James 4

James questions the source of conflicts among believers, attributing them to selfish lusts and asking amiss. He declares that friendship with the world constitutes enmity with God, urging believers to submit to God, resist the devil, and humble themselves. The chapter also condemns speaking evil of others and arrogant boasting about future plans, reminding readers of life's brevity and God's sovereignty. Finally, it states that knowing to do good and not doing it is sin.

The chapter begins by identifying the root cause of internal conflicts and disputes as the unchecked lusts within individuals, leading to unanswered prayers when asked amiss for selfish gratification. James then strongly asserts that befriending the world is equivalent to being an enemy of God, likening this spiritual compromise to adultery. He calls for a radical shift in posture, urging believers to submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to the Almighty, promising divine reciprocation. Furthermore, the epistle instructs believers to humble themselves, mourn over their sins, and cleanse their hearts from double-mindedness. It also warns against judging and speaking evil of fellow brethren, reminding them that there is only one Lawgiver. Finally, it rebukes those who boast presumptuously about future endeavors without acknowledging God's will, emphasizing the fleeting nature of human life as a vapor, concluding that knowing to do good and failing to act is sin.

James opens by directly challenging the origin of wars and fightings among the community, pinpointing their source in the insatiable lusts that war within their members. He elaborates that unfulfilled desires lead to covetousness, and that prayers are ineffective when motivated by selfish desires to consume upon one's own lusts. The epistle then delivers a severe rebuke, labeling such individuals as "adulterers and adulteresses," declaring unequivocally that friendship with the world is an act of enmity against God. It suggests that the spirit dwelling within us can lust to envy, but God offers greater grace to the humble, resisting the proud. Consequently, James exhorts believers to submit themselves entirely to God, to actively resist the devil so that he will flee, and to draw near to God, who in turn will draw near to them. This spiritual cleansing involves purifying hands for sinners and hearts for the double-minded, calling for a profound sense of affliction, mourning, and weeping over their spiritual state, transforming laughter into heaviness. The path to exaltation is through humbling oneself in the sight of the Lord. The chapter then shifts to interpersonal conduct, strictly forbidding speaking evil of one another and judging brethren, asserting that such actions judge the law itself and usurp the role of the one divine Lawgiver who possesses the power to save and destroy. Lastly, James addresses those who presumptuously plan their future without acknowledging divine providence, reminding them of the extreme brevity and uncertainty of life, comparing it to a vapor. He instructs them to preface all plans with "If the Lord will," condemning boastful rejoicing as evil. The chapter concludes with a potent statement that for one who knows to do good and fails to do it, that failure is counted as sin.