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A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Robertson comments that "One would point out the city on the map (Mayor) as he made the proposal (we will go)." John
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Robertson - This old interrogative adverb (pothen - here twice) asks for the origin of wars and fights. James is full of interrogatives, like all diatribes. ("A diatribe is a style of teaching in ancient philosophical schools, generally characterized by rhetorical questions and imaginary interlocutors." - IVP Background Commentary) In Robertson's commentary on James he adds "This use of question gives life to style and is the mark of a good teacher. Note also the repetition of “whence,” which gives added piquancy....Basically, ecclesiastical strife does not differ in origin and spirit from wars between nations. Sometimes there is even more bitterness. Certainly no wars have been fiercer than the so-called “religious” wars of history. It does seem like irony that the two world wars should have come after so many years of growth of the peace sentiment in the world. " George M Stulac - The term for fights is polemos; in other contexts (as in Heb 11:34), it refers to actual armed conflict and so carries a violent image. The term for quarrels is mache; it is used in other literature only for battles without material weapons and so refers more to angry disputes. James uses the terms as a pair to make his question inclusive and pointed. It is not to be avoided. The fighting among Christians which James is addressing is an outrageous evil. Yet I have seen it accepted complacently; one church member who saw a church breaking into factions even commented cheerfully, "Oh, I love a church fight!" In reality it is a tragedy which can cripple a church's internal ministries and external witness for years before a measure of healing and purification becomes evident. James is not talking about disagreements--the healthy conflicts that should be expected in a church whose ministries are expanding. He is writing about fighting, which is "earthly, unspiritual, of the devil" in origin, and he will call its perpetrators "you adulterous people" (4:4). So serious a crime calls for a serious response. When we Christians find ourselves embroiled in fights with each other, we should examine what we are doing in the light of this paragraph. James gives us great help by answering three questions that are hard for us to face.What Is the Fighting Really About? (4:1) (IVP NT Commentary) Lehman Strauss adds "Nations, churches, families and individuals could profit much from a study of these verses. Extirpate the cause of wars and fightings and you have settled the disposition of this evil monstrosity." (Borrow James, Your Brother: Studies in the Epistle of James - page 150) Jewish Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza said "I have often wondered that persons who make boast of professing the Christian religion—namely love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men—should quarrel with such rancorous animosity, and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues which they profess, is the readiest criteria of their faith." Dan McCartney - The word polemos refers to larger military engagements (battles or wars), whereas mache typically refers to engagements between individuals or smaller groups (fights, contests). A sword fight between two individuals is a mache; an engagement of two armies, or even a full-scale war, is a polemos. The use of both terms may indicate that conflict in the churches involves both individual animosities and party antipathy. (James Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) David Guzik makes an interesting statement that "The source of wars and fights among Christians is always the same. There is some root of carnality, an internal war within the believer regarding the lusts of the flesh. No two believers who are both walking in the Spirit of God towards each other can live with wars and fights among themselves....Almost all who have such a critical and contentious attitude claim they are prompted and supported by the Spirit of God. (ED: I HAVE HEARD THIS - THEY SAY "GOD TOLD ME...") James makes it clear that this contentious manner comes from your desires. “It is self-evident that the Spirit of God does not create desire which issues in envying.” (Morgan)" (James 4 Commentary) Michael Andrus - I believe some fights and quarrels in the church are legitimate and justified. It is clear that "peace at any price" is not a biblical concept. James, however, is clearly concerned about the kind of arguments and conflicts that cannot be justified. That is, they cannot be ascribed to righteous zeal but rather to selfish ambition. The fact of the matter is that most fights and