was to cleanse the heart from disturbing influences, that it might settle down in unwavering attachment to that which is good." Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of James 4:8, "Approach Him, in the name of Jesus, by faith and prayer, and He will draw nigh to you - He will meet you at your coming. When a soul sets out to seek God, God sets out to meet that soul; so that while we are drawing near to Him, He is drawing near to us. The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, I think, but seldom noted. This I think to be the beginning of a new address, and to different persons; and should have formed the commencement of a new verse. Let your whole conduct be changed; cease to do evil learn to do well. Washing or cleansing the hands was a token of innocence and purity. Separate yourselves from the world, and consecrate yourselves to God: this is the true notion of sanctification. We have often seen that to sanctify signifies to separate a thing or person from profane or common use, and consecrate it or him to God. This is the true notion of קדש kadash, in Hebrew, and ἁγιαζω in Greek. The person or thing thus consecrated or separated is considered to be holy, and to be God’s property; and then God hallows it to Himself. There are, therefore, two things implied in a man’s sanctification: 1. That he separates himself from evil ways and evil companions, and devotes himself to God. 2. That God separates guilt from his conscience, and sin from his soul, and thus makes him internally and externally holy. This double sanctification is well expressed on the words, be ye holy, for I the Lord am holy: a man sanctifies himself on the earth, and then he is sanctified from heaven. As a man is a sinner, he must have his hands cleansed from wicked works; as he is double-minded, he must have his heart sanctified. Sanctification belongs to the heart, because of pollution of mind; cleansing belongs to the hands, because of sinful acts."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

James Expounds on Faith Volume 42

 The Warning Against Worldliness Part 4

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

When we become enamored with the world 🗺 and its insidious way of operation upon the earth 🌎 realm, we are yielding part of ourselves to the control of our most deceitful, dark, and dangerous enemy of all and that would be the devil 👿. It was therefore, the aim of the Apostle James to inform those early Jewish believers in our Lord Jesus Christ back then and to inform those of us today and of every era and generation who are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, that when we allow ourselves to become foolishly fond of the world 🗺 and all the things here in it that are surely passing away (1 John 2:17) we then have not submitted all of ourselves to God but instead to our 🎯 arch enemy, so the Apostle declared these words of wisdom to them and to all of us now, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) (KJV). The English word 'submit' that begins this verse 7 is translated by the Greek word hupotassō meaning to subordinate; reflexively to obey: - be under obedience (obedient), put under, subdue unto; the aorist verb tense has the note of urgency in the imperative. Aorist is a verb tense used in Greek that is expressing action (especially past action) without indicating its completion or continuation. In other words, the Apostle James declares that it is urgent and requiring our immediate action to place ourselves under the obedience of God the Father and that is done only by being obedient to His Holy Word, for when we do so we are obeying Christ and at the same time surrendering to the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-5 & John 1:14), let us remember these words from our Lord Jesus Christ also, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-15) (NKJV). This is why submitting to God is so important and not grieving the Holy Spirit is so important because He tells us things to come and takes that of our Lord Jesus Christ and declares it unto us. We cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ, the two things are like oil 🛢 and water 💦 they do not mix, this is what the Apostle John said with these words, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6) (NKJV).

The English word 'resist' in James 4:7 is translated by the Greek word anthistēmi meaning to stand against, that is, oppose: - resist, withstand. In other words, we are to actively stand against and oppose the devil 👿 in every form or shape that he takes here upon the earth 🌎 realm. To do this effectively, we must stand firm for the truth of the Word of God and never turn away from it to the left hand 🖐 (liberalism) or to the right hand 🖐 (legalism), but instead to do as King Josiah, as it is written of him, "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 34:1-5) (NKJV). The wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images represented false gods or demons that the people of Israel had allowed into their Nation and into their lives taking them away from the ONE TRUE GOD YAHWEH, so must we take away all false gods/idols we have let come into our lives taking us away from our first love (Revelations 2:4) 😍 our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4). Note: 'King Josiah was only 16 years old when he began to resist or stand against the devil 👿 not only for himself, but for all the people of Israel. God is no respecter of persons nor of age, for He will work out His will through any willing (emphasis on willingness) human vessel that turns to Him and obeys His Word, as it is written by the Prophet Isaiah, "Thus says the LORD: 'Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,' Says the LORD. 'But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.'" (Isaiah 66:1-2) (NKJV)."

