James 4:4 . whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. A. Text: James 4:4-10. Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Look up both Old Testament and New Testament verses to see how they use the word. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James contrasts the gracious wisdom of God with the foolish 'wisdom' of the world, and calls Christians to be spiritually-minded and not carnally-minded. i. “More probably is the view that James was not citing a particular passage but summarizing the truth expressed in several Old Testament passages.” (Hiebert) ii. We must provide for ourselves; nobody else is going to. 4 You adulterers! KJV Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Humble yourselves. He calls them to quit their friendship with the world, humble themselves, repent from their sin, and receive God's grace. We cannot have two masters (Mt 6:24), and we cannot have two husbands. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1. whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Let us search our hearts, and in the power of the Spirit of God, let us turn from any worldly ways that we know must grieve the Holy Spirit that indwells our heart. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. To get what James 4:4 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context  and relative popularity. In 4:4 James quickly moves into our conflict with theLord. The little girl who is shunned by her schoolmates knows that she will always be accepted by her dolls. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? One way or another all of us need and enjoy our friends. This helps us to see that the lines between conflict with God and man are often quite blurry. In James 4 there is a logical progression throughout the chapter, while still allowing some verses to cover individual topics. have not --The lust of desire does not ensure the actual possession. Do you not know that d friendship with the world is enmity with God? Jun 3, 2020. Let us expel all pride and ungodly lusts that can creep into a heart that becomes enamoured with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the world and the pride of life - and let us in humility of spirit earnestly draw near to God, knowing that He died --- to draw near to us. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”. God is to be our lover and not the fallen world system C. God is jealous for our affections The same disordered affec… Hosea was told by God, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the LORD” (Hos 1:2). He urges against exhibiting favouritism and forewarns them to be careful in the things that they say, as well as the things that they do, knowing that true wisdom and godly living comes from above. Part of the reason for this is that James is like Proverbs in that many of its verses really stand alone in their content. Preached at Life BPC 10:45am service, 2006-03-26. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? But to choose “to be a friend of the world” is to approve of and participate in the sin of the world. What does James 4:4 mean? Thus we are able to repent and draw near to God for forgiveness. James 4:4-7 New Living Translation (NLT). Everyone needs friends, and I believe everyone has them. The little boy who is left out by everyone else will find a friend in his dog who is always glad to see him. These are pretty tough words for any believer to receive from an author of the God-breathed scriptures but nonetheless they are contained within the canon of holy writ and need to be explored with an open heart, that is not hiding behind a self-righteous exterior. Loving Father, I confess that I am too easily drawn into worldly thinking, which I know grieves the Holy Spirit. My brethren--James' firmness is coupled with warmth as he identifies himself with his readers. Literally, he addresses the pleasure-loving reader as "You adulteress!" James wipes the smiles off their faces: "You sinners, cleanse your hands. Mark tells us that Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will shamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mk 8:38). To have a warm, familiar attitude with this world is to be on good terms with God's enemy. The New Living Translation is a good rendering of this verse: “Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Intro. He longs that they live a life that is pleasing to God. Nowhere does God call his set-apart people to become like the world, rather, we are to be different from the world. Ye lust --A different Greek word from that in James 4:1. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? NLT You adulterers! God is opposed to the fallen and idolatrous desire of the world B. He calls it adultery 2. 3. James 4:4. He is writing words of encouragement in the trials and temptations that they are facing. That truth which was uttered every where in the Scriptures, was not … "envious" This Greek term, like "lust," is a neutral term and can be used of "zeal" or "strong desire." This is a wonderful statement. Commentary on James 4:1-10 (Read James 4:1-10 ) Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that war in the members. Matthew 5-7). Keep my humble of heart before You, knowing that this is Your will for my life, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN. His eye was on envy as at the bottom of many of the contentions and strifes existing on earth, James 3:16, and of the spirit of the world which prevailed everywhere, James 4:4; and he refers to the general teaching of the Old Testament that the soul is by nature inclined to envy; or that this has a deep lodgement in the heart of man. James takes his language from God himself through the prophets and Christ himself. James tells his readers to "resist the devil and he will flee from you." James says that living that way is adultery. James has addressed “fights and quarrels” (Ja 4:1) and the fact that they are caused by desires that wage war within us, causing us to fight and even murder. The text has been edited and condensed by IHCC staff for use as a Bible Study aid. What is