quarrels in church are not legitimate or justified. In his book, The Unity Factor, my friend and fellow Free Church pastor, Larry Osborne asserts that "the fiercest battles in our churches are seldom fought over theology. More often, they are fought over change, sometimes even the slightest change." They are also fought over personalities, over music preferences, over leadership style, over Roberts' Rules of Order, and over injured feelings. Why? James offers an interesting insight here in the first verse. It is that believers are often at war with one another because . . .Believers are at war with themselves. (1-3) "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" Frustrated desires, he says, lead to conflict. (Understanding Conflict: A Prerequisite to Peacemaking ) A T Robertson on among you - James does not, of course, here refer to wars between nations but to the factional bickerings in the churches, the personal wrangles that embitter church life. “Among you,” he adds, to drive the question home. (Commentary) The idea of among you is something like this -- "You — of all people — you who have received the Gospel, you who have been given new hearts, you who know the Prince of Peace, you who are members of His body — YOU are the ones waging war against each other? What is the SOURCE of this?" In short, the question and the word "among" together create a stunning indictment, not of pagans doing what pagans do, but of believers doing what believers should never do! James seems to deliberately withhold his usual warm address of "my brethren" (or "brethren") to signal the gravity of what he is describing. The question and the word among together constitute one of the most penetrating indictments of the visible church found anywhere in Scripture. Michael Andrus - Notice that James doesn't ask whether there are fights and quarrels among us–he assumes it. As I have already indicated, I believe some fights and quarrels in the church are legitimate and justified. It is clear that "peace at any price" is not a biblical concept. James, however, is clearly concerned about the kind of arguments and conflicts that cannot be justified. That is, they cannot be ascribed to righteous zeal but rather to selfish ambition. The fact of the matter is that most fights and quarrels in church are not legitimate or justified. In his book, The Unity Factor, my friend and fellow Free Church pastor, Larry Osborne asserts that "the fiercest battles in our churches are seldom fought over theology. More often, they are fought over change, sometimes even the slightest change." They are also fought over personalities, over music preferences, over leadership style, over Roberts' Rules of Order, and over injured feelings. Why? James offers an interesting insight here in the first verse. It is that believers are often at war with one another because . . . Believers are at war with themselves. (Understanding Conflict: A Prerequisite to Peacemaking - Pdf) Perhaps it was this section of James which prompted someone to records this little (all too true) ditty... To dwell above with saints we love, That will be grace and glory. To live below with saints we know; That's another story! OUR PLEASURES CARRY ON A CONTINUAL "MILITARY CAMPAIGN"! Is not the source your pleasures (passions, desires - hedone) that (continually) wage war (strateuomai - present tense participle) in your members (melos)? - CSB = "Don't they come from the cravings that are at war within you?" NIV = "Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" NET = "Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you?" This is rhetorical and expects a "Yes, you are correct James." So James answers his own question before they can wax eloquent (making excuses, rationalizing, etc - we never do that do we?)! His "diagnosis" is that the strife going on externally among the saints (brethren Jas 3:12+, 4:11+) is a reflection of the war going on internally, in their hearts. They sought to selfishly satisfy their base, carnal inner cravings, reflecting ungodly wisdom described in Jas 3:14-16+ ("jealousy and selfish ambition")! Once again James simply validates what his half-brother Jesus had taught declaring “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man., for out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders." (Mt 15:18, 19+, cf Mk 7:21-23+) George Stulac observes that James "drives right to the fact that the fights are, at bottom, about personal desires. His point is reminiscent of Jas 1:14+, where he refused to allow excuses for temptation. People are tempted when they are enticed by their own "evil desire" (lust). There the term was epithymia; now in Jas 4:1 the term for "desires" is hedone, which speaks more distinctly of pleasures. We get into fights because of pleasures we desire for ourselves. An important self-examining