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of James 4:7, "We are taught to submit ourselves entirely to God: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4:7. Christians should forsake the friendship of the world, and watch against that envy and pride which they see prevailing in natural men, and should by grace learn to glory in their submissions to God. 'Submit yourselves to Him as subjects to their prince, in duty, and as one friend to another, in love and interest. Submit your understandings to the truths of God; submit your wills to the will of God, the will of His precept, the will of His providence.' We are subjects, and as such must be submissive; not only through fear, but through love; not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake. 'Submit yourselves to God, as considering how many ways you are bound to this, and as considering what advantage you will gain by it; for God will not hurt you by His dominion over you, but will do you good.' Now, as this subjection and submission to God are what the devil most industriously strives to hinder, so we ought with great care and steadiness to resist his suggestions. If he would represent a tame yielding to the will and providence of God as what will bring calamities, and expose to contempt and misery, we must resist these suggestions of fear. If he would represent submission to God as a hindrance to our outward ease, or worldly preferments, we must resist these suggestions of pride and sloth. If he would tempt us to lay any of our miseries, and crosses, and afflictions, to the charge of Providence, so that we might avoid them by following his directions instead of God's, we must resist these provocations to anger, not fretting ourselves in any wise to do evil. 'Let not the devil, in these or the like attempts, prevail upon you; but resist him and he will flee from you.' If we basely yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand it out against him, he will be gone from us. Resolution shuts and bolts the door against temptation."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

James Expounds on Faith Volume 41

 The Warning Against Worldliness Part 3

James 4:5-6 Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

In Volume 40 we learned from the Apostle James that our Father in Heaven will actively work against any of us His adopted sons and daughters who pull away from His loving arms and open up our affections to this easy, empty, and evil world system run by the devil, for when we do such a thing we become enemies of our own Heavenly Father. The Apostle James now continues with his ⚠ warnings to us by not only reminding us who we belong to and whom are affections most surely belong to, but that our Helper (John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26) and Comforter is Himself  jealous for all of our affections to be upon Him, therefore, we now read these words from the Apostle James to us, "Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." (James 4:5-6) (KJV). Let us examine four (4) key words in this verse 5, first (1) the little phrase 'in vain' which is translated by the Greek word kenōs (used this one time only in the New Testament) meaning vainly, that is, to no purpose: - in vain. The second (2) English word 'spirit' or 'Spirit', for it should be capitalized because it refers to God the Holy Spirit and it is translated by the Greek word pneuma (meaning as used here) (divine) God, Christ's Spirit, the Holy Spirit. The third (3) English word 'dwelleth' is translated by the Greek word katoikeō meaning to house permanently, that is, reside (literally or figuratively): - dweller, inhabitanter. The fourth (4) English word 'lusteth' is translated by the Greek word epipotheō meaning (to yearn); to dote upon, that is, intensely crave possession: - (earnestly) desire (greatly), (greatly) long (after), lust. Therefore, let us summarize our findings herein, we see that we who have been born again (John 3:3-8) and made new creatures in our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) have received His Holy Spirit within us (Ephesians 1:13) and He (God the Holy Spirit) yearns for, that is, desires strongly and persistently all of our affections and our surrender to His leading and guiding us into all truth. He (God the Holy Spirit) intensely craves complete control over all of our thoughts 💭 so as to lead us into that which is the good and perfect will of God the Father for our lives daily, as it is so wonderfully written by the Apostle Paul to the believers @ Rome with these words, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2) (NKJV). God the Holy Spirit lives within us permanently and His desire is not to be grieved by us because when we do we sadden Him and He then withdraws His power from our daily lives because we have yielded not to Him, but instead to another (the world 🗺) and it is not His will, want, or way to force us to yield to Him, but He waits patiently for our repentance (the changing of our minds about our conduct and behavior and the turning back to Him and allowing Him full control within our inner man 👨 or inner woman 👩). The world, our flesh or old nature, and the devil are all three (3) our enemies and not our friends, therefore, when we begin to befriend the world 🗺, we then make ourselves the enemy of the very One who loves us so much that He earnestly and greatly desires all of our affections and longs for us to give complete control to Him always for His Joy 😂 and for our good. Amen!!!

Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of James 4:5-6, "This verse is exceedingly obscure. We cannot tell what Scripture St. James refers to; many have been produced by learned men as that which he had particularly in view. Some think Genesis 6:5 : 'Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.' Genesis 8:21 : 'The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.' Num_11:29 : 'Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake?' and Proverbs 21:10 : 'The soul of the wicked desireth evil.' None of these Scriptures, nor any others, contain the precise words in this verse; and therefore St. James may probably refer, not to any particular portion, but to the spirit and design of the Scripture in those various places where it speaks against envying, covetousness, worldly associations, etc., etc. Perhaps the word in this and the two succeeding verses may be well paraphrased thus: 'Do ye think that concerning these things the Scripture speaks falsely, or that the Holy Spirit which dwells in us can excite us to envy others instead of being contented with the state in which the providence of God has placed us? Nay, far otherwise; for He gives us more grace to enable us to bear the ills of life, and to lie in deep humility at His feet, knowing that His Holy Spirit has said, Proverbs 3:34 : God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. Seeing these things are so, submit yourselves to God; resist the devil, who would tempt you to envy, and he will flee from you; draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you.' I must leave this sense as the best I can give, without asserting that I have hit the true meaning. There is not a critic in Europe who has considered the passage that has not been puzzled with it. I think the 5th verse should be understood as giving a contrary sense to that in our translation. Every genuine Christian is a habitation of the Holy Ghost, and that Spirit excites strong desires against envy; a man must not suppose that he is a Christian if he have an envious or covetous heart. But He giveth more grace - A greater benefit, than all the goods that the world can bestow; for He gives genuine happiness, and this the world cannot confer. May this be St. James’ meaning God resisteth the proud - Sets Himself in battle array against him. Giveth grace unto the humble - The sure way to please God is to submit to the dispensation of His grace and providence; and when a man acknowledges Him in all his ways, He will direct all his steps. The covetous man grasps at the shadow, and loses the substance."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

James Expounds on Faith Volume 40

 The Warning Against Worldliness Part 2

James 4:4 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. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

Remember in our very first study/commentary (Volume 39) on the warning ⚠ of the Apostle James with worldliness in the Church ⛪ of Christ or the Body of Christ, we defined worldliness as equalling the concern with worldly affairs to the neglect of spiritual needs. Therefore, we now have the Apostle James comparing the worldly believer to that of an unfaithful wife to her husband or an unfaithful husband to his wife, as it is written with these words, "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." (James 4:4) (KJV). The Church ⛪ of the Lord Jesus Christ is His Bride, therefore, He is in the process of purifying her to be ready for Him when He returns to take her up 👆 into heaven to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Again as I did so in Volume 39, so shall I remind myself and every 📖 reader that the Apostle James is writing to believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, these are words of warning ⚠ that they and we believers today and of every era and generation should not ignore and be ignorant of the reality that we belong to Christ as His redeemed bride and that He is God who knows all that we do and sees all that we do and even knows our thoughts afar off, that is, the thoughts we have not even yet 🤔 thinked, remember the words of the Psalmist King David when he wrote this, "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your Hand shall lead me, And Your Right Hand shall hold me." (Psalms 139:1-10) (NKJV). The English word 'friendship' in James 4:4 is translated by the Greek word philia (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) and it means simply fondness or having affections for something or someone; to like or even love something or someone. The English word 'enmity' used in James 4:4 is translated by the Greek word echthra which means hostility; by implication a reason for opposition: - enmity, hatred. Henceforth, when we are fond of the world 🗺 to such an extent that we neglect our intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ and focus much, most, or many of our time ⌚ and attention on the shiny trinkets that are fading away instead of the eternal love 😍 and care and spiritual blessings we have in Him, then we make our Father in Heaven agitated, annoyed, and even angry 😡, for we put ourselves in the position of being His adversary or enemy and from that position (if we refuse to repent and turn around or turn back to Him) we can only expect to receive His judgement, as the 📝 writer of Hebrews so demonstrably declared with these words, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The LORD will judge His people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31) (NKJV).

Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of James 4:4, "Not who were literally such, but in a figurative and metaphorical sense: as he is an adulterer that removes his affections from his own wife, and sets them upon another woman; and she is an adulteress that loves not her husband, but places her love upon another man; so such men and women are adulterers and adulteresses, who, instead of loving God, whom they ought to love with all their hearts and souls, set their affections upon the world, and the things of it: these the Apostle addresses in the following manner; know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? that an immoderate love for the good things of the world, and a prevailing desire after the evil things of it, and a delight in the company and conversation of the men of the world, and a conformity to, and compliance with, the sinful manners and customs of the world, are so many declarations of war with God, and acts of hostility upon Him; and show the enmity of the mind against Him, and must be highly displeasing to Him, and resented by Him: whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God; whoever is in league with the one must be an enemy to the other; God and mammon cannot be loved and served by the same persons, at the same time; the one will be loved, and the other hated; the one will be attended to, and the other neglected: this may be known both from reason and from Scripture, particularly from Matthew 6:24." Here also is what John Wesley said of James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses - Who have broken your faith with God, your rightful spouse. 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? Whosoever desireth to be a friend of the world - Whosoever seeks either the happiness or favour of it, does thereby constitute himself an enemy of God; and can he expect to obtain anything of Him?"

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

James Expounds on Faith Volume 39

 The Warning Against Worldliness Part 1

James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 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. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

Despite the reality of our being born again of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23) and being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13) there remains within our inner man 👨 our old 🧓 nature which we have the responsibility to put off , that is, to hold back and avoid fulfilling the desires of our old man 👨 because of what Christ has done for us on the Cross as the Apostle Paul declared to us with these words in his letter ✉ to the Roman believers, "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:6) (NKJV) and also these words, "Likewise you also, reckon (consider, calculate, and count) yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:11) (NKJV), however, when we do not believe ourselves to indeed be dead to sin then we can and will allow or relinquish control of our inner man or woman away from the Holy Spirits control back to our old man 👨 still within us. Only when we walk in the spirit (Galatians 5:16), that is, our new man 👨 who has been created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24) can we be pleasing to our Father in Heaven and do His will while we sojourn here on the earth 🌎, for we have the responsibility to yield to God the Holy Spirit because He will never force us to do so. Having said all of this, the Apostle James was well aware of the internal war in our inner man 👨 and inner woman 👩, so he wrote these words to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad (scattered Jewish converts to Christ) and to we believers today and of every era and generation, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 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. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4:1-3) (KJV). Let us remember that James is writing these words to believers, therefore, what I detailed above is and has been and will always be vital to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man/woman, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13), that is, where there is not yielding constantly to the Holy Spirit in any individual believer or group of believers, then various wars, fightings and conflicts will occur and divide, dissolve, and decimate unity and maturity in the faith and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle James is in attack mode with his language here because he wants his point to be clear and without misunderstanding. Worldliness equals the concern with worldly affairs to the neglect of spiritual needs. We must still live in the world 🗺 because we are not yet in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, however, we must never allow ourselves to love this world and the things in it (above our love for Christ Jesus our Lord and what His will for us is), for when we lust for the temporary things that are passing away we forfeit the spiritual blessings that are ours right now even in our pilgrimage down here (Ephesians 1:3), remember what the Apostle John said, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17) (NKJV). The build up of envy and jealousy within a body of believers or the desire to have the position or status of another believer in the body causes these wars to be fought and it fosters hatred for one another that is murder in the heart. The lust for things and for authority and power will drive away unity of the faith and replace it with strife leading to confusion which will kill any desire for, duty for, and declartion for evangelism, which is the number one thing our Lord Jesus Christ commanded the early Apostles to do (Matthew 28:18-20). Even the prayers of the envious and jealous soul are not granted because our Lord Jesus knows that they are from a wrong motive not to use for His Glory, but to satisfy the fleshy and worldy lust of the petitioner. Actual words prayed by such a believer to God, "Lord bless me with the success of this conference or gathering by filling the offering plates to overflowing that we may do more for You Lord. Amen". Here is what the real prayer should sound like from such believers as James speaks of, "God bless me with more money so I can get more temporary stuff to make myself feel big and important and build my earthly kingdom larger and larger for my glory. Amen".

Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of James 4:1-3, "The Jews were a very seditious people, and had therefore frequent wars with the Romans; and they were a very quarrelsome divided people, often fighting among themselves; and many of those corrupt Christians against whose errors and vices this epistle was written seem to have fallen in with the common quarrels. Hereupon, our apostle informs them that the origin of their wars and fightings was not (as they pretended) a true zeal for their country, and for the honour of God, but that their prevailing lusts were the cause of all. Observe hence, What is sheltered and shrouded under a specious pretence of zeal for God and religion often comes from men's pride, malice, covetousness, ambition, and revenge. The Jews had many struggles with the Roman power before they ere entirely destroyed. They often unnecessarily embroiled themselves, and then fell into parties and factions about the different methods of managing their wars with their common enemies; and hence it came to pass that, when their cause might be supposed good, yet their engaging in it and their management of it came from a bad principle. Their worldly and fleshly lusts raised and managed their wars and fightings; but one would think here is enough said to subdue those lusts; for, 1. They make a war within as well as fightings without. Impetuous passions and desires first war in their members, and then raise feuds in their nation. There is war between conscience and corruption, and there is war also between one corruption and another, and from these contentions in themselves arose their quarrels with each other. Apply this to private cases, and may we not then say of fightings and strifes among relations and neighbours they come from those lusts which war in the members? From lust of power and dominion, lust of pleasure, or lust of riches, from some one or more of these lusts arise all the broils and contentions that are in the world; and, since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is therefore the right method for the cure of contention to lay the axe to the root, and mortify those lusts that war in the members. It should kill these lusts to think of their disappointment: 'You lust, and have not; you kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain, James 4:2. You covet great things for yourselves, and you think to obtain them by your victories over the Romans or by suppressing this and the other party among yourselves. You think you shall secure great pleasures and happiness to yourselves, by overthrowing every thing which thwarts your eager wishes; but, alas! you are losing your labour and your blood, while you kill one another with such views as these.' Inordinate desires are either totally disappointed, or they are not to be appeased and satisfied by obtaining the things desired. The words here rendered cannot obtain signify cannot gain the happiness sought after. Note hence, Worldly and fleshly lusts are the distemper which will not allow of contentment or satisfaction in the mind. 3. Sinful desires and affections generally exclude prayer, and the working of our desires towards God: 'You fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not. You fight, and do not succeed, because you do not pray you do not consult God in your undertakings, whether he will allow of them or not; and you do not commit your way to him, and make known your requests to him, but follow your own corrupt views and inclinations: therefore you meet with continual disappointments;' or else. 4. 'Your lusts spoil your prayers, and make them an abomination to God, whenever you put them up to Him, v. 3. You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts.' As if it had been said, 'Though perhaps you may sometimes pray for success against your enemies, yet it is not your aim to improve the advantages you gain, so as to promote true piety and religion either in yourselves or others; but pride, vanity, luxury, and sensuality, are what you would serve by your successes, and by your very prayers. You want to live in great power and plenty, in voluptuousness and a sensual prosperity; and thus you disgrace devotion and dishonour God by such gross and base ends; and therefore your prayers are rejected.' Let us learn hence, in the management of all our worldly affairs, and in our prayers to God for success in them, to see that our ends be right. When men follow their worldly business (suppose them tradesmen or husbandmen), and ask of God prosperity, but do not receive what they ask for, it is because they ask with wrong aims and intentions. They ask God to give them success in their callings or undertakings; not that they may glorify their heavenly Father and do good with what they have, but that they may consume it upon their lusts - that they may be enabled to eat better meat, and drink better drink, and wear better clothes, and so gratify their pride, vanity, and voluptuousness. But, if we thus seek the things of this world, it is just in God to deny them; whereas, if we seek any thing that we may serve God with it, we may expect he will either give us what we seek or give us hearts to be content without it, and give opportunities of serving and glorifying him some other way. Let us remember this, that when we speed not in our prayers it is because we ask amiss; either we do not ask for right ends or not in a right manner, not with faith or not with fervency: unbelieving and cold desires beg denials; and this we may be sure of, that, when our prayers are rather the language of our lusts than of our graces, they will return empty."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…