Tiago 4
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Tiago 4
MacArthur has an interesting comment - The first wrong response to God's will is presumptuously ignoring it, living as though God and His will do not exist. But there are also those who, while acknowledging that God exists and has a will, nevertheless arrogantly reject it. Those in the first group are practical atheists—living as if God did not exist. Those in this second category are self-theists—refusing to submit the uncertainties of life to God, they set themselves, their own goals, and their own wills above God. God's will, though acknowledged, simply is not as important to them as their plans. Though such disdain does not characterize the life of a believer generally, even Christians are often guilty of setting aside God's will in favor of their own plans. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James)
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MacArthur adds that alazoneia "comes from a root word meaning "to wander about" and reflects empty pretense. It was sometimes used to describe charlatans who traveled around selling phony goods. Taken together, the two words picture someone bragging pretentiously about something he doesn't have and can't obtain. Such is the arrogance, James says, of those who deny the will of God." (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James) All such boasting is evil - This prideful expression regarding one's accomplishments is not just "bad" but is actively evil (see poneros below). Boasting (2746) (kauchesis) refers to the act of boasting about something. It expresses the idea of self-congratulation with or without sufficient reason. To boast means to speak of or assert with excessive pride, to express pride in oneself or one’s accomplishments and often suggests ostentation or even exaggeration. In the present context kauchesis denotes the assertion of a claim upon God on the ground of one’s works. Evil (wicked, bad) (4190)(poneros from poneo = work or toil, cf poneria from poneros) means evil including evil, malignant character, pernicious, that which is morally or socially worthless. Note that this word for evil denotes determined, aggressive, and fervent evil that actively opposes what is good. Poneros is not just bad in character (like kakos), but bad in effect (injurious)! In sum, poneros describes evil in active opposition to good. Given this meaning of poneros, it is hardly surprising that it is used to describe Satan (ho poneros = "Evil one" = see 1 Jn 5:19+, also in Mt 13:38; Jn 17:15; Eph 6:16; 2 Th. 3:3; 1 Jn 2:13-14; 1 Jn 3:12; 1Jn 5:18-19), the god of this age, who is corrupting man and dragging him to destruction. Poneros denotes someone who is not content in being corrupt themselves. They seek to corrupt others and draw them into the same destruction! MacArthur writes regarding evil that "Those who arrogantly deny God's will emulate Satan's sin, and may suffer his doom....Perhaps no one has expressed this defiant attitude toward God any more clearly than William Ernest Henley (ED: read this note for the context in which he wrote this poem) in his famous poem "Invictus". (Henley's) poem clearly reflects the attitude of those who know God exists, but arrogantly defy His will. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James) Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole," I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. ILLUSTRATIONS OF BOASTING - NAPOLEON - When Napoleon Bonaparte was about to invade Russia, someone tried to discourage him from doing so. When he realized he was not getting anywhere with Napoleon, he quoted this saying to him, "Man proposes and God disposes." Napoleon indignantly replied, "I dispose as well as propose." A Christian hearing this boast, remarked, "I marked that down as the turning point of Napoleon's fortunes." The Christian was on target because Russia was the beginning of his fall. For a man to boast of a future that he has no knowledge of, this boasting is sin. It is foolish to have the attitude that says, "I'm in control; I'll be rich; I don't need God; My way is best." God can dispose what we propose. Our boasting and pride can ruin us and make us ineffective for Christ. It robs us of the ability to be a blessing to other people. Peter boasted that he would never deny the Lord, but fell flat on his face. LITTLE WATCH - There is a story of a little watch which became dissatisfied with its little sphere in a lady's pocket. This little watch envied Big Ben, the great tower clock of London. As the woman crossed Westminister Bridge one day, the little watch said, "I wish I could be up there. I could serve the multitudes." A voice said to the little watch, "You shall have your opportunity." Magically the little watch was drawn up to the tower by a slender thread. When it reached the top, the woman said, "Where are you little watch? I cannot see you." No one else could see the little watch either. The elevation of the little watch became its annihilation. The little watch may have been proud that it reached such heights, but it lost its effectiveness, and usefulness to itself and to others. It no longer fulfilled the purpose for which it was created. Beloved, don't let your boasting and pride destroy your effectiveness for Christ. If you think you are a big shot preacher and God's gift to Christianity, you're not, so stop thinking this way. It is hindering your ministry and turning people off. (Mattoon's Treasures – Treasures from James) James 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. Amplified So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. NET James 4:17 So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin. GNT James 4:17 εἰδότι οὖν καλὸν ποιεῖν καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι, ἁμαρτία αὐτῷ ἐστιν. NLT James 4:17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. KJV James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. ESV James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. ASV James 4:17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. CSB James 4:17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it. NIV James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. NKJ James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. NRS James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. YLT James 4:17 to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing, sin it is to him. NAB James 4:17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin. NJB James 4:17 Everyone who knows what is the right thing to do and does not do it commits a sin. GWN James 4:17 Whoever knows what is right but doesn't do it is sinning. BBE James 4:17 The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Lu 12:47,48 John 9:41 13:17 Jn 15:22 Ro 1:20,21,32 Ro 2:17-23 Ro 7:13 James 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SINS OF OMISSION "A sin of omission is a sin that is the result of not doing something God’s Word teaches that we should do. It is generally used in contrast with the corresponding phrase “the sin of commission,” or sins that a person actively commits.." (click discussion) Therefore - A term of conclusion. Douglas Moo explains that James "has urged us to take the Lord into consideration in all our planning. We therefore have no excuse in this matter; we know what we are to do. To fail now to do it, James wants to make clear, is sin.” (Borrow The Letters of James - Pillar Commentary) Burdick - The word "then" (therefore - oun) introduces a concluding summary statement. Ropes suggests that it is a maxim that means something like "You have been fully warned" (p. 281). It is like saying, "Now that I have pointed the matter out to you, you have no excuse." Knowing what should be done obligates a person to do it. (Expositor's Bible Commentary – Volume 12: Hebrews through Revelation) To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin - What James is saying is that they failed to do what they should not have done, even though they knew what should have done. They do not do it - that's a sin of omission. They know God's will, but brazenly refuse to do it! MacArthur writes "The sin of disregarding and disobeying God's will is one of omission, of not doing what one knows is right (cf. Luke 12:47+). Sins of omission are rarely isolated from sins of commission." (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James) Douglas Moo adds that "They cannot take refuge in the plea that they have done nothing positively wrong; as Scripture makes abundantly clear, sins of omission are as real and serious as sins of commission." (Borrow The Letters of James - Pillar Commentary)