question for Christians in conflict is "What personal desire am I trying to protect or to gain?" (IVP NT Commentary) Selfish Passions Cause Strife The source your pleasures (hedone) is closely related to lusts, depicting the inner desire to get something that one does not possess and yet greatly desires to possess. The pleasure describes the desire which has already found its object and is being gratified. Pleasure is sensual gratification already in motion. These people are not merely tempted (as by lust - Jas 1:14), but are already gratifying their lust in the form of pleasures. In other words, hedone is slightly "further down the road" than epithumia, for hedone is desire already finding its gratification rather than merely reaching for it. Hedone is not just the wanting (lust), but the wanting of pleasant things, the orientation toward gratification itself. 🙏 THOUGHT - Mark it down that selfishness will always destroy peace. Think of how this principle impacts so many marriages in our day! There is only one solution and it is to kill sin before it kills your marriage. In Ro 8:13 Paul says "if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live (AND SO WILL YOUR MARRIAGE BELOVED!)" Again Paul gives us the ONLY effective antidote to our continual tendency toward selfishness - "But I say, walk (present imperative/ See discussion of the Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands - Beloved, let's be honest - we need the Spirit to give us the desire to even want to walk by the Him!!!) by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Gal 5:16-17+) (See Illustration below). How can you know if you are in the flesh or in the Spirit? Here's a short checklist - Are you conscious of a secret spirit of pride? because of your natural gifts and abilities, love of human praise, a secret fondness to be noticed, love of supremacy, a touchy, sensitive spirit, a disposition to resent and retaliate when you are reproved of or contradicted, self-will, a stubborn unteachable spirit, harsh, sarcastic expressions, an arguing, talkative spirit, an unyielding, headstrong disposition, a disposition to criticize and pick flaws, a peevish, fretful spirit, an unpleasant sensation in view of the great prosperity and success of somebody else, a disposition to speak of the faults and failings rather than the gifts and virtues of those more talented and appreciated than yourself, given to exaggeration, etc, etc Don Anderson - It’s those passionate, earthly, natural, selfish, carnal desires. When you turn it over and the controls are taken by yourself rather than the Lord, that old nature rises to the surface and it acts in this way, totally contrary to the agenda and the program the Lord has in making you more Christlike. (James 5:1-6 ) The statement that wage war in your members suggests that the primary site of the war is internal, but while this is true, what James is addressing, is individuals continually at "war" (with words) with each other. The internal source feeds the external strife. D Edmond Hiebert says this was "evidence that they are being governed by the spirit of worldliness." (James) One is reminded of Peter's exhortation to the saints "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain (apecho = push away from, put some space so to speak, in the present tense only possible as we rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us! cf use in Acts 15:20, 29+, 1 Th 4:3+) from fleshly lusts which (continually - present tense) wage war (strateuomai - same verb used by James) against the soul. (1 Peter 2:11+) Marvin
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Robertson says that in James 4:1 "polemos (old word, Matthew 24:6) pictures the chronic state or campaign (I.E., A STATE OF WAR), while machē (also old word, 2 Cor. 7:5) presents the separate conflicts or battles in the war. So James covers the whole ground by using both words. The origin of a war or of any quarrel is sometimes hard to find, but James touches the sore spot here." Robertson adds this word "means a state of war and the lasting resentment connected with it." POLEMOS - 20x in 16v - battle(4), quarrels(1), war(10), wars(5). Matt. 24:6; Mk. 13:7; Lk. 14:31; Lk. 21:9; 1 Co. 14:8; Heb. 11:34; Jas. 4:1; Rev. 9:7; Rev. 9:9; Rev. 11:7; Rev. 12:7; Rev. 12:17; Rev. 13:7; Rev. 16:14; Rev. 19:19; Rev. 20:8 Polemos in Septuagint - Gen. 14:2,8; Exod. 1:10; 13:17; 15:3; 32:17; Lev. 26:6,36-37; Num. 10:9; 14:3; 20:18; 21:14,33; 31:14,21,36; 32:6,20,27,29-30; Deut. 2:5,9,19,24,32; 3:1; 4:34; 20:1-3,5-7,12,20; 21:10; 24:5; 29:7; Jos. 4:13; 8:14; 10:11,24; 11:18-20; 14:11,15; 22:33; Jdg. 3:1-2,10; 8:13; 20:20,22-23,28,34,39,42; 21:22; 1 Sam. 4:1-2; 7:10; 8:20; 13:5,22; 14:20,22-23,52; 17:1-2,8,47; 19:8; 23:8; 25:28; 26:10; 28:1; 29:4,9; 30:24; 31:3; 2 Sam. 1:4,25; 2:17; 3:1,6,30; 5:24; 10:8-9,13; 