The Book of James – Chapter 4:1-8

Verse 1

Remember that all believers have a spiritual battle raging in their souls. Believers who fail to control their sin nature by learning and applying Bible doctrine (hearers only) eventually find themselves in reversionism. In a frantic search for happiness, uncontrolled emotion results in quarrels and conflicts. The frantic search for happiness leads to disagreements and arguments. Your pleasures refer to the human desires that are contrary to God’s Word, which war against your spiritual desires that are consistent with God’s Word.

Verse 2

This refers to the lust pattern of the sin nature: approval lust, power lust, materialism lust, etc. This is describing a reversionistic believer. A believer in reversionism is constantly in a state of lust which gives them wide emotional swings. Reversionists are always frustrated by not getting their human desires met. Quarrels and conflicts can even eventuate in committing murder. Envy often takes things by violence, i.e. murder. Envious people are often violent in their jealousy. In other words, we are talking about a believer trying to get something that they want by violence.

A believer in reversionism wants self-gratification through some form of pleasure but the very thing that they seek, they destroy by their violence. A reversionistic believer wants certain things, and there are certain pleasures they think will make them happy. However, anything acquired through the action of lust, murder, or jealousy is not worth having, whether it is people, things or power, and will lead to self-induced misery. By contrast, a believer who is the filled with the Holy Spirit depends on the power and grace of God to meet their needs.

Verse 3

If a believer attempts to use prayer to satisfy their lust, they are not using prayer properly. And your prayer will not be heard anyway, because you’re out of fellowship with God. What a believer thinks is a seemingly easy way to get what they desire, they end up with nothing because of false motives.

Verse 4

A believer in reversionism is an “adulteress.” All believers are members of the body of Christ in the Church Age. Jesus Christ in the analogy is the husband and the Church are we are His wife. So, adulteresses refer to Church Age believers in reversionism (cheating on their husband). You cannot “ride the fence,” as a Christian. If you are not advancing in your spiritual life, you are retreating. Reversionists are said to be enemies of God and of the Cross of Christ. In Philippians 3:18-19, we are given a description of these reversionists. They have made emotion their god, they glorify their good works, and set their minds on earthly things. For these reasons, they are enemies of God and the Cross of Christ.

Verse 5

It is impossible for a reversionistic believer to be objective in their thinking. The word Spirit is the Holy Spirit. The word dwell is the Greek word “katoikeo,” and it means to indwell permanently. The word desires is the Greek word “epipotheo,” the strongest word for pure, passionate love. James was saying that the Holy Spirit Who indwells believers is loved by God the Father and desires believers to avoid reversionism by avoiding the pitfalls of Satan’s world system by means of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6

In contrast to God’s attitude toward reversionism, we now have God’s attitude toward spiritual maturity. God is opposed means He is opposed to anything in Satan’s world system. When a believer gets into reversionism they become a lover of Satan’s world system. Notice that the reversionist is always described in terms of mental attitude sins which God hates, such as jealousy and pride.

Greater grace blessings are given to spiritually mature believers who have capacity for them. The word humble is used to describe a spiritually mature believer who has humility of soul and is teachable. The Greek word for humble is “tapeinos,” which means humble-minded or not arrogant. Humility therefore refers to a believer who is living the grace plan of God. Arrogant believers do not live the Christian life.

Verse 7

Submit means to be subordinate to the authority of God. There is authority in Heaven and there is also authority in the Christian life. Doctrine in your soul is your authority and submission to God is based upon the doctrinal content within your soul. Ultimately, you must respond to the authority of doctrine in your soul to reach spiritual maturity.

As doctrine builds in your soul, you will understand the character of God and respond to Him out of genuine humility, not enforced humility. Enforced humility is forcing yourself to submit to God’s authority because you know it’s the right thing to do. Genuine humility is submitting to God’s authority because you have learned to love Him. There is no greater authority in the universe than God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Response to that authority is fulfilled only by spiritually maturing believers. This is where you learn the doctrine which becomes the authority in your soul. On the other hand, the neglect of Bible teaching and/or its application leads to reversionism which is rejection of the authority of God.

Once you have obeyed the command to submit, you are resisting the devil. Resist means to stand against or to oppose. As you accumulate doctrine in the soul, you are in opposition to Satan, who is the ruler of this world system. The only person who really can oppose the devil and fulfill this command is a spiritually maturing believer.

The principle is brought out in 1 Peter 5:5-9. Notice what happens when you oppose the devil with the Bible doctrine you have in your soul. The way in which you are subordinate to God is the way in which you oppose the devil so that he runs away — “and he will flee from you” – on the basis of Bible doctrine in your soul. Bible doctrine in your soul is more powerful than the ruler of this world, Satan. Therefore, Bible doctrine is the means by which we become subordinate to God and at the same time oppose Satan. It is the exact method used by Jesus when He was here on earth.

Verse 8

Now we have the other side of the coin – the recovery from reversionism. The command is to come close to God. The Greek word for come close is “eggizo,” which means to approach, to come near, or to get closer. Now we see two factors in reversionism recovery. One is the use of Rebound (cleanse your hands) and the other is the consistent study of the Word of God (purify your hearts). Both are essential; both go together. The command is to believers who are in reversionism to turn around and recover.

God will come close to you in the sense that He will honor your Rebound and He will honor your study of His Word. Being filled with the Spirit is not going to help you until you begin to take in the Word of God. So, Rebound in reversionism does not help until you begin to study and apply Bible doctrine on a consistent basis. It is Rebound plus accurate Bible doctrine that leads a believer out of reversionism.

You sinners refers to believers in reversionism, not believers who are simply out of fellowship. Double-minded is a word for reversionistic believers who try to “ride the fence” in their Christian lives. No one can serve two masters, at the same time!