Bullet Point Bible

The Source of Quarrels

¹ Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?² You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;³ you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

James identifies the root cause of external conflicts (quarrels, fights) as internal desires (passions, cravings) warring within individuals (James 4:1). This contrasts with blaming external circumstances or other people.
Unfulfilled desires lead to destructive actions like envy and even metaphorical "murder" (perhaps referring to hatred, as in 1 John 3:15), highlighting the seriousness of unchecked covetousness (James 4:2).
Prayerlessness ("You do not have because you do not ask") is cited as a key reason for lacking what is needed or truly good (James 4:2).
When prayer does occur, it is often ineffective because the motives are wrong – seeking selfish pleasure ("spend it on your passions") rather than God's will or genuine need (James 4:3).
This section connects internal spiritual state directly to external relational harmony, a common theme in James (e.g., James 1:19-20).
The "passions" (Greek: *hedonon*, source of "hedonism") refer to self-centered cravings for pleasure and possessions that are inherently insatiable and lead to conflict.
Application: Believers should examine their own hearts and motives when facing conflict, recognizing that the source often lies within their own unchecked desires and misdirected prayers.

Worldliness Versus Godliness

⁴ Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy.⁵ Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, "The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning"?⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, " God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble ."

James uses the strong term "adulterous people" metaphorically to describe spiritual unfaithfulness – believers who divide their loyalty between God and worldly values (James 4:4). This echoes Old Testament prophets condemning Israel's idolatry as adultery (e.g., Hosea 2:2-13).
Friendship with the "world" (kosmos) signifies embracing the value system, priorities, and sinful desires characteristic of humanity alienated from God. This is presented as incompatible with friendship with God; choosing one means rejecting the other (James 4:4). Compare with 1 John 2:15-17.
Verse 5 is notoriously difficult to translate and interpret. The NET translation suggests that the human spirit God placed within us is prone to envy, or perhaps that God's Spirit jealously desires the devotion of the believer. Either way, it points to a deep-seated conflict involving desire and loyalty. The phrase is attributed to Scripture, though no specific OT verse matches exactly; it may summarize a biblical principle about God's jealousy for His people or the human tendency towards envy.
God's response to this internal struggle and external worldliness is not condemnation alone, but the offer of "greater grace" (James 4:6). This grace overcomes the pull of worldly passions and the tendency towards envy.
James quotes Proverbs 3:34 (also quoted in 1 Peter 5:5) to emphasize a core principle: God actively resists the proud (those aligned with the world, relying on self) but generously gives grace to the humble (those who recognize their dependence on Him) (James 4:6).
Theological Insight: Spiritual fidelity is paramount. Compromising with worldly systems and values constitutes enmity against God.
Application: Believers must constantly assess their allegiances. Humility is the prerequisite for receiving the divine help (grace) needed to overcome worldliness.

Submission, Repentance, and Humility

⁷ So submit to God. But 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 make your hearts pure, you double-minded.⁹ Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair.¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

Following the diagnosis of worldliness, James provides a prescription for restoration, beginning with submission to God's authority (James 4:7). This is the foundation for resisting evil.
Believers are called to actively "resist the devil," with the promise that he will flee (James 4:7). This implies spiritual warfare requires a firm stance against temptation and demonic influence (cf. Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Drawing near to God relationally results in God drawing near to the believer (James 4:8). This reciprocal relationship requires intentional effort from the believer.
Practical steps for drawing near include external purification ("cleanse your hands," symbolizing actions) and internal purification ("make your hearts pure," symbolizing motives and attitudes) (James 4:8). The term "double-minded" echoes James 1:8, referring to divided loyalty.
Genuine repentance involves heartfelt sorrow for sin: grieving, mourning, and weeping (James 4:9). This contrasts sharply with the frivolous pursuit of pleasure associated with worldliness. It signifies a radical change in perspective regarding sin.
The path back to God culminates in humbling oneself "before the Lord" (James 4:10). This involves acknowledging one's sinfulness, dependence, and need for God's mercy.
The promise attached to humility is divine exaltation (James 4:10). God lifts up those who lower themselves before Him, contrasting with the self-exaltation of the proud whom He opposes (James 4:6). Compare with Luke 14:11.
Application: Restoration with God involves a sequence: submit to God, resist evil, draw near through cleansing and purification, express genuine sorrow for sin, and embrace humility, trusting God for eventual exaltation.

Judging Others Versus God's Law

¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.¹² But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge-the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?

James shifts focus to interpersonal relationships within the community, specifically condemning slander ("speak against") and judgmentalism (James 4:11).
Speaking against or judging a fellow believer is equated with speaking against and judging God's Law itself (James 4:11). This likely refers to the "royal law" of loving one's neighbor (James 2:8), which slander directly violates.
By judging others, one usurps the role of God, setting oneself up as a judge over the Law rather than a doer of the Law (James 4:11). This reflects profound arrogance.
James reminds his readers that God alone is the ultimate Lawgiver and Judge (James 4:12). He possesses the authority and power to save and destroy, which humans lack.
The rhetorical question, "But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12) serves as a sharp rebuke, emphasizing the believer's lack of standing to pass ultimate judgment on others. Compare with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7:1-5 and Paul's in Romans 14:4, 10-13.
This passage links internal attitudes (pride, worldliness) with destructive speech habits (slander, judgment).
Application: Believers should refrain from slander and judgmental criticism, recognizing that judgment belongs to God alone and that their primary duty is to obey God's law of love.

Arrogant Planning and the Brevity of Life

¹³ Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit."¹⁴ You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.¹⁵ You ought to say instead, "If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that."¹⁶ But as it is, you boast about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.¹⁷ So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

James addresses the arrogance of making future plans without acknowledging God's sovereignty (James 4:13). The attitude described is one of self-sufficient confidence in controlling future outcomes.
He highlights the folly of such presumption by emphasizing the uncertainty and brevity of life: "You do not know about tomorrow!" Life is compared to a transient "mist" (James 4:14), underscoring human frailty and dependence (cf. Psalm 39:4-6; Proverbs 27:1).
The proper attitude involves acknowledging God's will in all plans: "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" (James 4:15). This reflects humility and dependence on God (cf. Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 4:19).
Planning without reference to God is described as arrogant boasting, which James declares is "evil" (James 4:16). It stems from the same pride God opposes (James 4:6).
The chapter concludes with a sobering principle: knowing the right course of action (e.g., acknowledging God in plans, avoiding slander, submitting to God) and failing to act accordingly constitutes sin (James 4:17). This is often called a sin of omission.
This final verse serves as a summary warning, applicable not only to arrogant planning but to all the commands given in the chapter and elsewhere. Failure to apply known truth is itself sinful.
Application: Believers should make plans responsibly but always with humility, acknowledging God's ultimate control over life and circumstances. They must also be diligent to act upon the good they know they should do, avoiding sins of omission.

The Bullet Point Bible

James 4