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Scripture Reading: James 4:1-10
In this message we shall consider what James says in 4:1-10 concerning dealing with pleasures, the world, and the Devil. However, before we consider these matters, I would like to give a further brief word on the contrast between wisdom as it is revealed in the writings of James and wisdom as revealed in the writings of Paul.
In 1:5 James says, “If anyone of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.” Then in 3:13 James says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good manner of life his works in meekness of wisdom.” Then in 3:17 James tells us, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, forbearing, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, unfeigned.” All these are characteristics of practical Christian perfection according to James’ view, which may have been somewhat under the influence of Old Testament precepts concerning man’s behavior, morality, and ethics (Prov. 4:5-8). What James says concerning wisdom is on the level of human character. This wisdom does not attain to the height of the wisdom concerning the hidden mystery of God’s New Testament economy regarding Christ and the church (1 Cor. 2:6-8; Eph. 3:9-11).
In his writing regarding wisdom, James does not say a word concerning Christ as life or concerning the church being built up through the experience of the riches of Christ for His expression. Furthermore, in the entire book of James the Spirit of God is mentioned only once (4:5), and that in a negative way. The human spirit is not mentioned at all. By this we see that three crucial matters are not touched by James in his Epistle: Christ as life, the building up of the church through the riches of Christ, and the human spirit. James’ only mention of the Holy Spirit of God is in relation to striving against lust (4:5). Because of the shortage in these matters, there is no possibility for James to attain the height of wisdom that we see in the Epistles of Paul.
In his Epistle James seems to present wisdom as something given to us by God once for all. Paul’s understanding of wisdom is much higher. According to Paul, wisdom is actually Christ Himself, the embodiment of God, who has been installed in us and who is now being continually transmitted into us. The installation was made once for all, but the transmission is not once for all; it is continuous. We may use electricity as an illustration. Electricity is installed in a building once for all. But once electricity has been installed, there should be a continuous transmission of electricity from the power plant to the building.
The wisdom taught by James is something given by God. But the wisdom taught by Paul is Christ continually transmitting Himself into us. This divine transmission is the divine dispensing. For electricity to be transmitted into a building means that it is dispensed into the building to be used in different ways by those in the building. The principle is the same with Christ as wisdom.
As the embodiment of the Triune God, Christ has been installed in our tripartite being to be transmitted, dispensed, into us all the time so that we may live a life to express Christ and so that the church, the Body of Christ, may be built up as His fullness. What heights Paul reaches in his writing concerning Christ as our wisdom from God!
It is of the Lord’s sovereignty that the Epistle of James comes after the fourteen Epistles of Paul. In Paul’s Epistles we see a wisdom that is on the highest level. In James’ Epistle we see a wisdom that is on another level, a level of human living.
As we consider the picture of these two levels of wisdom, we shall know where we should be. We should be in God’s economy and in practical Christian perfection. On the one hand, we must be for God’s economy. God’s economy is to dispense Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God into us for the building up of the church as the fullness of Christ. Practical Christian perfection is related to being complete and entire in our conduct, character, and behavior so that we may have a positive testimony before others and even in the sight of angels and demons. If we have such practical Christian perfection, no one will be able to blame us. For God’s economy, we need to be those with the practical Christian perfection portrayed by James in his Epistle. Now we can see why these two levels of wisdom — one in the Epistles of Paul and the other in the Epistle of James — are unveiled in the New Testament.
In 4:1-10 James speaks concerning dealing with pleasures, the world, and the Devil. Some may be bothered by the fact that we use the word “pleasures” in a negative sense. In our church life we do not have pleasures — we have enjoyment. In fact, our church life is an enjoyment. This enjoyment is a very positive thing, but worldly pleasures are extremely negative. In 4:1-10 James ranks pleasures with the world and the Devil. One of the virtues of Christian perfection is to overcome pleasures, the world, and the Devil.
In 4:1 James says, “From what source come wars and fightings among you? Are they not from this, from your pleasures that war in your members?” The pleasures here are pleasures of the flesh.
James’ word in chapter four is rather mixed and not easy to understand. For instance, in verse 1 James speaks of wars and fightings among those who receive his Epistle. Do you believe that in ancient times there were wars and fightings among the Jewish believers in Jerusalem and among those scattered in the Gentile world? At least to some extent, I do not believe this. How could the believers have been fighting, warring, with one another? James says that these wars and fightings come from the pleasures that war in our members.