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MacArthur adds "The sin of slander, James warns, is no trivial matter. It is brazen, reckless treason against the Sovereign lawgiver and judge of the universe. No one has expressed the seriousness of sin any more clearly than the seventeenth-century English Puritan Ralph Venning, who wrote the following sobering words in his book The Sinfulness of Sin: The sinfulness of sin not only appears from, but consists in this, that it is contrary to God. Indeed, it is contrariety and enmity itself. Carnal men, or sinners are called by the name of enemies to God (Romans 5:8 with 10; Colossians 1:21); but the carnal mind or sin is called enmity itself (Romans 8:7). Accordingly, it and its acts are expressed by names of enmity and acts of hostility, such as, walking contrary to God (Leviticus 26:21), rebelling against God (Isaiah 1:2), rising up against him as an enemy (Micah 2:8), striving and contending with God (Isaiah 45:9), and despising God (Numbers 11:20). It makes men haters of God (Romans 1:30), resisters of God (Acts 7:51), fighters against God (Acts 5:39 and 23:9), even blasphemers of God, and in short very atheists, who say there is no God (Psalm 14:1). It goes about to ungod God, and is by some of the ancients called Deicidium, God-murder or God-killing. (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1993; 29-30) To control the sin of slandering others we must recognize the seriousness of sinning against the supreme lawgiver and judge. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James) YOU THERE! WHO ARE YOU...? But who are you who judge your neighbor? - Another of James' pithy, pungent, penetrating rhetorical questions! The Amplified says it well - "[But you] who are you that [you presume to] pass judgment on your neighbor?" The idea is "Who in the world do you think you are sitting in condemnation of someone?" and in so doing God turns the spotlight away from others and puts it full force on the one with a judgmental spirit! Notice that now James says not just brethren, but our neighbor, which is a word that literally means near or close by and so our "neighbor" is the person who is close or near by! We must remember even though saved, we are still infested with sin and secondly we are not omniscient, so both sin and ignorance will mar every judgment we make on other people! William Beveridge spoke of how our old sinful flesh in some way "contaminates" (so to speak) even our most holy thoughts, words and deeds (if what he says offends you, read it again and then read the glorious last line which should free you of all offense)... I cannot pray, except I sin; I cannot preach, but I sin; I cannot administer, nor receive the holy sacrament, but I sin. My very repentance needs to be repented of; And the tears I shed need washing in the blood of Christ. THOUGHT- Far too often, Christians criticize others before we get all the facts. We observe an event, catch a few words of a conversation, or gather a handful of random facts. We then leap to conclusions and start flapping our jaws about it. The jabbering catches on and spreads, and before you know it the “gossip” becomes “news.” There’s nothing more contagious in a church, student body, business, staff, organization, or home than a negative spirit. That infection is contagious—it spreads like a cold in a kindergarten!...The principle bears repeating: only God is qualified to judge, because only He has all the facts. (Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary – James, 1 & 2 Peter) Barton - James takes away any rights we might claim for criticizing our neighbors. Behind the critical spirit is an attitude that usurps God's authority and is full of pride. There should be no critical, harsh faultfinding in the body of Christ. Romans 14:4 says, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand" (niv). WHO ARE YOU, INDEED? It is the height of arrogance to judge others because the right to judge belongs only to God. So the person who judges assumes God's role. Before passing sentence on others we ought to look in the mirror of our own identity. There we will find: sin, shortcomings, guilt for the very failure we see in others, personal need for God's grace and mercy .(Borrow Life Application Bible Commentary – James) Neighbor (Near) (4139)(plesion from pélas = near, near to or from plesios = close by) literally means near (literal use only in Jn 4:5), quite near, nearby = position quite close to another position. Figuratively, plesion means to be near someone and thus be a neighbor. Generally, plesion refers to a fellow man, any other member of the human family. TDNT explains that "Ho plesion" is the "neighbor," the person next to one" then more generally the “fellow human being.” James used plesion in James 2:8+ "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." A PRAYER OF SUBMISSION TO THE ROYAL LAW It is helpful to examine in prayer how well we are doing at loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. We can ask God to help us examine our way. Several questions to ask are: Have I given myself the benefit of the doubt, but refused it to my brother or sister? Have I made excuses for my shortcomings, but remained intolerant of others? Have I judged my brothers and sisters according to the letter of the law while expecting grace for myself? (Borrow Life Application Bible Commentary – James) J R Miller - One reason why judging is wrong—is because it is putting one's self in God's place. He is the only Judge, with whom every human soul has to do. Judgment is not ours—but God's. "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12. In condemning and censuring others—we are thrusting ourselves into God's place, taking His scepter into our hands, and presuming to exercise one of His sole prerogatives! (Do Not Judge) THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF A SLANDEROUS TONGUE - They were a happy little family, living in a small town in North Dakota, even though the young mother had not been entirely well since the birth of her second baby. But each evening the neighbors were aware of a warmth in their hearts when they would see the husband and father being met at the gate by his wife and two small children. There was laughter in the evening too, and when the weather was nice father and children would romp together on the back lawn while mother looked on with happy smiles. Then one day a village gossip started a story, saying that [the father] was being unfaithful to his wife, a story entirely without foundation. But it eventually came to the ears of the young wife, and it was more than she could bear. Reason left its throne, and that night when her husband came home there was no one to meet him at the gate, no laughter in the house, no fragrant aroma coming from the kitchen—only coldness and something that chilled his heart with fear. And down in the basement he found the three of them hanging from a beam. Sick and in despair, the young mother had taken the lives of her two children, and then her own. In the days that followed, the truth of what had happened came out—a gossip's tongue, an untrue story, a terrible tragedy. (MacArthur) Steven
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MacArthur writes that Jesus spoke of unbelieving Israel of His day as “an evil and adulterous generation” (Mt 12:39; cf. Mt 16:4; Mk 8:38). It was because most Jews, even those who were religious, had turned away from the Lord and His revealed Word to gods of their own making and to their own man-made traditions that they did not receive Jesus as their Messiah. They used their traditions to interpret Scripture, and in doing so they strayed from and often contradicted Scripture, becoming blinded to God’s truth and even to His own Son (Mt 15:1-9; Mk 7:1-13; Col 2:8+; cf. Jn 5:39, 40). Despite fierce claims of faithfulness to Judaism and the God of Judaism, they were adulterous and apostate. The same can be said of those who claim to be Christians and attach themselves to the church but have no saving relationship to God or love for Him or His Word. They were found even in the early church, and James calls them adulteresses. There is no middle ground... you can no more spiritually have two gods than you can legally have two spouses. (Macarthur J. James. Moody) James has in view professing Christians, outwardly associated with the church, but holding a deep affection for the evil world system...The sobering truth that unbelievers are God’s enemies is taught throughout Scripture (cf. Dt 32:41, 42, 43; Ps 21:8; 68:21; 72:9; 110:1,2; Is. 42:13; Nah 1:2,8; Lk 19:27; Ro 5:10; 8:5, 6, 7; 1Co 15:25). (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word) Adam Clarke is similar to MacArthur lamenting "How strange it is that people professing Christianity can suppose that with a worldly spirit, worldly companions, and their lives governed by worldly maxims, they can be in the favour of God, or ever get to the kingdom of heaven! When the world gets into the Church, the Church becomes a painted sepulcher; its spiritual vitality being extinct." The English Puritan Nonconformist pastor and author Joseph Alleine whose best known work was An Alarm to the Unconverted (1672) once wrote that "There is no surer evidence of an unconverted state than to have the things of the world uppermost in our aim, love and estimation." R Kent Hughes on the other hand offers a contrasting interpretation (one which is held by the majority of conservative commentaries) stating that "God regards pleasure-dominated believers adversarily, as Jas 4:4 makes so clear: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Thus we understand that a Christian, someone who has trusted in Christ alone for salvation, can become an enemy of God—God’s adversary. This is horrifying!...These are painful thoughts—that a Christian for whom Christ died when he was still an enemy (Ro 5:10) should in effect lower himself to live as a redeemed enemy of God! Yet this is the very focus of our text because James is writing to Christians. And it rings true to our Christian experience. Many Christians, believers who have not disclaimed God or announced their allegiance to the world, derive their pleasures and entertainments in things which are patently hostile to God. (Hughes, R. K.. James : Faith that Works. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) However Hughes does issue the following clear caveat to his previous comments "It must be said that those who persist in living as friends of the world are very likely without grace, not Christians, despite their claims to faith. Paul says of such, “For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (Php 3:18, 19notes). They are friends of the world! (Ibid) Thomas Manton wrote that "A carnal Christian is the carcass of a true Christian." (WOE!) As the A W Tozer once pithily quipped "If I find anyone who is settled down too snugly into this world, I am made to doubt whether he's ever truly been born again." Evangelist Billy Sunday put it bluntly when he said "You might as well talk about a heavenly devil as talk about a worldly Christian." David Shepherd reasons "that some people want only as much of God's salvation as will keep them out of hell, and they measure out with unconscious precision how much worldliness and sin they can still hang on to without jeopardizing their chances." Richardson notes that "Instead of being faithfully wedded, James’s hearers had, by their evil ways, turned their back on God and were having an “affair” with the world. This dangerous condition caused them to be opposed to God and his purposes for them... The terrible misdirection of their friendship, which should have been with God (Jas 2:23), proves again how self-deceived they were. The status of unbelievers is enmity toward God and friendship with the world, and this worldly friendship is something Christians can flirt with (cf. Mt 6:24; 2Ti 3:4; 1Jn 2:15). James was not saying conclusively that his addressees were completely the “friends of the world” rather than “friends of God.” Rather, they were “adulteresses,” unfaithful lovers. James was speaking generally, but his hearers were dangerously close to this negative condition, not one of familiarity with the world or active participation in it but rather a personal investment in it and chief concern placed in its ways of life that do not follow the standards established by God for his people." (Richardson, K. A. Vol. 36: James: The New American Commentary. Page 178. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers) Friendship (5373) (philia from philos = fondness and phileo = to have affection for, to kiss [a sign of this affection]) describes affection, tenderness (in the family), once for erotic love (in the Lxx use in Pr 7:18+). The idea of philia is to have love or affection for someone or something based on association. It speaks of a friendship based on common interests and concerns. In the ancient world, friendship was used to describe special and exclusive relationship (cp use of philos in Lk 23:12) In James 4:4 philia pictures the readers as adopting the interests of the world as their own personal interests. In a sense philia pictures one falling in love with the world and that if you do this you will begin to hate God! We simply cannot have an affection for the world and for God at the same time. It is either one or the other, but not both. Mayor writes that philia involves "the idea of loving as well as being loved". TDNT writes that in common Greek use... The stem phil- is of uncertain etymology but carries the sense of “related.” Hence phileo means “to treat somebody as one of one’s own people.” It is used for the love of spouses, of parents and children, of employers and servants, of friends, and of gods and those favored by them. With reference to gods and friends it often has the concrete sense “to help,” “to care for,” “to entertain.” Philia means “love” or “friendship”...The strongest ties of philia are love of parents, brothers and sisters, or spouse. The term also denotes erotic love, both heterosexual and homosexual. Friendship is commonly the sense, with such nuances as a “pleasant relationship” and “hospitality.” In politics the word means “alliance.” In a transferred sense it means “harmony” as a principle of unity. Philía becomes a proper name, e.g., for Isis. (Philia) Having Hebrew equivalents only in Proverbs (Pr 5:19; 10:12; 7:18; 15:17; 17:9; 27:5), this term may denote either erotic love (Pr. 5:19; 7:18) or political friendship (1Macc. 8:1; 2 Macc. 4:11). (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans) The 1828 Webster's Dictionary defines friendship as "An attachment to a person, proceeding from intimate acquaintance, and a reciprocation of kind offices, or from a favorable opinion of the amiable and respectable qualities of his mind. Friendship differs from benevolence, which is good will to mankind in general, and from that love which springs from animal appetite. True friendship is a noble and virtuous attachment, springing from a pure source, a respect for worth or amiable qualities. False friendship may subsist between bad men, as between thieves and pirates (Ed: As pictured by friendship with the evil, fallen World!). This is a temporary attachment springing from interest, and may change in a moment to enmity and rancor. The root verb phileo can also mean to treat somebody as one of one's own people. Phileo is used for the love of spouses, of parents and children, of employers and servants, of friends, and of Greek gods and those favored by them. James is describing an attitude which is marked by friendly, affectionate regard for the godless world. This is the only use of philia in the NT but there are 8 uses in the non-apocryphal Septuagint, all in Proverbs... Proverbs 5:19see notes As a loving (Lxx = philia) hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be exhilarated always with her love (Lxx = philia) . Proverbs 7:18see notes "Come, let us drink our fill of love (Lxx = philia) until morning; Let us delight ourselves with caresses. Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love (Lxx = philia) covers all transgressions. Proverbs 15:17 Better is a dish of vegetables where love (Lxx = philia) is, Than a fattened ox and hatred with it. Proverbs 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love (Lxx = philia), But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends. Proverbs 19:7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much more do his friends (Lxx = philia) go far from him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone. Proverbs 25:10 Lest he who hears (Lxx = philia) it reproach you, and the evil report about you not pass away. Comment: Admittedly this is one of the Lxx uses which does not seem to make much sense, for here philia is used where the Hebrew is shama meaning to hear, listen, obey, etc. Proverbs 27:5 Better is open rebuke than love (Lxx = philia) that is concealed. James’ reference to friendship with the world closely parallels a phrase employed by Paul in 2Ti 3:4 (“lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”) and by John in 1 John 2:15 (see below). Someone has well said that "Buying, possessing, accumulating is not worldliness. But doing so for the love of it, with no love of God paramount, doing it so that thoughts of eternity and God are an intrusion and doing it so that one’s spirit is secularized in the process, is in fact worldliness." J. I. Packer once said that "Those who love the world serve and worship themselves every moment: it is their full-time job." THE ENTICING ENEMY The Plymouth Brethren writer F B Hole comments that Jas 4:4... brings in another consideration. We cannot very well be set on our own pleasures without becoming entangled with the world. The world is, so to speak, the arena wherein pleasures disport themselves, and where every lust that finds a place in man's heart may be gratified. Now for the believer alliance with the world is adultery in its spiritual form. The apostle James is exceedingly definite on this point. The world is in a state of open rebellion against God. It was ever thus since man fell, but its terrible enmity only came fully to light when Christ was manifested. Then it was that the world both saw and hated Him and His Father. Then it was that the breach was irrevocably fixed. We are speaking, of course, of the world-system. If it be a question of the people in the world, then we read, "God so loved the world." The world-system is the point here, and it is in a state of deadly hostility to God; so much so that friendship with the one entails enmity as regards the other. The language is very strong. Literally it would read, "Whoever therefore is minded to be the friend of the world is constituted enemy of God." It does not say that God is his enemy, but the breach is so complete on the world's side that friendship with it is only possible on the basis of enmity against God. Let us never forget that! And let us also never forget that we, as believers, are brought into such close and intimate relations with God that if we play Him false and enter into guilty alliance with the world the only sin amongst mankind with which it can be compared is the very terrible one of adultery. (James) KOSMOS or CHAOS? World (2889) (kosmos related to the verb kosmeo = to order or adorn, to put in order [Mt 25:7 = "trimmed"], to adorn literally [1Ti 2:9], to adorn figuratively [Titus 2:9+]) means essentially something that is well-arranged, that which has order or something arranged harmoniously. Kosmos refers to an ordered system or a system where order prevails. As explained below however, kosmos as used here in James 4:4 and many places in the NT, takes on a considerably