Page 45 - book_james

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world (kosmos: the
world system) is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
(kosmos) is the enemy of God.

The analogy of worldliness as a type of adultery is from the Old Testament, where it is
compared to idolatry (Psalm 73:27; Isaiah 54:5, 57:3‐13; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:6‐29,
23:1‐49; Hosea 9:1). Idolatry is lovemaking with another god. This brings out the jealousy
of God. Because God is like the husband in the relationship, the congregation becomes the
wife, and therefore, the adulteresses. The feminine is appropriate for the New Testament
also because the church is seen as the wife and bride of the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 5:22‐32).
Since the plural is used here, the majority of the congregation is in view.

The “friend” of the Lord was seen in chapter 2 with Abraham who was not only a hearer of
the Word but also a doer. This person is a friend and lover of the Lord. But when a believer,
espoused to the Lord, becomes a friend and lover of the world, it is spiritual adultery. The
world’s system (kosmos) is backed by Satan (1 John 4:4), showing that love toward the
world is courting Satan himself. God will never become our enemy, but we can become His.
The person who loves the world makes himself the enemy of God.

Jas 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth
to envy?

Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Although “Spirit” is capitalized in the NKJV of the Bible, it is not referring to the Holy Spirit.
Neither is it referring to the human spirit, but to the nature of the flesh. It is the attitude
and tendency in our lives toward people when we desire to do good (Romans 7:18‐21). This
again brings up (from verse 4) the conflict that rages in the life of the believer whether to
love the world or the Lord. Our flesh wants to be a friend of the world and our spirit desires
to obey the Word and be a friend of God.

And although a portion of verse 5 is also in quotations, there is no specific Old Testament
scripture that says this. However, many Scriptures imply the same thought. One specific
example is Genesis 8:21: “For the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. . . .”
James may have been referring to this, but even more likely to the thought expressed
throughout the Old Testament that “the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Jas 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble.

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud (uperephanois:
arrogant), but giveth grace unto the humble.

When the nature of the flesh rises up to lust after the things of the world, God gives more
grace. “Where sin (nature) doth abound, grace doth much more abound” (Romans 5:10).
There is no temptation that can come to us from the world, the flesh, or the devil that the