Observations from James 4:5-10
By: Pastor Bailey Miller
The friction of the world’s alluring sway and God’s divine drawing has shown the time-tested truth: man can not serve two masters. Life will either be lived in obedient worship unto God, or spent toiling in the world in the ways of the world. Of course, the simple knowledge of this does not provide an easy path for the christian– it sets the stage for a faithful fight in which we must put off flesh and pursue our Father. The stakes at hand reveal that In order for the gospel to win the world, it must first win us from ourselves.
Verses 5–6: Understanding the Father’s Desire
James begins with a rhetorical question that follows his warning about the cost of friendship with the world. Paul echoes this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
If you ever want to understand the desire of your Heavenly Father for your full devotion, consider the price at which you were bought. God’s yearning for His children is described as jealousy, but unlike our envy, tainted by selfish ambition, His jealousy is holy. As J.I. Packer explains in Knowing God:
“It is His holiness reacting to evil in a way that is morally right and precious… it is a praiseworthy zeal on His part to preserve something supremely precious.”
That “something” is His honor, and His covenant promise to Christ: to present a spotless bride. When members of that bride break covenant, God responds with a jealous, protective love as shown at times through discipline, sometimes discipleship, and at times even cutting off false professions of faith.
The beauty of the gospel is this: God does not need sinners, yet He redeems us as sons and daughters. This is the lavish gift of grace. But if our response to grace is anything less than submission, God stands opposed to it.
The Greek word for “opposed” carries military weight and volition. It means God wages war against pride. As Scripture shows us from David to Gideon to Samson, when God’s servants submit to Him, the enemies of God are always defeated.
Verses 7–8: Submission and Nearness
God’s grace is not an accessory to help life run smoothly. It doesn’t fit into a corner of the puzzle of our lives or give a good frame for us to fill out. It demands the whole picture and attention of our being. After all, the puzzle revealed has little to do with our story and eternally more about the glory of God.
When we submit to God, we find ourselves feasting in the garden of His grace. And with such eternal peace before us, why trade it for fleeting pleasures in the shallow vices of Satan? James reminds us that when we resist the devil, he flees. Temptation won’t disappear, but our righteous resolve grows as we love God and hate evil.
“Draw near to God,” James says, because at some point we will inevitably drift. Whether this be in our diligence or our complacency, we could always be all the more closer to God. When our swaying does happen, it is never God who has moved. Rather, it is us who have shut our eyes and ears to His goodness (Malachi 3:7).
Drawing near means recognizing that God doesn’t just want us to claim faith; He wants full commitment as a loving Father who draws His children close. In His divine council, our drawing near to Him rests upon the cornerstone of Him making Himself near to us.
Our prayers must be lifted with cleansed hands and hearts wholly devoted to God’s glory. Otherwise, our worship is hollow. True righteousness is marked by the ongoing reformation of our lives by way of said drawing near. Sanctification cannot continue if our lips cry out for God while our hearts secretly refuse Him.
Verses 9–10: Brokenness and Lifting Up
James closes with a call to humility before God. This is not a command to live as pessimists or joyless wanderers. Romans tells us to abound in hope. Yet true understanding of sin should break us, because our sin broke our Savior.
Faithful brokenness does not end in shame but in peace, as God rebuilds and restores us in Christ. Living before the Lord means nothing, our sins or the sins of the world, escapes His sight. All of them He answered with the life of His Son.
The right response to this reality of redemption is repentance. Not the shame of guilt, but the humility of being “brought low” before God. And when we are brought low, God Himself will lift us up.
This is the paradox of grace: God humbles us in order to exalt us, not because of how polished or “professional” our faith looks, but because of how we set our minds toward eternity in worship.
James 4 invites us to live in this paradox. To be broken yet restored, humbled yet lifted, opposed in pride yet victorious in submission. The gospel wins the world only as it first wins us from ourselves.