more negative shade of meaning. In this sense kosmos is much like the Greek word for flesh (sarx), which can be a neutral word, but which many times in the NT takes on an evil connotation. Related Resource: An Out-of-this-World Experience A Look at Kosmos in the Johannine Literature See 6 page article on Kosmos in New International Dictionary of NT Theology Excerpt - Classic use 1. The noun kosmos, attested from Homer onwards, denoted originally building and construction (e.g. Homer, Od., 8, 492; Hdt., 3, 2). But more especially it denotes order, both generally (e.g. Homer, //., 2, 214 and often in the phrase kata kosmon, duly, in order) and in a specific sense (e.g. the seating position of the rowers, Od., 13, 76f.; battle array, //., 12, 225; later the regulation of life in human society, the constitution, Plato, Leg., 8, 846d). It also often means ornament and adornment (esp. of women; e.g. Hom. J//., 14, 187; Hes., Works 76; Hdt., 5, 92). In Gk. philosophy (see below, 2) kosmos is the basic term for the world-order, the world-system, the sum total of things preserved by this ordering, the world in the spatial sense, the cosmos, the universe, the earth, and also (in Koine Gk.) the inhabitants of the earth, humanity, the > oikoumené. The vb. kosmed, corresponding with the basic meaning of kosmos as order, is used as a technical term, e.g. to marshal an army, to arrange battle formation (Homer, //., 2, 554; Xen. Cyr., 2, 1, 26), and also generally to organize, put in order, and very frequently to adorn (e.g. Hesiod, Works, 72). DICTIONARY OF BIBLICAL IMAGERY - SEE PAGE 3248 FOR 7 PAGE ARTICLE - BRIEF EXCERPT - World as “Cosmos” (Gk kosmos). In John’s Gospel and first letter of John we find more than half of the uses of the Greek term kosmos in the NT. Paul uses kosmos forty-seven times, of which twenty-one uses occur in 1 Corinthians. In the Synoptic Gospels we find Jesus asking what value there is in gaining the whole world and losing life itself (Mk 8:36 par. Mt 16:26 and Lk 9:25). Jesus says that wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world the details of his anointing will be spoken of (Mk 14:9 par. Mt 26:13). The basic meaning of order leads to the two main uses... (1) Adornment, decoration, eternal adorning (used this way in NT only in 1Pe 3:3+, where kosmos speaks of the woman wearing that which is fitting with her character as a believer and not incongruous or "out of order". In the context of Jas 4:4 she should not be a believer who seeks external adornment that mimics that of the world [cp "friendship with the world"]! Beloved, a believing woman's attire should always be so "ordered" as to draw attention to her face, not her form! Compare God's desired "adornment" in 1Pe 3:4+) (2) The world, which has in turn a variety of nuances which must be determined by examining the context in which it is used. Kosmos/kosmeo give us our English words cosmos (the ordered universe), cosmopolitan (literally a citizen of the world!) and cosmetics (those things we put on in order to bring order out of "chaos"!) English terms. A matter of "cosmic" significance, is something which is important for the whole world. When one speaks of a "cosmopolitan" city, it means a city which has citizens from many parts of the world. Kosmos is the absolute antithesis of chaos (a Greek word meaning a rude, unformed mass), chaos being the fantasized condition with which the theory of evolution begins! The Bible on the other hand uses kosmos to describe the original condition of the universe (cp kosmos in 2Pe 3:6+) as one of perfection ("it was very good" Ge 1:31, not very chaotic! Kosmos is used the first time in LXX of Ge 2:1 all their hosts = "and the whole world". The sons of God (the angels) did not shout for joy over chaos, but kosmos when they saw this universe come into existence by the creative fiat of God (Job 38:4, 5, 6, 7)! Mounce writes that "In classical Greek and the LXX, kosmos communicated the idea of order and adornment, and from this it developed into the basic term for the cosmos or the universe. The OT conception of the created world or kosmos was very different from the Greek notion, however. There, creation is never seen as a separate entity controlled by an all-embracing order (kosmos) as in Greek thought. Instead, the universe, usually described with the phrase "heaven and earth," is always understood in its relationship to its Creator, God." The following nuances of kosmos are mentioned in various Greek lexicons (adapted primarily from Thayer, with additions from a variety of our resources - note also that is some subjectively involved in determining the specific nuance of meaning of kosmos, so that the reader may not agree with all of the Scriptural examples below. As always "Be a Berean" - Acts 17:11+)... 1. Kosmos is found in Greek writings from Homer down with the basic meaning of "an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution". A condition of orderliness, orderly arrangement, order. It denotes what is well assembled or constructed from its individual parts. In early Greek literature the word kosmos spoke of building or establishing a culture or city. Anything which was made up of parts was called a kosmos as, for instance, a group of rowers or a troop of soldiers. By the time of Plato, the kosmos had taken on the meaning of a world or universal viewpoint. It was the universe, inhabited by people. Aristotle felt that this world was eternal, and that it had neither beginning nor end. 2. Ornament, decoration, adornment: 1Pe 3:3+ - In classical Greek kosmos was used to refer to the adornment or the ornaments worn by women. In a related use of the derivative word kosmios in 1Ti 2:9 Paul emphasizes that the adornment of the Christian woman should be one of order, not disorder, a trait that is translated as modest or modesty. This orderliness is not to be just external, but also is to affect her Christian character and testimony so that her apparel is congruous with, fitting to, and consistent with her status as a child of God. In the Septuagint (LXX) kosmos is used of the arrangement of the stars, `the heavenly hosts,' as the ornament of the heavens Ge 21, Dt 4:19, 17:8, Isa 24:21, 40:26 3. The world, i.e. the created universe - Acts 17:24, Ro 4:13, Jn 1:10, 1Jn 3:17, 4:17 - The sum total of everything here and now, the orderly universe. It is notable that the future redeemed world is never called kosmos. 4. The world as the sphere or place of human life. The circle of the earth, the earth, as a place of inhabitation - Mk 8:36, Mt 4:8, Jn 1:10, 3:19, 2Co 1:12 5. Kosmos can stand for humanity, mankind, the inhabitants of the world, the sum total of all created beings above the level of the animals; humanity in general; the human race. Especially in Paul and John, it designates the place and object of God’s saving activity - Jn 3:16, 1Jn 2:2, 1Co 4:9; 2Co 5:19, Mt 13:38, 18:7 THE KOSMOS THE WORLD SYSTEM THE EVIL ANTI-GOD FORCE 6. Kosmos defines the world not as a neutral influence but as an "evil force", the inveterate, incorrigible, intractable, intransigent, irrevocable enemy of God and of every believer. This begs the question "Why would any believer ever desire to befriend or be friends with such a 'ferocious' foe?" Trench summarizes the definition of the anti-God world system as... All that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations, hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations, at any time current in the world, which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define, but which constitutes a most real and effective power, being the moral, or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives we inhale, again inevitably to exhale. Kosmos includes the ungodly (unsaved) multitude, the whole mass of men alienated from God and hostile to Him and His Son Jesus Christ (See also earth dwellers, the synonymous term used by John in The Revelation of Jesus Christ - the difference is that these are fixed and not redeemable, thus they are a unique subset in the time of the Revelation.). This meaning describes the system of values, priorities, and beliefs that unbelievers hold that excludes God. (E.g., Just mention the name "Jesus" in a positive sense in a secular setting! You can "feel" the hackles rising up on the back of their necks! Read the following related passages and see if you still want to be "friends" with the world! - Jn 7:7, 15:18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 17:14, 3:19, 20, Lk 6:26, cp Ro 1:30+, Ro 8:7, 8+, 2Ti 3:4+, 1Jn 3:1+, 1Jn 4:5, Mt 5:10, 11, 12+, Mt 10:22, 24:9, Mk 13:13, Lk 6:22). This negative meaning of kosmos includes the aggregate of things earthly -- earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, etc., which, although empty and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ (The antidote? Gal 6:14, 1Jn 2:15+, 1Jn 2:16+, 1Jn 2:17+, and remember Mt 16:26, Mk 8:34, 35, 36, Lk 9:23, 24, 25,26) (See also study of the related Greek word aion which is translated age or ages 26x and world or worlds 8x [eg world is aion in 2Co 4:4; Eph 2:2+; Ro 12:2+]). BDAG = the world, and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, i.e. lost in sin, wholly at odds w. anything divine, ruined and depraved Johann Bengel = kosmos is the subtle (Ed: It's not that subtle in these last days of the second millennium!) informing spirit of the kosmos or world of men who are living alienated and apart from God I looked for the church and I found