11:7,15,18-19,22,25; 18:6,8; 19:3,10; 21:15,17-20; 22:35,40; 23:9; 1 Ki. 2:5; 5:3; 8:44; 12:21; 14:30; 15:7,16; 20:14,18,26,29,39; 22:1,4,6,15,30,34-35; 2 Ki. 3:7,26; 8:28; 9:16; 13:25; 14:7; 16:5; 18:20; 24:16; 25:4; 1 Chr. 5:10,18-20,22; 7:4; 10:3; 11:13; 12:1,8,19,33,35-36; 14:15; 19:9,14; 20:4-6; 22:8; 26:27; 2 Chr. 6:34; 11:1; 13:2-3,14; 14:6,10; 15:19; 16:9; 17:18; 18:3,5,14,29,33-34; 20:1; 22:5; 25:5,13; 26:11-13; 27:7; 28:12; 32:6,8; 35:21; Est. 1:1; Job 5:15,20; 22:10; 33:18; 38:23; 39:25; 41:8; Ps. 18:34,39; 24:8; 27:3; 46:9; 68:30; 76:3; 78:9; 89:43; 140:2,7; 144:1; Prov. 21:31; 24:6; Eccl. 3:8; 8:8; 9:11,18; Cant. 3:8; Isa. 21:15; 22:2; 42:13,25; 46:2; Jer. 4:19; 6:4,23; 18:21; 28:8; 41:16; 42:14; 46:3; 49:2,14; 50:22,42; 51:20; Ezek. 7:15; 17:17; Dan. 7:8,21; 9:25-26; 11:20,25; Hos. 1:7; 2:18; 10:9,14; Joel 2:5; 3:9; Amos 1:14; Obad. 1:1; Mic. 2:8; 3:5; Zech. 10:3,5; 14:2-3 Conflicts (disputes)(3163)(mache from machomai = to fight - this word is used for physical combat, especially military) when used literally refers to physical combat or a contest fought with weapons = battle, conflict, fight. The idea is a serious clash or conflict, and can be either physical or non-physical. It pictures violent personal relationships. It is used only figuratively in the NT and is always in the plural referring to battles fought with words not weapons (although the tongue can certainly be a vicious weapon of sorts! James 3:8+), thus "word battles," disputes, quarrels, strifes, contentions (2 Cor 7:5; 2Ti 2:23; Titus 3:9; Jas 4:1). Mache gives us our English word logomachy which describes arguments about words or the meaning of words. Robertson says mache in this context "refers to battles or outbursts of passion which occur during a state of war." MACHE - 4V - conflicts(2), disputes(1), quarrels(1). 2 Co. 7:5; 2 Tim. 2:23; Titus 3:9; Jas. 4:1 Pleasures (Jas 4:3)(2237)(hedone from hedos = delight, enjoyment > hedomai = have sensual pleasure) describes the state or condition of experiencing pleasure for any reason and thus speaks of gratification and enjoyment. Feelings that please self and selfish desires. Although the word has a strong philosophical flavor (GPT, 75-78; TDNT), it is to be taken here in a practical and bad sense. Ancient hedonism expressed itself in two ways: the cruder form was that proposed by Aristippus and the early Cyrenaics, who believed that pleasure was achieved by the complete gratification of all one’s sensual desires! In contrast, Epicurus' school, though accepting the primacy of pleasure, tended to equate it with the absence of pain and taught that it could best be attained through the rational control of one’s desires. In either case it was focused on SELF! In the NT hedone is used only in a bad sense, referring to indulgence and lack of control of natural appetites (sensual) pleasure. It is a lust to fulfill anything that feels good. God has created pleasure as a feeling for us to enjoy life. The problem of pleasure occurs when a person becomes obsessed with pleasure and/or seeks to fulfill his pleasures outside the parameters of God's word. HEDONE - 5x - Lk. 8:14+; Titus 3:3+; Jas. 4:1; Jas. 4:3; 2 Pet. 2:13+. Wage war (4754)(strateuomai from strategos = army, stratos = an encamped army) means literally to perform military service, serve as a soldier in the army, go to fight, carry on a military campaign, make a military expedition, lead soldiers to war or to battle. Strateuomai is used figuratively in this verse (and 1 Pe 2:11+) of spiritual battles, the picture being one of actively carrying on a campaign with the implication of battles planned and orchestrated by the indwelling flesh, the evil disposition all mankind inherited from Adam and which is still "latent" even in believers. Note strateuomai is in the present tense which indicates that the spiritual campaign spearheaded by fleshly lusts against our souls is a continual struggle we can expect to engage in until the day we see our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is analogous to what Paul wrote in Galatians "For the flesh sets its desire (present tense) against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition (continually - present tense) to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Gal 5:17+) Strateuomai pictures a full military expedition and not just a skirmish but an organized, sustained, purposeful military campaign. It is the same root from which we get the English word strategy and a strategos was a military general who planned and executed campaigns. STRATEUOMAI - 7V- active service(1), fight(1), serves as a soldier(1), soldier in active service(1), soldiers(1), wage war(2), war(1).Lk. 3:14; 1 Co. 9:7; 2Co. 10:3; 1Tim. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:4; Jas. 4:1; 1 Pet. 2:11 Members (3196)(melos) refers to a limb or member of the body and in the plural (and in the context of the present verse) and can refer to the members of the physical body (its limbs, organs, appetites, and drives) as the seat of the desires and passions. In James 3:5+ melos is singular (most of us have only one tongue, although some of us to often speak with a "forked tongue!") In the plural melos was used to describe the members of the body (not the body of Christ but the physical body) as the seat of the desires and passions (Ro 6:13, 19; Ro 7:5, 23; 1 Cor. 6:15; Col. 3:5; James 4:1). In addition, melos can refer to individual members of the body of Christ (Ro 12:4,5, 1Co 12:18ff, Eph 4:25, Eph 5:30). James used melos to describe the physical member of the body, the tongue, in James 3:5,6. MELOS - 34X/24V - member(4), members(27), part(1), parts(2). Matt. 5:29; Matt. 5:30; Rom. 6:13; Rom. 6:19; Rom. 7:5; Rom. 7:23; Rom. 12:4; Rom. 12:5; 1 Co. 6:15; 1 Co. 12:12; 1 Co. 12:14; 1 Co. 12:18; 1 Co. 12:19; 1 Co. 12:20; 1 Co. 12:22; 1 Co. 12:25; 1 Co. 12:26; 1 Co. 12:27; Eph. 4:25; Eph. 5:30; Col. 3:5; Jas. 3:5; Jas. 3:6; Jas. 4:1 Lowell
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Robertson - It is not impossible to know the will of God if one will pay the price. “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” (John 7:17). The way opens to the one who is willing to put God to the test. “ (Commentary) Boast (exult, glory) (2744)(kauchaomai akin to aucheo = boast + euchomai = pray to God <> auchen = neck which vain persons are apt to carry in proud manner) means to boast over a privilege or possession. It can also convey the picture of one who is being loud mouthed or speaking loudly, as possibly some of James' readers were doing. The idea is they were taking pride in their accomplishments, not in God's provision to enable them to achieve those accomplishments. Is this not the mantra and method of most of the fallen world THOUGHT - There is a proper boasting as described by God in the prophecy of Jeremiah. This should ever be our pattern for proper boasting! - "Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he UNDERSTANDS and KNOWS Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (Jer 9:23-24, quoted in 1 Cor 1:31) James used the same verb kauchaomai in James 1:9+ encouraging (actually commanding) "the brother of humble (tapeinos) circumstances is to glory (or boast - present imperative) in his high position (hupsos/hypsos)." Note the striking antithetical paradox humble circumstances and high position. The way up in God's Kingdom is down, even as James has described above - “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” (James 4:6+) and "Humble (aorist imperative - a command) yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt (hupsoo) you." (James 4:10+) Arrogance (212)(alazoneia - related word alazon "boastful" in Ro 1:30) means characterized by presumption in word or action, empty presumption which trusts in the stability of earthly things. Alaz It speaks of pretension, arrogance in word and deed. The only other NT use is interesting in John's description of the "boastful pride of life (which) is not from the Father but is from the world." (1 Jn 2:16+)
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Robertson adds atmis is "like atmos, from which our atmosphere." The metaphorical description of life as a vapor would have been familiar to James' Jewish readers for Jewish apocalyptic literature compared the wicked are to a vapor or mist suggesting they were transitory (4 Ezra 7:61; 2 Baruch 82:3; 1 Enoch 97:8–10). Atmis in the Septuagint (Lxx) - Ge 19:28 = "like the smoke of a furnace"; Lev. 16:13 = "the cloud (atmis) of incense may cover the mercy seat"; Ezek. 8:11 = "cloud of incense rising"; Hos. 13:3 = "like smoke from a chimney" Joel 2:30 "Blood, fire and columns of smoke" (Peter quotes the Septuagint in his sermon) Related Resources: Will of God - extensive notes How can I know God's will for my life? What does the Bible say about knowing God's will? What is the difference between God’s sovereign will and God’s revealed will? What is the key to hearing God’s voice? Does God have a plan for me? John Butler - Our text is to help us set our clocks correctly. It is about time and how little we know about tomorrow. It is about the shortness of life. While this text is very true most people live without reference to this text. Everything is for today. They ignore their ignorance and go pell-mell towards hell. Zodhiates - Oh, vain man, who with one hand holds the present and with the other the future, you do not stop to realize that it is only by the sustaining grace of God that you own this very instant in which you live! (Borrow Faith, Love, and Hope: An Exegetical Commentary on James) William Arnot was right when he wrote "“To-morrow” is the devil’s great ally—the very Goliath in whom he trusts for victory. “Now” is the stripling sent forth against him.