I.e., double-minded (see note James 1:8^1a), having the heart divided between two parties — God and the world. This makes people adulteresses (v. 4) and sinners, those who need their hearts purified and their hands cleansed that they may draw near to God and God may then draw near to them.

This verse is a solemn admonition to God's adulterous spouse, who indulges herself in fleshly pleasures by loving the world under the usurpation of the devil.

This word, as a conclusion to this section (vv. 1-10), is an exhortation against the fightings and desires mentioned in vv. 1-3.

The flesh implied in v. 1, the world in v. 4, and the devil here are the three major enemies of the believers. They are related to one another: the flesh is against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), the world is against God (1 John 2:15), and the devil is against Christ (1 John 3:8). The flesh indulges in pleasures by loving the world, and the world usurps us for the devil. This annihilates God's eternal purpose in us.

To be proud toward God is to side with God's enemy, the devil; to be humble toward God, i.e., to be subject to God, is to withstand, i.e., to stand against, the devil. This is the best strategy for fighting God's enemy; it always causes him to flee from us.

I.e., be humble toward God (v. 10; 1 Pet. 5:6).

According to the context, this refers to our being proud toward God, which causes Him to resist us. Our being humble also is toward God and causes Him to give us grace, which He desires to do.

A quotation of Prov. 3:34 from the Septuagint.

Referring to the Scripture in v. 5.

Or, make His home. The indwelling Spirit makes His home in us that He may occupy our entire being (cf. Eph. 3:17) for God, causing us to be wholly for our Husband.

When God acquired 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 not make friends with His enemy and be His lover at the same time. This is the only time James mentioned God's indwelling Spirit, and it was from the negative side, concerning the abolishing of the friendship of the world, not from the positive side, concerning the building up of the Body of Christ.

Loving the world constitutes God's lover an enemy of God.

The satanic system, which is enmity with God. See note 1 John 2:15^2a.

I.e., love of the world for the pleasures of the flesh (vv. 1, 4).

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.

Or, covet.

The same Greek word as in v. 3. Here it refers to the lusts of the pleasures of the flesh (members), whereas in v. 3 it refers to the pleasures that satisfy the lusts of the flesh.

James's words here and in James 2:8-11 regarding the Old Testament law, and his words in James 1:25 and James 2:12 regarding the perfect law of freedom, may indicate that, in his view, there is no distinction between keeping the Old Testament law and living by the perfect law of freedom, the inner law of life. But according to the divine revelation in the entire New Testament, there is a definite, clear distinction between the two. Keeping the Old Testament law merely makes us right with God and men that we may be justified by the law. But living by the inner law of life (Heb. 8:10-11; Rom. 8:2) is to live and magnify Christ (Phil. 1:20-21) for the building up of His Body to express Him (Eph. 1:22-23) and for the building up of God's house to satisfy Him (1 Tim. 3:15). This is for the accomplishing of God's eternal goal according to His New Testament economy. Though we become perfect by keeping the Old Testament law, we still cannot reach God's eternal goal. Only our living by the inner law of life avails for this. Such a living spontaneously and automatically fulfills more than is required under the Old Testament law (Rom. 8:4), even to the standard of the constitution of the kingdom, as revealed in Matt. chs. 5—7.

Fighting for fleshly pleasures (v. 1), having a friendship with the world (v. 4), speaking against a brother, i.e., judging the law (v. 11), going to do business according to one's own will, and boasting in arrogance (v. 16) are all signs of the ungodly and presumptuous confidence of a God-forgetting person. James's teaching on all these matters was based, probably, on his view concerning practical Christian perfection.

The tone of James's word here also is somewhat like the tone of the Old Testament (cf. Psa. 90:3-10). In any case, his word arouses a fear of one's self-will and instills a confidence in God, as expressed in v. 15. This kind of word always comes out of the mouth of a God-fearing person.

Or, pretentiousness, vainglory.

A concluding word to all the charges in the preceding verses. It says that if the recipients of this Epistle are helped by James's writing and yet will not do as he wrote, to them it is sin.