it in the world; I looked for the world and I found it in the church. --Horatius Bonar Marvin Vincent = (Kosmos is...) The sum-total of human life in the ordered world, considered apart from, alienated from, and hostile to God, and of the earthly things which seduce from God (Jn 7:7; 15:18; 17:9, 14; 1Co 1:20, 21; 2Co 7:10; Jas 4:4). David Guzik = One of the first examples of this idea of the world in the Bible helps us to understand this point. Genesis 11 (Ge 11:1NLT "whole world"; Ge 11:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9) speaks of human society’s united rebellion against God at the tower of Babel. At the tower of Babel, there was an anti-God leader of humanity (whose name was Nimrod - cp Ge 10:8, 9, 10 "beginning of his kingdom was Babel"). There was organized rebellion against God (in disobeying the command to disperse over the whole earth). There was direct distrust of God’s word and promise (in building what was probably a water-safe tower to protect against a future flood from heaven). The whole story of the tower of Babel also shows us another fundamental fact about the world system. The world’s progress, technology, government, and organization can make man better off, but not better. Because we like being better off, it is easy to fall in love with the world. Finally, the story of the tower of Babel shows us that the world system - as impressive and winning as it appears to be - will never win out over God. The Lord defeated the rebellion at the tower of Babel easily. (1 John 2:15-17 - David Guzik's Commentaries on the Bible) John
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MacArthur notes that… Just as pride is the root of all sin, so humility is the root of all righteousness. It is only when the things of the world are no longer admired and sought, when self-concern is replaced with concern for God’s glory, that God’s Spirit can work His sovereign and gracious will in a heart, changing it from being an enemy to being a friend. (Macarthur J. James. Moody) Illustrations and Meditations: Flowers from a Puritan's Garden. The Spire - "The best of God's people have abhorred themselves. Like the spire of a steeple, minimus in summo, we are least at the highest. David, a king, was yet like a weaned child." Manton is not very clear about the steeple, but he means that the higher a spire rises toward heaven the smaller it becomes, and thus the more elevated are our spirits the less shall we be in our own esteem. Great thoughts of self and great grace never go together. Self-consciousness is a sure sign that there is not much depth of grace. He who overvalues himself undervalues his Saviour. He who abounds in piety is sure to be filled with humility. Light things, such as straws and feathers, are borne aloft; valuable goods keep their places, and remain below, not because they are chained or riveted there, but by virtue of their own weight. When we begin to talk of our perfection, our imperfection is getting the upper hand. The more full we become of the presence of the Lord the more shall we sink in our own esteem, even as laden vessels sink down to their water-mark, while empty ships float aloft. Lord, make and keep me humble. Lift me nearer and nearer to heaven, and then I shall grow less and less in my own esteem. Jamieson writes that the humble in context are are… the unenvious, uncovetous, and unambitious as to the world. Contrast Jas 4:4-note. Humility is the quality of unpretentious behavior which recognizes one's own weakness while at the same time recognizing God's all sufficient (always enough) grace and power (supernatural enablement) (cp 2Co 12:9-note, 2Co 12:10-note) Jesus presented the contrast between a prideful and humble heart in the following parable… 9 And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted (had a settled persuasion or conviction about what constituted righteousness acceptable to God) in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt (present tense = continually demonstrated by their attitude/manner of treatment that others who did not believe as they did were of no account = they disdained and despised them): 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer (One of the most despised groups among the Jews of Jesus' day). 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer (Note with whom the tax gatherer is grouped!) 12 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13 "But (change of direction in the narrative) the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast (cp "contrite spirit" in Isa 66:2), saying, 'God, be merciful (hilaskomai = propitiate, show kindness and compassion toward one who does not deserve it!) to me, the sinner (Same word hamartolos used in James 4:8)!' 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified (declared righteous) rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) Spurgeon wisely said that… Humility is to make a right assessment of oneself. Do not be proud of race, face, or grace." (Ed: Spurgeon's point is that everything and anything we have is from God Alone so how can we boast?) The higher a man is in grace, the lower he will be in his own esteem. Puritan William Gurnall was correct when he remarked that Humility is the necessary veil to all other graces. Someone has well said that… The ears of barley that bear the richest grain always hang the lowest! Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Spurgeon's Comment: That is a wonderful verse. You notice that the prelude to it explains the greatness and the holiness of God; and then, like an eagle swooping out of the shy even down to the earth, we find God coming from his high and lofty place to dwell with humble and contrite hearts. Not with the proud,— not with you who think yourselves good and excellent,— does God dwell; but with men who feel their sin, and own it; with men who feel their unworthiness, and confess it. I will read this verse again to impress it upon your memory: “Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” C H Spurgeon… Humble hearts seek grace, and therefore they get it. Humble hearts yield to the sweet influences of grace, and so it is bestowed on them more and more largely. Humble hearts lie in the valleys where streams of grace are flowing, and hence they drink of them, Humble hearts are grateful for grace and give the Lord the glory of it, and hence it is consistent with His honor to give it to them. Come, dear reader, take a lowly place. Be little in thine own esteem, that the Lord may make much of thee. Perhaps the sigh breaks out, "I fear I am not humble." It may be that this is the language of true humility. Some are proud of being humble, and this is one of the very worst sorts of pride. We are needy, helpless, undeserving, hell-deserving creatures, and if we are not humble we ought to be. Let us humble ourselves because of our sins against humility, and then the Lord will give us to taste of His favor. It is grace which makes us humble, and grace which finds in this humility an opportunity for pouring in more grace. Let us go down that we may rise. Let us be poor in spirit that God may make us rich. Let us be humble that we may not need to be humbled but may be exalted by the grace of God Richard DeHaan, wrote an excellent little book on 1Peter, in which he listed three tests that reveal whether your "humility" is genuine… First, the test of precedence Do you feel badly when others are honored, because they outshine you? Second, comes the test of sincerity All too often, people say things about themselves to sound humble, when they really are not. Third, the test of criticism Do you react unfavorably when someone points out your shortcomings? If you gave yourself a perfect score on this test, you failed the test of humility! (Richard DeHaan, Good News for Bad Times). Humility then does not so much consist in thinking badly of ourselves as in not thinking of ourselves at all. The humble person forgets self and looks at the Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who is truly worthy of all my thoughts. For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, Whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. (Is 57:15) Humility is the opposite of pride, the sin that has always separated fallen men from God, making them, in effect, their own gods. Genuine humility involves believers’ not thinking too highly of themselves and requires that they regard one another as more important than themselves (see Philippians 2:3-note) James used tapeinos in chapter 1 writing in the NAS… But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position (see paraphrase in Jas 1:9NLT) Comment: There were many poor in Jerusalem at that time and a large section of the population lived chiefly or even entirely on charity or relief. Many even begged in order to survive. In contrast to their present humble, poor state (in the world's eyes), they had an exalted present position because of their union with Christ. (cp where they [and we] are seated! = Ep 2:6,7-note) The original sense of low lying soon gave rise to metaphorical uses, NIDNTT listing several… (a) low socially, poor, of little social position and influence (Hdt., 5th cent. B.C. onwards), powerless, unimportant; (b) as a result of one’s social standing, with slavish outlook, a synonym of not free; (c) despondent, downcast (Thuc., 5th cent. B.C. onwards; cf. Eng. “I’m feeling down”); (d) in Socratic and post-Socratic ethical teaching the word was separated from its social links, but retained a depreciatory connotation. Men should avoid the two extremes of arrogance, provocation and pride (hybris), and of grovelling, servile behaviour and base flattery. (e) Occasionally the word is used with a good connotation in individual, social, ethical and religious contexts. Where this is so, it does not mean humble, but unassuming (in Xen.), obedient, conforming one’s behaviour to the righteous laws of the gods (Aesch., Plato). In all these uses there remains the memory of the original physical meaning of below, low, in comparison with that which is above or higher. (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan) Tapeinos is used only 8 times in the NAS and KJV (Mt. 11:29; Lk 1:52; Ro 12:16; 2Co 7:6; 10:1; Jas. 1:9; 4:6; 1Pe 5:5) and is translated: depressed, 1; humble, 5; lowly, 1; meek, 1. In the KJV tapeinos is translated: base, 1; cast down, 1; humble, 2; lowly, 1; of low degree, 2; of low estate, 1. There are 44 uses in the Septuagint - Lev. 13:3, 4,, 20, 21, 25, 26; 14:37; 27:8; Jos. 11:16; Jdg. 1:15; 1 Sam. 18:23; Esther 1:1; Job 5:11; 12:21; Ps. 10:18; 18:27; 34:18; 82:3; 102:17; 113:6; 138:6; Pr 3:34; 11:2; 16:2; 30:14; Eccl. 10:6; Is 2:11; 11:4; 14:32; 25:4; 26:6; 32:7; 49:13; 54:11; 58:4; 66:2; Jer. 22:16; Ezek. 17:24; 21:26; 29:14; Amos 2:7; 8:6; Zeph. 2:3; 3:12 In his exposition of Ephesians 4 (Click here), Wayne