the context and meaning? ESV You adulterous people! God is in conflict with the world system 1. I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Consider (aorist mid imperative)--Meaning "to consider," "deem," "regard as." It's ''cheating'' on God. You double-minded purify your hearts. But James is saying this is not a hopeless circumstance at all. James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? The Holy Spirit of God longs to shower grace and more grace over all that submit to His leading, humility of heart. James goes on to say that in spite of our adultery, God, “gives us more grace,” and while he “opposes the proud,” he “shows favor to the humble” (Ja 4:6). Thus many understand these expressions, because God himself represented his relation to the Jews as his people under the idea of a marriage, and because the prophets, in conformity to that idea, represented the idolatry of the Jews as adultery. b Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. e Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. He uses the feminine form deliberately, however, because he is referring to believers as married to God. Hence "ye kill" (not as Margin, without any old authority, "envy") to ensure possession. They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. James the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, like the apostle Peter, had a ministry to Jewish believers in Christ – in the early church, and this epistle is addressed to Christians from the 12 tribes of Israel, who are dispersed throughout the world. He exhorts us to meekness and purity, spirituality and sincerity and warns against envy and strife, boasting and deceit.. and James gives us various steps to achieving a spiritual walk.. including submission to God; drawing near to our heavenly Father; humbling … whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. By Rev Charles Seet. [] Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of GodI say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. As explained below however, kosmos as used here in James 4:4 and many places in the NT, takes on a considerably more negative shade of meaning. Moo says that “to submit to God” means to place ourselves under his lordship and therefore to commit ourselves to obey him in all things.”29 James 4:4-10is a call for repentance from God’s people (meaning us) who have allowed the world to encroach upon their loyalty to God. God is the Lawgiver and Judge, not man. The “friendship of the world” (φιλία τοῦ κόσμου philia tou kosmou) is the love of that world; of the maxims which govern it, the principles which reign there, the ends that are sought, the amusements and gratifications which characterize it as distinguished from the church of God. It is not logical, and so it is impossible. It is not possible to love what is anti-God and also love God. All the above exhortations are enforcements of humility. You might think that he would use the masculine form of the word, "adulterer" since most of the readers would probably be men. Here "world" refers to the fallen world system 2. They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him” (James 4:5 NLT). Having reprimanded them for this, James tells them, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). What does it mean, in more practical terms, to be a friend of the world? This he calls “friendship with the world,” and this friendship he considers adultery. The Lord is, as is usual in the Epistle of St. James, not Christ, but God. Many subjects are handled quickly and succinctly in the book. NKJV Adulterers and adulteresses! These are pretty tough words for any believer to receive from an author of the God-breathed scriptures, but in the next verse the same Holy Spirit, Who dwells within each one of us, is seen yearning jealously over us – for His desire is to make all believers more and more like the lovely Lord Jesus. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) So begins a new paragraph which extends through 4:10. in the sight of the Lord: that is, before the Lord, as in His presence. Jesus Christ came into the world as a friend, to seek and save what was lost. Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by … James 4:4 4 a You adulterous people! James 4:4 Meaning of Friendship with the World Means Enmity Against God. 4:4 adulteri nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi inimica est Dei quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse saeculi huius inimicus Dei constituitur. NIV You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James 4:10. James 4:4-10 - In The World But Not Of The World. Read James 4:4-10. Sep 27, 2020 by Editor in Chief. You adulterous people! (James 4:8-9). #3 “Therefore anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Care must be taken on this point. #2 “don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?” “Friendship with the world” means that one loves the ways of the fallen world, the dominion of darkness and of Satan (Col 1:13). 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? He addresses them 15 times in this way, making the letter very persona1 (1:2,16,19; 2:1,5,14; 3:1,10,12; 4:11; 5:7,9,10,12,19). [⇑ See verse text ⇑] In the previous verses, James has been blunt: His readers have been living according to worldly wisdom. #1 “You adulterous people,” Those who love the world, do so in a way that precludes love and fidelity to God. Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”. We make ourselves enemies with God when we choose what is antithetical to God and his ways. As James reaches the middle of His epistle to his brethren in Christ, he voices some very severe warnings against pride, worldliness and intimacy with the world’s system, which is diametrically opposed to righteous living and the things of God. They were fighting with each other because they couldn't get what they wanted. James 4:4. “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? The Sin of Partiality. Let your laughter be turned to grieving, and your joy to gloom. 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