… The world will freely agree to be Christians to-morrow, if Christ will permit them to be worldly to-day." George Bernard Shaw astutely observed, “The statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of one people die.” After John Brown was arrested at Harper's Ferry he made this very significant observation about life: "There is an eternity behind and an eternity before, and this little speck in the center, however long, is comparatively but a minute." In view of the extreme brevity of this life, it greatly and eternally benefits us to be "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:5). Since we have already spent a certain portion of our life in pursuit of earthly trinkets which have no lasting value, surely we would see the wisdom of laboring now "for that food which endures to eternal life . . ." (John 6.27). How clear it is from an eternal perspective that our past life as an unbeliever is "sufficient" or enough time to have "worked out the will of the Gentiles (non-Christians)." (1 Peter 4:3+) Rousseau once wrote, "When a man dies he clutches in his hands only that which he has given away in his life." While we were unbelievers the only thing we could give away were the works of the flesh; let us therefore, "knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light" (Ro 13:12,13+). (Dwight Edwards) A T Robertson - We are “a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Aristotle (Hist. An. vi. 7) uses these two verbs of the appearance and the disappearance of a flock of birds as they sweep across the sky. The usage occurs also of the eclipse of the sun. The transitoriness of human life should lead to full and hearty recognition of God, not to careless slighting of him. (Commentary on James) Zodhiates - When the eastern emperors were crowned at Constantinople, it is said to have been a custom for the royal mason to set before his majesty a certain number of marble slabs, one of which he was to choose to be his tombstone. It was thought well for him to remember his funeral at his coronation. Life is time, and the purpose of time is to prepare for eternity. A Greek philosopher, Anaxagoras, was asked what he thought he was born for. His answer was, “That I may meditate upon heaven.” That is exactly what James wishes to impress upon us, that we are here to prepare for eternity and not primarily to amass wealth and have a good time (Borrow Faith, Love, and Hope: An Exegetical Commentary on James) W. M. Lewis said "The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. " Here's a lie from the devil - You have your whole life ahead of you. Serve God later on in your life. James corrects that false thinking. Because life is short, live for God while you have the time. Don't waste your life by selecting an inferior purpose that has no lasting value. Only God can make your life worthwhile, purposeful, and meaningful.
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Robertson adds his comment on if the Lord wills - "James does not, of course, mean that one should always say these words. That gets to be cant or mere claptrap. It becomes repellent to hear one use the name of God flippantly and constantly. Besides, it comes to signify little or nothing....There should be significance in our acts and words of worship. The Jews made a point not to use the name of God too familiarly. They often used “the Name” for God, and Christians came to refer to Christ in the same way, “for the Name” (Acts 5:41). The late Jews came, perhaps under Mohammedan influence, to use the formula “if the Name wills” when about to start upon a journey (Oesterley). The rabbis (Plummer) have a story of a Jewish father who, at the circumcision of his son, boasts that with seven-year-old wine he would celebrate for a long time the birth of his son. That night Rabbi Simeon meets the Angel of Death and asks him, “Why art thou thus wandering about?” The angel replies: “Because I slay those who say, ‘We will do this or that,’ and think not how soon death may come upon them.” The thing that matters is for us to have the right attitude of heart toward God, not the chattering of a formula. God does not have to be propitiated by a charm or amulet. God should be the silent partner in all our plans and work, to be consulted, to be followed whenever his will is made known. Paul frequently spoke of his plans, sometimes mentioning God, as in Acts 18:21 (God willing), 1 Corinthians 4:19 (if the Lord will), and 1 Corinthians 16:7 (if the Lord permit); but also with no mention of God in words, as in Acts 19:21; Romans 15:28; 1 Corinthians 16:5. But always Paul felt that his movements were “in the Lord,” as in Philippians 2:24+. He never left God out of his life. Indeed, he practiced the presence of God. (Commentary on James) THOUGHT - I like Robertson's emphasis, not that we seek to always voice "if the Lord wills," but to always have the essence of the truth "if the Lord wills" in our heart as our guiding motive, thereby imitating Paul (1 Cor 11:1+) so that all we do is "in the Lord." The ideal is that we would willingly submit all of our plans to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in His Word and His Spirit to lead us (Gal 5:18+, Ro 8:14+). As Steven