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MacArthur reminds us of the foundation which guarantees this promise writing that... The Lord Jesus defeated him at His temptation and at the Cross (Jn 12:31, 32, 33, cp He 2:14, 15-note) and left him vulnerable. He cannot hold a sinner against that sinner’s will. He can’t even lead a believer into sin without the consent of that believer’s will. When confronted and resisted with the truth of the gospel, he flees, releasing his hold as that repentant sinner who believes is delivered from darkness to light. After salvation he comes again and again through the world system’s working on the flesh, but can be defeated repeatedly by the believer who has the “sword of the Spirit” and the rest of the armor (Ep 6:10-17-see notes). (Macarthur J. James. Moody) NIDNTT writes that in classic Greek... (cf. Lat. fugere). From the time of Homer, its most common meaning is “flee”, “take flight”, whether absolutely, or from someone or something (Homer, Plato, Herodotus, etc.). The present and imperfect tenses often express only the purpose or endeavor to get away. Hence the compounds apopheugo, katapheugo, ekpheugo, or propheugo may be added to the participle pheugon in a sentence to denote the escape itself. The accusative (and occasionally the genitive) with pheugo specifies that which is being “shunned”, “escaped from”, or “avoided”-whether death and war (Homer), evil (Demosthenes), or the consequences of murder (Euripides). Metaphorically reins may “escape from” the hands of the charioteer. Because a person may flee his country, the articular participle refers to “the exile(s)” (Homer, Xenophon, Thucydides); and since such people may well have been banished, by a natural extension the active verb itself takes on the quasi-passive force of “be banished”, “be expelled” (Herodotus, Xenophon, Dinarchus). Similarly phyge comes to mean “exile”, “banishment”. In Attic Greek, both pheugo and apopheugo occur as law-terms. The pheugon is the defendant, as opposed to the diokon, the prosecutor; and pheugein graphen (or diken) means “to be put on trial”, while an added genitive (e.g. phonou, murder) specifies the charge. To escape the prosecutors (apopheugein tous diokontas) therefore means “to be acquitted”. Pheugo is used 29x in 29v in the NT and is translated in the NAS as escape(2), escaped(2), fled(5), fled away(2), flee(13), flees(2), ran away(3). Matthew 2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him." Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matthew 8:33 And the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city, and reported everything, including the incident of the demoniacs. Matthew 10:23 "But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. Matthew 23:33 "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell? Matthew 24:16 then (When? When the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel -this occurs at the midpoint of the 7 years of Daniel - see Da 9:27- note) let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; Matthew 26:56 "But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples left Him and fled. Mark 5:14 And their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. Mark 13:14 "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) (When? When the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel - this occurs at the midpoint of the 7 years of Daniel - see Da 9:27- note) to the mountains. Mark 14:50 And they all left Him and fled. Mark 14:52 But he left the linen sheet behind, and escaped naked. Mark 16:8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Luke 3:7 He therefore began saying to the multitudes who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Luke 8:34 And when the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. Luke 21:21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; John 10:5 "And a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." John 10:12 "He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. Acts 7:29 "And at this remark Moses fled, and became an alien in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons. Acts 27:30 And as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship, and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, 1Corinthians 6:18 Flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Comment: There are over 160 uses of pheugo in the Septuagint, but 4 uses in Genesis 39 that parallel Paul's command to flee sexual sin - cp Joseph's fleeing from Potiphar's advances (Ge 39:12, 13, 15, 18). 1Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) from idolatry. 1Timothy 6:11 But flee (present imperative = command to make this your continual practice) from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Comment: This sin is the hallmark of all false teachers, who pervert the truth for personal gain.
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MacArthur commenting on kardia writes that "While we often relate heart to the emotions (e.g., “He has a broken heart”), the Bible relates it primarily to the intellect (e.g., “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders,” Mt 15:19+). That’s why you must “watch over your heart with all diligence” (Pr 4:23+). In a secondary way, however, heart relates to the will and emotions because they are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to something, it will affect your will, which in turn will affect your emotions." (Drawing Near- Daily Readings for a Deeper Faith) MacArthur adds that "In most modern cultures, the heart is thought of as the seat of emotions and feelings. But most ancients—Hebrews, Greeks, and many others—considered the heart to be the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom. The New Testament also uses it in that way. The heart was considered to be the seat of the mind and will, and it could be taught what the brain could never know. Emotions and feelings were associated with the intestines, or bowels." (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. 1986. Chicago: Moody Press) Tony Evans writes that "Cleansing the hands refers to confessing and getting rid of the wrong things we are doing. But notice that James goes beyond the hands to the heart. We must purify our hearts, because if we merely stop doing wrong things without dealing with the internal problem that caused the wrong behavior, we will soon go back to the wrong behavior.This is why so many people’s New Year’s resolutions fail and why so many Christians’ good intentions never get fulfilled. What they are doing is not the main problem. They need to fix the root that is producing the fruit. (Evans, A. T. The Battle is the Lord's: Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press) We mourn that e’er our hearts should be One with a world that loves not Thee; That with the crowd we passed Thee by, And saw, but did not feel, Thee die. Not till we knew our guilt and shame Did we esteem our Savior’s Name. (We Worship Thee, O Crucified) Double-minded (1374) (dipsuchos from dís = twice + psuche = soul, mind) is an adjective which literally describes one who has two minds or one who is two-spirited. In context it is the "sin of being two-faced with God, of wavering inconsistency" (Motyer). Double psyche. See also notes on use of dipsuchos in James 1:8+. James sharply reproves those readers who had divided affections, on one side longing for the world's trifles while all the while trying to hold on to God! This "spiritual schizophrenia" is exactly what Jesus had warned against in Matthew 6:24+ (note). Speaking on behalf of the Holy One of Israel, James is saying that God demands not only undivided affection (single minded heart) but undefiled conduct ("clean hands"). Dipsuchos is the one who hesitates or vacillates between two or more opinions. This person in a sense has a divided loyalty which is manifest by indecision and doubting. Some might see such a person as "fickle" (marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability -- given to erratic changeableness). This is the man or woman who is uncertain about the truth of something.
