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The past several weeks, James has challenged us at heart level. Will we seek earthly wisdom or godly wisdom? Will we choose envy and selfish ambition or what pleases God? What are the passions at war within us? Will we pursue friendship with the world or friendship with God? And last week, we looked at God’s grace as our only hope. Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, we should submit to God, arrange ourselves under His authority.
This week we continue to weigh repentance and humility.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.[1]
James 4:6-10
Last week we ended with submitting ourselves to God. This week, James gives us the flip side of the command to submit to God. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (vs 7b). If we submit to God, we cannot be friends with the world – sharing the interests, values, and goals of the world, seeing things in a similar way, a way of selfish ambition, moral contamination, a godless value system, hostility towards God and His people, and self-glory. Worldly wisdom is from Satan (vs 3:13), so James asserts that we must instead resist the devil.
Resist literally means to “take your stand against.” If submitting to God is arranging ourselves under His authority, then we must take a stand against or resist Satan’s authority. We are to resist sharing the interests, values, and goals of the world. We are to resist jealousy and selfish ambition. We are to resist a godless value system. We are to resist the sinful passions at war within us. We are to resist the fighting and quarreling that come from those sinful passions at war within us.
Paul gives similar instruction in other letters:
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Romans 13:14).
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11).
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, you know that they breed quarrels” (2 Timothy 2:22-23).
And last week we read Peter’s parallel passage:
“5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world”[2] (1 Peter 5:5-9).
We all know from experience that resisting is not a one time and done. We keep resisting. Satan is persistent, and so must we be. When we don’t resist, it is usually that much harder to resist the next time. Thankfully, God does not leave us on our own to resist.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). God is faithful. He will provide the way out from the temptation, but we need to submit to God, and be willing to accept His authority and way.
God also equips us with the armor of God. “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”[3] (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Much more could be said on the armor of God, but for today, I think the important things to encourage us are 1) We are strong in the strength of God’s might not our own, and 2) the armor God equips us with is His truth, Jesus’ righteousness (there is no condemnation for those in Christ), the Gospel (which has reconciled us to God forever and defeated sin and death), faith, salvation, and the Word of God. All we need to stand firm and resist is found in Jesus and God’s Word.
James isn’t done. There is more that follows submitting ourselves to God: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (vs 8a). We don’t only submit to God’s authority, but we draw near to Him.[4] We pursue fellowship with God.
Daniel Doriani expands on what it means to draw near to God: “But “come near” and “draw near” mean more than “repent.” We come near to God to worship him, to serve him, to meet him, to seek help, and to gain assurance, as well as to repent. It is better, therefore, to conclude that James is offering a far-reaching promise, a promise that other gods do not make. When we draw near to God, he also draws near to us. As Moses asked, ‘What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?’” (Deut. 4:7).”[5]
James also instructs us what drawing near to God means. “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” (vs 8b-9).
“Cleanse your hands” – Old Testament priests would cleanse their hands before approaching God. It was an external behavior or action to demonstrate repentance.
James calls his readers sinners to emphasize the seriousness of sin and the need to repent.
“Purify your hearts” – James moves from external actions to internal motivations, desires, intentions, and thoughts. We don’t repent of actions only but also the hidden things in our hearts.
David wrote similar words: “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:2-4).
“Double-minded” –James used this term in 1:8 for those who doubted and were unstable. He used it for those who try to pursue two conflicting ways of life. It literally means to be “two-souled.” Our loyalties are divided. In calling his readers double-minded, James reminds them it is not fitting of one who is submitted to God.
A longing for clean hands and pure hearts should lead us to obey the next three commands that echo Old Testament prophets who called for repentance in light of God’s judgment (Joel 2:1, 12-14).
“Be wretched” – lament; be broken over your sin.
“mourn” – an inner response to your brokenness over sin. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn…,” who understand their spiritual poverty.
“weep” – outward manifestation of the inner sorrow over sin.
“Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” – James is not squashing laughter and joy and promoting only somber, weeping Christians. Laughter in the Old Testament and in Jewish tradition was used to describe a “fool’s contemptuous laughter” (Ecclesiastes 7:6). It represented someone who took sin lightly and lived for only the here and now. James tells us to take our sin seriously and repent. Think of what matters for eternity.
James ends these verses the way he began them with a call to humility: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (vs 10). The Old Testament prophets warned that God would humble the people. James states it is better for us to humble ourselves, recognize our spiritual poverty and dependence on God.
James wrote that we are to humble ourselves before God. Think back to Isaiah 6. When we recognize God’s holiness, we are more likely to humble ourselves as Isaiah did. Too often, we compare ourselves to others’ sin instead of God’s holiness. Then, we are more prone to pride than humility.
James concludes verse 10 with a promise: “He will exalt you.” It’s the promise of the Gospel. With humility and repentance, there is forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life through Jesus.
Reflection
1. Is there a sin that you have not been taking a stand against? Why? What is going on in your thinking and motivations to tolerate and choose to continue in this sin? How does God’s holiness, mercy, and grace change your perspective on this sin?
2. Have you repented of this sin? What steps can you take to resist the above sin? Be specific.
3. Do you think of yourself as humble? Why or why not? Do you daily recognize your spiritual poverty and dependence on God? Spend time each day remembering the Gospel, who you were apart from Jesus, and who you are in Him.
4. How do the promises of God drawing near to you and God exalting you encourage you to humility, repentance, and submission to God?
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 4:6–10.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Pe 5:5–9.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Eph 6:10–17.
[4] “Draw near” was originally linked with the Levitical priests (Leviticus 10:3; Ezekiel 44:13).
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