Tiago 4:5
Robertson comments that the phrase (pros phthonon epipothei) is "A difficult phrase… (and if) God (is) presented as a jealous lover, does to pneuma (the spirit) refer to the Holy Spirit as the subject of epipothei or to man’s spirit as the object of epipothei? Probably the former and epipothei then means to yearn after in the good sense as in Phil. 1:8. (Word Pictures) Spirit (4151) (pneuma) in the present context can be taken as either the subject (NET = "The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning") or the object (ESV = "He yearns jealously over the spirit") of the verb desires and to further complicate the picture can be interpreted as a reference to either the human spirit or the Holy Spirit. The various translations at the beginning of this note (click) have been divided into those who interpret pneuma as the Divine Spirit or the human spirit. To dwell - The specific Greek verb which is translated to dwell is also in dispute. Most modern translations favor katoikizo while the KJV (based on the Greek Textus Receptus) favors the verb katoikeo. Katoikizo (no unique Strong's # - some resources list it with katoikeo 2730) is used only here in James 4:5 (but used 40x in the non-apocryphal Septuagint) and means to cause to dwell, to establish, to settle. Katoikizo is the verb which most scholars favor as the one James intended. BDAG writes that katoikizo is used in James 4:5 "of the Spirit" (BDAG favors the Holy Spirit) and so renders this phrase as "the Spirit which (God) has caused to live in us." Louw & Nida on the other hand favors the spirit of man and so renders it "the spirit that (God) caused to dwell in us" or "the spirit that (God) put within us". The confused reader can begin to see the difficulties and disagreements among respected scholars regarding the basic rendering of James 4:5! Katoikeo (2730) is the much more commonly used Greek verb (45x in 43 NT verses) meaning literally to reside and figuratively speaking of God dwelling in the heart (1Co 3:16), of demons dwelling humans (Mt 12:45), of God dwelling in the temple (Mt. 23:21), of Satan dwelling where Antipas was killed (Rev. 2:13), of Christ dwelling in His people by faith (Eph 3:17), of the fullness of God dwelling in Christ (Col. 1:19), of the fullness of Deity dwelling in Christ bodily (Col 2:9), and of righteousness dwelling in the new heaven and earth (2Pe 3:13). The NET Bible note says that… Both because of the absence of an explicit subject and the relative scarcity of the causative katoikizo ("cause to dwell") compared to the intransitive katoikeo (live, dwell") in Biblical Greek… it is easy to see why scribes would replace katokisen with katokesen (Ed: Replacing "i" with an "e" changes the root verb [lemma] from katoikizo to katoikeo)… On internal and external grounds, katokisen is the preferred reading. (Ed: In other words, the NET Bible translators and most other scholars favor the conclusion that James used the rare verb katoikizo rather than the more common verb katoikeo which is favored by the Greek Textus Receptus [KJV]. Are you confused yet?) Hiebert a highly respected expositor summarizes the textual and grammatical conundrum as follows… When the second half of Jas 4:5 is accepted as a separate sentence, is it to be punctuated as a question or as a declarative statement? The ASV makes it a question, but its contents may equally be regarded as a declarative statement." Its close connection with the statement in the first part of Jas 4:6 supports the view that this is also a statement of fact. We accept it as a statement of fact made by James. In view of the grammatical structure, there are four possibilities as to the intended meaning: 1. The human spirit as the object of the main verb: "He [God] yearns enviously for the spirit which He caused to dwell in us." Then the meaning is that God, who placed man's spirit in him at creation, longs for its total loyalty and devotion to Him. 2. The divine Spirit as the object of the verb: "He [God] yearns enviously for the Spirit which He caused to dwell in us." But it is difficult to see how one member of the Trinity should be pictured as enviously longing for another. This alternative is highly improbable. 