In 4:2 James continues, “You desire and do not have; you murder and are jealous, and are not able to obtain; you fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.” Here “desire” means covet, lust. How are we to understand this verse? In verse 1 James speaks of two kinds of wars, wars among the saints and wars in our members. Then in verse 2 he says, “You fight and war.” He also says, “You murder and are jealous.” I am bothered by what James says in verse 2. I believe that this sense of being bothered is due to the mixture of Judaism with New Testament teachings in James’ writing. James was saturated with the ideas, concepts, teachings, ordinances, and practices of the Jewish religion. He was soaked with the element of that religion, and had lived a long time in its sphere and atmosphere. Furthermore, he treasured the things of Judaism. Nevertheless, James was deeply influenced by New Testament teachings. This means that with James there are two elements, two spheres, and two atmospheres. The result is a mixture in his thinking, a mixture of Judaism with the teachings of the New Testament.
Although I have studied 4:1-10, I find it very difficult to cut these verses straight, to divide them properly. Paul’s word in 2 Timothy 2:13 regarding cutting straight the word of the truth indicates that we should not divide the Word in a zigzag fashion. But when we come to the book of James, we simply cannot cut or divide the Word in a straight line. As an example of this difficulty, I would call your attention to the word “murder” in 4:2. This word bothers me very much, and I cannot understand what James means by it. Surely James does not mean that believers were actually murdering one another. However, can we spiritualize the word “murder” here? We can easily understand what Paul means in Romans 8:13 when he speaks of putting to death the practices of the body, but who can understand what James means by murder in this verse? Who was being murdered by whom?
It is not easy to trace James’ thought in these verses. He says that those to whom he is writing murder and are jealous, are not able to obtain, and fight and war. This fighting must have been among certain persons. Then at the end of verse 2 James says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” On the one hand, James says, “You murder”; on the other hand, he indicates that they should ask. Does this mean that a murderer can ask, that a murderer can pray? I can only present this verse to you and ask you to analyze it and expound it.
In verse 3 James goes on to say, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask evilly, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Literally, the Greek word for “on” means “in.” How are we to understand this verse in relation to the preceding verses? There seems to be no “track” for us to trace James’ thought.
In verse 4 James says, “Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever determines to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God.” Here James makes a turn from the matter of pleasures to the matter of friendship of the world and enmity with God. James’ writing here is marvelous; his word is very descriptive. In verse 4 James clearly says that to be a friend of the world is to be constituted an enemy of God.
In 4:4 James uses the word “adulteresses.” God and Christ are our Husband (Isa. 54:5; 2 Cor. 11:2). We should be chaste and love Him alone with our entire being (Mark 12:30). If our heart is divided by loving the world, we become adulteresses.
In verse 4 James uses the words “friendship” and “friend” in relation to the world. Friendship of the world is love of the world for the pleasures of the flesh. The “world” is the satanic system, which is enmity with God. The Greek word for world, kosmos, is used for different things in the New Testament. In Matthew 25:34; John 17:15; Acts 17:24 Ephesians 1:4; and Revelation 13:8, it denotes the material universe as a system created by God. In John 1:29; 3:16 and Romans 5:12, it denotes the fallen human race corrupted and usurped by Satan as components for his evil world system. In 1 Peter 3:3 it denotes adorning, ornament. Here in James 4:4, as in 1 John 2:15; John 15:19 and 17:14 it denotes an order, a set form, an orderly arrangement; hence, an ordered system, set up by Satan, the adversary of God. By this we see that the “world” does not denote the earth. God created man to live on earth for the fulfillment of His purpose. But His enemy Satan, in order to usurp man, has formed an anti-God world system on earth by systematizing mankind with such things as religion, culture, education, industry, commerce, and entertainment, through men’s fallen nature in their lusts, pleasures, pursuits, and even in their indulgence in living necessities, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation. According to what James says in 4:4, loving the world causes a person who loves God to become an enemy of God.
In 4:5 James goes on to say, “Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain: The Spirit who dwells in us longs to envy?” When God secured us to be His spouse, He put His Spirit into us to make us one with Him (16-17, 1 Cor. 6:19). He is a jealous God (Exo. 20:5), and His Spirit is jealous over us with the jealousy of God (2 Cor. 11:2), longing, jealously desiring, that we may not make friends with His enemy and be His lover at the same time.
Verse 5 is the only time James mentions God’s indwelling Spirit. His one mention of the Spirit is negative, concerning the abolishing of the friendship of the world. It is not positive, concerning the building up of the Body of Christ.
The Greek word rendered “dwells” in 4:5 may also be translated “makes His home.” The indwelling Spirit makes His home in us so that He may occupy our entire being for God (see Eph. 3:17) and cause us to be wholly for our Husband.
In 4:5 James refers to what “the Scripture says.” However, I do not know to what verse in the Scriptures James is referring. I do not believe that any Bible teacher has been able to locate the particular verse in the Scriptures.
Translators differ on how to render the Greek words translated, “The Spirit who dwells in us longs to envy.” I believe that “longs to envy” is the most accurate translation. This longing comes out of love. For example, a husband who loves his wife is full of longing for her and would be envious if she were to love someone else. He does not want her to love another besides him.
