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3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” ~ James 4:3-6
Today, we return to James' portrait of genuine faith. Genuine faith in the God of the Bible is a necessity for us to gain the wisdom of God. In James 1-3, James has established the necessity of gaining God's wisdom for the believer in Christ. Our trials aid us in the gaining said wisdom. Having given several litmus tests which enables us to determine whether our faith is truly in the God of the Bible, in today's text, James underscores the reason we miss God in everyday life.
In v.3 of today's text we read, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
Our greatest enemy in life is the flesh which is the evil desires that are yet within us, even though we are "born again." And, when we are controlled by the flesh, according to 1 Peter 2:11, the war within our souls is heightened, making it difficult for us to be motivated to pray in a biblical way. This is why James identifies our motives in this verse as wrong.
In Matthew 7:9-11, we discover God knows when we ask with wrong motivations. And, when we are motivated by our flesh, our hearts are in further danger of being further infected by the flesh. And, God never gives us something that does not align with His will for our lives. We do not arrive upon a vibrant walk with the Lord when we are walking in the flesh. When we walk in the flesh, we do not pray accurately. And, when we are consumed by our worldly lusts, we do not pray biblical prayers.
In v.4-5 of today's text we read, "4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?"
Friendship with the world happens when we feed the flesh. And, the believer's battle is made more intense when we yield to the flesh in the slightest way. And, due to the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we experience conflict within and, subsequently, without. And, the more we give into the flesh, the more our ability to recognize God and His goodness wanes. As a result, our conscience is weakened to the thinking God's thoughts and our walking in His ways. This is dangerous area for the believer in Christ, and so God becomes increasingly foreign to Him. This is why James warns us against becoming friends with the world.
Friendship with the world puts us in conflict with God. In fact, James uses the metaphor "adulterous people" to describe the unfaithfulness of some of his hearers toward God. The Jewish readers of this letter would have remembered the Old Testament story of Hosea whose unfaithful wife was a picture of unfaithfulness. This term is never used in the Scripture for Gentiles because, at that time, only Israel could commit adultery because only Israel had a covenant relationship to God.
Not only does friendship with the world mean that we are in danger of becoming the personal enemy of God, it also demonstrates a disregard for the Word of God which is always used of God, in tandem with His indwelling Spirit, to lead us in His ways.
In v.6 of today's text we read, "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble."
Here, James quotes Proverbs 3:34, twice quoted in the New Testament, here in today's text and also in 1 Peter 5. God opposes the proud, even though the proud is "born again." When we are controlled by our lusts, we will increasingly be controlled by our pride. At the root of all sin is pride. It was pride that inaugurated sin. When humility is not important to us, we are in great danger of being consumed by our pride or our lack of dependence upon God.
The word "proud" in v.6 describes someone who is exalted in his own mind. When we grow to love the world, we lose our love for God. The word "opposes" is a military word which brings the idea of God setting His troops to do battle against the proud. Of course, we never want to be at odds with the Lord. And, this is why He has given us His Word and His Spirit who are both essential at keeping us humble and dependent upon Him. Our faith in the Lord increases as we grow in our dependence upon Him, and with the increase of our faith in Him comes His wisdom by which we are able to see His genius as He works in and through our lives. And, as a result, we are able to navigate this life for His glory because He always gives grace to those who are humble enough to admit our need for His help.