3. The human spirit as the subject of the main verb: "The spirit which He made to dwell in us longs enviously" Then the meaning is that the human spirit, imparted at creation, longs perversely for enjoyment of the world's pleasures, even to the point of envy Then James charges his readers with perverseness in being cool toward God while yearning for the world's pleasures. 4. The divine Spirit as the subject of the verb: "The Spirit which He made to dwell in us yearns enviously" Then the meaning is that the Holy Spirit, imparted to us by God at conversion, yearns enviously for our total loyalty and devotion to Him. The incoming Holy Spirit, Who sealed our redemption, justly claims our undivided love. He can brook no rival for our affection. The only reference to the Holy Spirit in this epistle is under the second and fourth views. In view of the rebuke to worldliness that James is administering to his Christian readers, the last view seems most probable. Then this reference to the Holy Spirit's reaction to their worldliness fittingly expresses a further ground for censure. This view harmonizes with the natural force of the relative clause. The assertion that God caused the Spirit to dwell in believers is a central teaching of the New Testament (Acts 5:32; Ro 8:11; Gal. 4:6; 2Ti 1:14). The better-attested verb "causes to live" (katokisen) most naturally points to a distinctive experience that is not true of all men and is best taken as referring directly to the Spirit's impartation at regeneration. This view also gives the most natural meaning to "us" as restricted to Christians. This picture of the Holy Spirit's yearning for the undivided love of His people, and grudgingly refusing to yield to a rival, is consistent with the statement in Galatians 5:17 concerning the Spirit's opposition to the lusts of the flesh. This view also is supported by the assertion in the first part of verse 6, which stands in close connection with verse 5b. (James - Highly Recommended) The ESV Study Bible comments that… God created mankind with a “spirit,” and he deeply desires that our spirits worship Him (cf. John 4:23,24). Some interpreters believe the verse speaks of human jealousy (“The spirit that he has made to live in us envies intensely”). But the idea of divine jealousy fits the context best, since the surrounding verses (James 4:4, 6, 7, 8) deal with man's relationship with God. (ESV = “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”) The Handbook on the Letter to James has five alternative translations and has the following note on translation #4 (consult the UBS NT Handbook for all five possibilities with the pros and cons of each)… “The Spirit he caused to live in us longs jealously” (NIV second alternative rendering). In this instance the Holy Spirit is the subject of yearning. But God is the one who caused the Holy Spirit to live in us. The verb phrase “to yearn jealously” is taken in the good sense of “to long jealously for our full devotion,” or “to love us passionately.” What James appears to say here, then, is that Christians are indwelt by God’s Spirit, and that the Spirit longs for the undivided loyalty and the love of God’s people. The unstated application of this is that it would be inconceivable for Christians to continue to live in accordance with their own sinful desires and passions. To think of the Holy Spirit as dwelling in human beings is a concept well known in the Bible (Ro 8.11; 1Co3.16). The indwelling in human beings is the act and purpose of God. It makes more sense to say that God placed the Holy Spirit in us, rather than to say that he placed in us the human spirits with tendency to sin. However, the difficulty is that this would be the only reference to the Holy Spirit in the book, and this is considered by some scholars as most unlikely. Furthermore it would be unnatural to link the Holy Spirit with envy and jealousy. For this reason we would have to interpret the word “jealousy” in the good sense of a strong desire to love and care. This, to some scholars, is contrary to its normal usage in the New Testament, and it is therefore considered to be doubtful. (The United Bible Societies' New Testament Handbook Series) Thomas
Tiago 4:6
Robertson says these are "like our vernacular "stuck-up folks" (Ro 1:30), "haughty persons." The proud man or woman has a little altar in their heart where they bow down before themselves and this causes their eyes to look at all others with a silent contempt. Look out! This sin is subtly deceptive but ever lurking to pounce (cp Ge 4:5, 6, 7. Cain failed to heed God's clear warning - Ge 4:8)! Thomas Manton wrote that… The proud man hath his tactics, and God his anti-tactics
Tiago 4:10
Robertson remarks that "It is not that the child humbled himself, but that the child is humble from the nature of the case in relation to older persons. That is true, however “bumptious” the child himself may be. Bruce observes that to humble oneself is “the most difficult thing in the world for saint as for sinner."