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MacArthur notes that in Greek there are nine words that express sorrow, but that… of the nine terms used for sorrow, the one used here (pentheo, mourn) is the strongest, the most severe. It represents the deepest, most heart-felt grief, and was generally reserved for grieving over the death of a loved one… The word carries the idea of deep inner agony, which may or may not be expressed by outward weeping, wailing, or lament. When David stopped hiding his sin and began mourning over it and confessing it (Ps. 32:3, 4, 5), he could declare, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (vv. 1–2). (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Chicago: Moody Press) It is interesting to note that the Greek Stoics regarded such mourning as something to be avoided and the pointlessness (from a natural man's [1Co 2:14] or secular view) was a popular theme in Greek philosophy. One imagines what their shock must have been to read Jesus' words which can be paraphrased as "Happy those who continually mourn as one laments over a loved one who had died"! (Mt 5:4) Trench says that pentheo means to grieve with a grief which so takes possession of the whole being that it cannot be hid. (Trench, R. C. Synonyms of the New Testament)
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MacArthur has an excellent discussion of "How can I truly mourn over sin?" The following discussion summarizes his thoughts. On the "negative side" you need to remove the things which hinder you from mourning, especially "the things that make us content with ourselves, that make us resist God’s Spirit and question His Word, and that harden our hearts. A stony heart does not mourn. It is insensitive to God". One of greatest hindrances is a failure to let go of our love for a pet sin. Be assured that this will turn your heart to stone. Puritan Thomas Watson writes that the love of sin “makes sin taste sweet and this sweetness in sin bewitches the heart”. (cp Heb 3:13-note) MacArthur also mentions other hindrances including despair, conceit, presumption, procrastination ("one of these days I'll take a look at my sins"… sure you will! Not! Delays do not make Christianity easier. The folly of taking your time when you stand under divine judgment makes less sense than purposely sleeping in a house that you know is on fire), and excessive merriment (click Happy are the Sad and scroll down). On the positive side we can cultivate a heart soil that is fertile for the growth of genuine mourning over sins (and those in our church, our community, our country) by getting a fresh glimpse of the holiness of God, especially as demonstrated in His sacrifice for sins on the Cross. (e.g., 1Pe 1:14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 -see notes 1Pe1:14, 15-16, 17, 18-19). GODLY MOURNING One has to be careful that their mourning is not just an emotional reaction but that there is true confession, repentance and genuine mourning. John MacArthur addresses this question of how one can know they are mourning as Christ teaches… Knowing whether or not we have godly mourning is not difficult. First, we need to ask ourselves if we are sensitive to sin. If we laugh at it, take it lightly, or enjoy it, we can be sure we are not mourning over it and are outside the sphere of God’s blessing. (see for example Saul's regret not mourning over his sin in 1Sa 15:30)… The godly mourner will have true sorrow for his sins. His first concern is for the harm his sin does to God’s glory, not the harm its exposure might bring to his own reputation or welfare. If our mourning is godly we will grieve for the sins of fellow believers and for the sins of the world. We will cry with the psalmist, “My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Thy law” (Ps. 119:136). We will wish with Jeremiah that our heads were fountains of water that we could have enough tears for weeping (Jer. 9:1; cf. Lam. 1:16). With Ezekiel we will search out faithful believers “who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed” around us (Ezek. 9:4; cf. Ps. 69:9). We will look out over the community where we live and weep, as Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and wept (Luke 19:41). The second way to determine if we have genuine mourning over sin is to check our sense of God’s forgiveness. Have we experienced the release and freedom of knowing our sins are forgiven? Do we have His peace and joy in our life? Can we point to true happiness He has given in response to our mourning? Do we have the divine comfort He promises to those who have forgiven, cleansed, and purified lives? The godly mourners “who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps 126:5–6)." (MacArthur, J: Matthew 1-7 Chicago: Moody Press) Pastor Phil Newton also has some practical thoughts on how mourning functions (or should function) in a person's life… In conversion - Spiritual mourning begins in conversion; it is the pathway to repentance. It comes as a gift of God’s grace that enables us to see our sin as an offense against God, and to understand the judgment of God that weighs against us. This is where the promise, “for they shall be comforted,” (Mt 5:4-note) shines. When a person faces his own lost condition before God, and sees his unworthiness of forgiveness, and yet God in His mercy saves him, then you can be assured that he is “comforted!” The word implies that God comes near to him with great consolations (Ed: Compare James' call to "draw near to God and He will draw near to you" Jas 4:8-note). It is not a comfort that leads to cockiness as though he deserved what God did, but a comfort that humbles him, that spills forth in continual gratitude as he is converted to Christ. In Sanctification - Spiritual mourning continually operates in the life of the Christian. For as he sins it brings grief, and grief causes him to turn to Christ and the sufficiency of His death; then he is comforted again. “Whenever the Christian is conscious of his own sin,” writes Ferguson, “he will be grieved by it” [20]. Grief leads to repentance, and comfort. Watson adds, “The soul of the Christian is most eased when it can vent itself by holy mourning” [76]. It was this same idea that Martin Luther put at the top of his Ninety-five Theses that he nailed to the church door at Wittenberg. “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Jeremiah Burroughs, another Puritan, offers us great insight on why mourning is part of our sanctification. As weeds grow very rank in summer time, now in the winter the frost nips the weeds and keeps them under; but if it be a long frost it kills them. And so doth a mournful condition; if it be sanctified, it kills the vermin, it kills our lusts, and is a special means of mortification in the soul; and therefore blessed are they that do mourn, and carry themselves graciously in a mourning condition [The Saints’ Happiness, 38]. In glorification - You can easily see the progress, going from conversion—and the justification that takes place, to sanctification, and finally to glorification. It is not that spiritual mourning follows into glorification, but it is the pathway to it. For the ultimate comfort promised by Christ, “for they shall be comforted,” has a future dimension that points to that time of glorification forever in the Lord’s presence. It is that blessed hope of the Christian, that time in which the mortal shall put on immortality, death will no longer be in the pictured; sin and death will have long been put asunder as enemies under the feet of Christ. And who can describe the measure of Christ’s eternal comfort? (See complete sermon Matthew 5:4:The Blessing of Mourning) (Bolding added) Spurgeon describes the vital role of a contrite spirit in mourning writing that this man is… the man that feels his sin and hates it, that mourns that he should have rebelled against God, and desires to find mercy. Now, God will come to such, because there is purity in that heart. “Oh,” saith the contrite spirit, “I do not see any purity in my heart.” No, but what do you see, then? “Oh, I see all manner of sin and evil, and I hate myself because it is so.” There is purity in that hatred; at any rate there is a something that God loves in that hatred in your soul, of the sin that is within, and He will come to you, for there is something there that is akin to His own holiness: He has put it there. You have begun to appeal for mercy. Oh, then, God’s mercy will come, for mercy delights to visit misery. Mercy is always at home where there is a sinner confessing sin. (From his sermon on Isa 66:1,2 - Living Temples for the Living God) A W
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MacArthur notes that in the present context James uses tapeinoo meaning… to make oneself low, not in the self-put-downs that many people use in order to induce others to build them up, but in a genuine realization of complete unworthiness and lostness because of sin. As the penitent sinner submits to God and draws closer to Him, like Isaiah he cries out, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6:5). The more an unbeliever sees God as He really is, glorious and holy, the more clearly he sees himself as he really is, sinful and depraved. (Macarthur J. James. Moody) In secular Greek, the person who was tapeinos described the one who was base, ignoble or of low birth, servile, held in low esteem. Obviously in the Bible, the supreme example of humility and humbling one's self is the Lord Jesus Christ.