In verses 4 and 5 James uses marriage to illustrate our relationship with God. God is the Husband, and we are His counterpart. As God’s counterpart, we should love Him. If we love anything or anyone in place of Him, we become adulteresses. The indwelling Spirit that God has put within us longs to keep us singly for Himself. Whenever we would not be solely for Him but would love the world, this indwelling Spirit will not only be offended, but will also be envious. This is the correct understanding of what James means when he says that the Spirit who dwells in us longs to envy.
In 4:6 James leaps to the matter of grace: “But He gives greater grace; wherefore it says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Logically speaking, there does not seem to be a connection between verses 5 and 6. In verse 6 we have a quotation from Proverbs 3:34 according to the Septuagint.
In verses 7 through 10 James says that we should be subject to God, withstand the Devil, draw near to God, cleanse our hands, purify our hearts, be miserable, mourn and weep, let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into dejection, and be humbled before the Lord.
As we consider 4:1-10, we see that James skips from one matter to another. This makes it difficult for us to follow his thought. It is also difficult to cut straight the Word in this portion.
Although it is difficult to trace James’ thought from verse to verse, we can see clearly that in 4:1-10 James is concerned with three major items that are problems to us: pleasures (v. 1), the world (v. 4), and the Devil (v. 7). These matters must be thoroughly dealt with. Otherwise, we shall be adulteresses, enemies, and sinners. Surely, as those who love the Lord, we do not want to be adulteresses, enemies of God, and sinners. However, if the problems of pleasures, the world, and the Devil are not dealt with, we may eventually become adulteresses, enemies, and sinners.
I am concerned that some among us may already have become adulteresses and enemies of God. The ones spoken of here are God’s people, they belong to God, and they have been born of God. Nevertheless, their actual condition is that of being an enemy of God. The reason they are enemies of God is that there is too much of the world in them. A strong friendship has been built up with the world, the satanic system organized by God’s enemy, His adversary. (The fact that Satan is not only God’s enemy but also His adversary means that he is an enemy within God’s sphere; hence, an adversary).
If a child of God loves the world, and forms a friendship with the world, the world will cause him to become an enemy of God. Such a believer becomes an enemy of God because he takes sides with God’s enemy by loving the world, the satanic system. In a very real sense, such a one desires to be incorporated in the satanic system of the world. Therefore, in the sight of God, he becomes an enemy. Furthermore, he also becomes a sinner. By this we see that, according to one’s actual condition, a child of God may be an adulteress, an enemy of God, and a sinner.
In order not to become adulteresses, enemies, and sinners, we need to deal with pleasures, the world, and the Devil. Pleasures are related to lust. If we did not have lust, we would not need pleasure. Joy, however, is not related to lust. God is a joyful God, and joy is for our being, not for our lust. It is right for us to be joyful, but it is not right to have pleasures that are related to lust.
Those who seek pleasure are those who indulge their lust. Throughout the world, Sunday has become a day of pleasure. This day, generally speaking, is no longer regarded as the Lord’s Day, the day for the Lord’s people to fellowship with Him, stay with Him, worship Him, enjoy Him, and rest in Him. On Sundays the worldly people seek to indulge their lusts for the sake of pleasures. Often, the conversation at school or work on a Monday morning is related to sinful, worldly things done over the weekend. Today the people of the world indulge their lusts in all kinds of pleasures.
This lust is also in us. If we do not live in the spirit, we shall not have a way to overcome the indulgence in lusts. We need to have our spirit nourished by the implanted word. Every morning and also during the day we need to be nourished by contacting the implanted word so that our spirit may be strong to withstand lust and even overcome it.
James, a godly man, did not want to see that the believers were becoming involved in lust-indulging pleasures. He knew that such pleasures would constitute them adulteresses, enemies of God, and even sinners. He knew that all these pleasures are related to the world. To use the weekend to seek pleasure is to love the world. A believer who spends his weekend in such a way will sink very low spiritually. It may even seem that he would need a huge “crane” to lift him up again.
According to 4:1-10, pleasures are related to the world, and the world is linked to the Devil. Here we have an evil trinity that is versus the divine Trinity. As Christians, we have a Triune God, and we face a triune problem. The triune problem is the devilish trinity of lust, the world, and the Devil. This trinity is opposed to the divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The New Testament reveals clearly that the lusts of the flesh are against the Spirit, that the world is against the Father, and that the Devil is against the Son. Galatians 5 says that the flesh with its lusts is against the Spirit, James 4 and 1 John 2 reveal that the world is opposed to God the Father, and 1 John 3 indicates that the Devil, Satan, is against the Son, who came to destroy the works of the Devil. By this we see that the Triune God is fighting against the triune problem, that the divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — is versus the world, the Devil, and the flesh. If we have a bird’s-eye view of 4:1-10, we shall see that in these verses three major things are covered — pleasures, the world, and the Devil.
