Apparently, the Jewish believers to whom James wrote tended not only toward conflict and jealousy but also toward condemnation and judgment. Justice, not judgment, is what God requires. Upright, righteous relationships are essential to spiritual growth. James gives the answer to verse 5 in verse 6 with the answer of grace. Then, James provides pointed advice for justice in verses 7-9, and the advantage of humility (v. 10).
The world is in conflict with the Father, the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit, and the devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan’s great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against the saint and the Savior. God wants us to be humble; Satan wants us to be proud. A new Christian must not be put into places of spiritual leadership or they “may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6, ESV).
God wants us to depend on His grace (“But He gives more grace”), while the devil wants us to depend on ourselves. Satan is the author of all “do-it-yourself” spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it their own way. In spite of Jesus’ warnings about Satan’s plans, Peter fell into the snare, pulled out his sword, and tried to accomplish God’s will in his own way.
Here, then, are three enemies that want to turn us away from God: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These enemies are leftover from our old life of sin (Eph. 2:1–3). Christ has delivered us from them, but they still attack us. How can we overcome them? How can we be the friends of God and the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil? James gives us three instructions to follow if we would enjoy peace instead of war: (1) Submit to God (v. 7); (2) draw near to God (v. 8); and (3) Humble yourselves before God (vv. 9-10).
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. 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 purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (ESV)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- To have peace with God, James instructs us to submit to God, draw near to God, and humble ourselves before God.
- God exalts those who humble themselves before Him.
- Resist temptation, and God will enable you to overcome it.
- Seek grace from God to love Him with your whole heart.
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 6: Whatever questions remain unresolved about verse 5, there is no question about the clear truth of verse 6: “God opposes the proud.” The word “opposes,” or “resists,” is antitassetai, a military term meaning “to battle against.”[1] However, God “gives grace to the humble.” James quotes from Proverbs 3:34 to prove his point. Those who submit to divine wisdom will receive the necessary grace from God to put into practice the kind of life James describes (3:13-18). Whether a believer is called to resist their human spirit which tends toward envy or they are to rejoice in the Holy Spirit who jealously yearns for each believer’s edification, the call is to avoid pride and to submit humbly to God’s authority. Those who elevate themselves will face a formidable foe (v. 4). God Himself will fight against their plans because they are not on His side. The cure for conflict is a humble spirit that is rewarded by God’s grace (typically defined as unmerited favor). James continued by showing in verses 7–12 how humility is related to peaceful justice.
Verse 7: In verses 7–9 a whole series of commands (10 aorist imperatives) are given which, if followed, contribute to harmony and holiness.[2] James called for commitment (v. 7), cleansing (v. 8), and contrition (v. 9).
Like a magnet, the call for commitment has both positive and negative poles: submit to God and resist the devil. “Submit” is a military term “bring under control,” “put in subjection.” “to be subordinated,” or “to render obedience.”[3] “Resist” (antistēte) means “take a stand against.”[4] In other words, take a stand against the devil, and he will flee from you (for more info on this, see 1 Pet. 5:8, 9; Eph. 4:27; 6:11).
We must follow in order the two commands in this verse. First, we must submit to God by abandoning our selfish pride (vv. 1-6). Submitting to the Lord also involves putting on the whole armor of God, an image that includes everything from placing our faith in Him to immersing ourselves in the truth of God’s Word (Eph 6:11-18). Second, we must resist any temptation that the devil throws our way. Then the Devil will have no choice but to flee, for we belong to the army of the living God.
Verse 8: On the other hand, James instructs the readers to “draw near to God, and He will draw (come) near” in response. God is always ready to accept those who truly come to Him. However, in order to draw near to God, James shows that the readers must be cleansed. God graciously draws near to us when we deal with the sin in our lives that keeps Him at a distance. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Both “cleanse” (or “wash”) and “purify” are verbs that refer to ceremonial cleansing, a figure that spoke eloquently to Jewish converts.[5] The need for cleansing is clear from the way James addressed his readers, “you sinners” and “you double-minded” (dipsychoi; cf. 1:8). The “double-minded” are those Christians divided in their heart’s love between God and the world. Double-minded people follow the practices of the world while they pretend to hold to God. Such people lack the purity of heart and focused purpose which the Lord wants in His disciples.
Even though the words are tough, we see James’s love and concern for his readers by pointing out the need to resist sin.
Verse 9: Recognition of the tremendous need for cleansing allows no room for merriment. Wretched (or Grieve; literally, “be afflicted”), mourn, and weep (or wail) was James’ candid advice. When a believer who has fallen into sin responds to God’s call for repentance, he or she should place laughter and joy aside to reflect on the sin with genuine sorrow (2 Cor 7:9-10). Exchange laughter for mourning and joy for gloom (literally, “a downcast look, lowered eyes”).[6] A contrite spirit of confession is essential for God’s cleansing. In this verse, laughter seems to refer to the loud revelry of pleasure-loving people.[7] They immerse themselves in a celebration of their sins in an effort to forget God’s judgment. A Christian should never laugh at sin. However, Christian sorrow leads to repentance; repentance leads to forgiveness; and forgiveness leads to true joy over one’s reconciliation with God (Pss 32:1; 126:2; Prov 15:13).
Verse 10: The key is humility. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (or “lift you up”). The way up is down.[8] The lowly one becomes the lifted one. There is a marked advantage to humility—eventually, it brings honor. The person who humbles themselves to the Lord will be exalted in ways that they themselves could never accomplish. This primarily refers to one’s spiritual relationship with God.
[1] Strong’s 498.
[2] J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 830.
[3] ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō). Strong’s 5293. BDAG – “to cause to be in a submissive relationship, to subject, to subordinate.”
[4] Further, it means to be in opposition to, set oneself against, oppose
[5] J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 830.
[6] κατήφεια (katēpheia); Strong’s 2726. Also means depression or dejection.
[7] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1670.
[8] ταπεινόω (tapeinoō). BDAG – “to cause to be or become humble in attitude, humble, make humble in a favorable sense.”