Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. — James 4:7–10 (NKJV)
I was wondering when James would move into application.
Yes, now James turns to the practical details. “Therefore” these are the things you should do.
This is a long and detailed list, but the first item is the key. Therefore submit to God.
The Greek word translated as submit (ὑποτάσσω, hoo-paw-tass-oh) literally means be a subject of. That is, it’s not about submitting right now; it’s about putting yourself under someone’s authority. It’s a long-term commitment.
And the Greek word translated as resist (ἀνθίστημι, an-thi-stay-me) is also not just in the moment. It literally means “set oneself against.” This is long term, too.
So, the two sentences of verse four get us back to basic long-term lordship. Being one-hundred percent committed to Jesus as lord of your life drives the enemy away.
Isn’t this what the book of James has been about all along?
Exactly, and now he’s getting down to the nuts and bolts. The next three verses assume the first one. This is practical advice for Christians.
“Draw near to God” is a command to move away from worldly pleasures toward God-centered activity, such as prayer and daily devotionals. James promises that if you seek an intimate relationship with God, you’ll get one.
So, you’re not supposed to have fun?
No, that’s not what it means, though I can see why folks might think that. God created a world full of fun things. The things that are a problem are a tiny fraction of the whole.
“Worldly pleasures” was my term, not James’s. I mean those things that are unhealthy or sinful. That’s the traditional meaning of terms like “things of this world.” This colloquial system is based on the view that the devil is the “prince” of this world. We get that from passages like Matthew 4:8–9.
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (NKJV)
Interesting, since you guys believe God has ultimate power and authority.
Yes, the devil is merely a pretender. It’s just a colloquialism anyway. It’s designed to draw a contrast between the things that glorify God and those that don’t.
The command to “cleanse your hands,” is reminiscent of the washing priests must do before they can approach God. The command to “purify your hearts,” is reminiscent of what Jesus said about Pharisees.
“For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.“ — Matthew 23:25b (NKJV)
James is saying that the internal should match the external. The Greek word translated as double-minded (δίψυχος, di-psoo-khos) is “di” (two or double) prefixed on the Greek root word for “psychology.” Here it refers to people who want to have it both ways—love the Lord while still loving worldly pleasures.
Worldly pleasures are worse than just a distraction from God; they are often unhealthy.
Yeah. Some kinds of partying cause a lot of problems.
This is by design—the devil’s design. He tempts us with things which, if we would just take a broader look at them, wouldn’t be tempting at all.
And James shows the ultimate results. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
It still looks like James is saying that Christians shouldn’t be happy.
No, he’s specifically calling out the double-minded—the “Christians” who haven’t yet given up being party animals. They’re the ones who won’t (and shouldn’t) be happy.
This is a consistent message in James. These double-minded Christians need to grow up.
And, the reward for doing so is great. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
What does “lift you up” mean?
It’s just a colloquialism for benefit. The ESV translates the Greek word ὑψώσει (hoops-oh-say) as exalt.
Like how “down” means depressed?
Yeah, or how “elevate” means improve or make important.
James will extend this into not judging others tomorrow.
See you then.