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MacArthur: making low In God’s eyes, the one who lowers himself is the one who is elevated; the one who genuinely considers himself to be the least is the one God considers to be the greatest. (Matthew 8-15, Matthew 16-23, Matthew 24-28) R. C. H.
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MacArthur explains that "Greek culture measured the importance of a teacher by the fee he could command. The false apostles therefore accused Paul of being a counterfeit, since he refused to charge for his services (cf. 1Co. 9:1-15). They convinced the Corinthians to be offended by Paul’s refusal to accept support from them, offering that as evidence that he did not love them (cf. 1Co 22:11). Paul’s resort to manual labor to support himself (Acts 18:1, 2, 3) also embarrassed the Corinthians, who felt such work to be beneath the dignity of an apostle. With biting irony Paul asked his accusers how foregoing his right to support could possibly be a sin. In fact, by refusing support he had humbled himself so they could be exalted; that is, lifted out of their sin and idolatry." (MacArthur, J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word) James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, Hupsoo is used over 150 times in the Septuagint (LXX) and the Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint has this note… A: to lift high, to raise up - Ezra 9:9; to set somebody upon something Ps 27:5; to take up 2Ki 2:13; to raise, to lift up (the voice) - Ge 39:15; to raise (a song) - Ezra 3:12; to set on high (metaphorical) 2Sa 22,49; to elevate, to exalt - Ex 15,2; to rise Job 39:27; to be lifted up Ge 7:17; to be exalted Dt 8:14 (Lust, J., Eynikel, E., & Hauspie, K. A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint: Revised Edition. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft: Stuttgart) Here are some uses from the Septuagint… Genesis 7:17 Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days; and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above (Heb = rum = to raise, to lift, to be exalted, indicates something is raised up high; Lxx = hupsoo) the earth. Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol (Lxx = hupsoo = exalt) Him. Psalm 27:5-see notes For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up (Heb = rum = to raise, to lift, to be exalted, indicates something is raised up high; Lxx = hupsoo) on a rock. Isaiah 2:11-see notes The proud look of man will be abased (Lxx = tapeinos), And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. Thomas Manton asks what does exaltation imply?… It means any kind of happiness, including deliverance out of trouble (“You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted,” Ps 10:17) or promotion to worldly honor or dignity (“A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor,” Pr 29:23). Though promotion brings us to slippery places, the humble will be sustained and upheld. It is the same with advancement in grace or glory: “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:4); that is, he will have the most grace and glory. Learn from this that submission and humility are the true way to exaltation. This is often repeated in the Gospel: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11; see also Mt 23:12). We are all by nature proud and want to be exalted; but the way to rise is to fall. God gave us a pattern in Jesus Christ: first, he “made himself nothing … he humbled himself and became obedient to death … on a cross! Therefore God exalted him … and gave him the name that is above every name” (see Php 2:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). So then, do you want deliverance? Humble yourself! Omnipotence will not be your terror but protection. Do you want grace? See more of God. Lastly, we may be encouraged from all this to wait upon God with a holy humility and confidence in our lowly state: “When men are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast” (Job 22:29). When all your affairs go to decay, you may rely on these hopes. Peter says, “that he may lift you up in due time” (1Pe 5:6). Wait for God, and the promise will surely be fulfilled; only be humble. Gracious humiliation is a deep sense of our misery and vileness, with a desire to be reconciled to God on any terms. (A Practical Exposition of James) Dr. Bonar once remarked that he could tell when a Christian was growing. In proportion to his growth in grace he would elevate his Master, talk less of what he was doing, and become smaller and smaller in his own esteem, until, like the morning star, he faded away before the rising sun. Jonathan was willing to decrease, that David might increase; and John the Baptist showed the same spirit of humility. -Anecdotes, Incidents and Illustrations. Illustrations and Meditations: Flowers from a Puritan's Garden. The Spire - "The best of God's people have abhorred themselves. Like the spire of a steeple, minimus in summo, we are least at the highest. David, a king, was yet like a weaned child." Thomas Manton is not very clear about the steeple, but he means that the higher a spire rises toward heaven the smaller it becomes, and thus the more elevated are our spirits the less shall we be in our own esteem. Great thoughts of self and great grace never go together. Self-consciousness is a sure sign that there is not much depth of grace. He who overvalues himself undervalues his Saviour. He who abounds in piety is sure to be filled with humility. Light things, such as straws and feathers, are borne aloft; valuable goods keep their places, and remain below, not because they are chained or riveted there, but by virtue of their own weight. When we begin to talk of our perfection, our imperfection is getting the upper hand. The more full we become of the presence of the Lord the more shall we sink in our own esteem, even as laden vessels sink down to their water-mark, while empty ships float aloft. Lord, make and keep me humble. Lift me nearer and nearer to heaven, and then I shall grow less and less in my own esteem. R Kent Hughes sums up this great section of James writing… The gravity of grace will always channel the rivers of divine favor to the lowly—to those (1) who submit to God, (2) whose soul’s momentum is away from the Devil and toward God, (3) who purify their inner and outer lives, (4) who mourn over their sins, and (5) who obey the final summary command, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (Jas 4:10). We are not to wait passively for this to somehow happen. We are not to wait for someone else to humble us, nor should we wait for the vicissitudes of life to do it. Rather, self-humbling is our Christian duty. We must take inventory of our sinfulness and weakness, then bow in total submission to God, yielding our total being, our dreams, our future, our everything to him. It is then that he will pour on the grace—grace upon grace—grace heaped upon grace—“and he will lift you up.” John Blanchard summed up James 4:10 when he said that… God thinks most of the man who thinks himself least. E. H. Blake, in The Missionary Worker The Mystery of Truth In the Christian life we must lose to gain; we must give to obtain; we must be last to be first; we must be humble to be exalted; we must be least to be greatest; we must die to live. Tony Evans writes that… A lot of people misinterpret the promise at the end of Jas 4:10. James is not saying that God will exalt you to some high position in society. He is saying that God will exalt you above your problem, above that which is keeping you down and making you a spiritual POW. But before God can lift us up, He has to take us low. God wants us to weep and mourn over our sin. He wants us to start seeing our sin the way He sees it. When we do that, then we’ll get the help that God gives. (Evans, A. T. (1998). The Battle is the Lord's: Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press)