James 4

Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.

Friendship with the World and Faithful Obedience

A Study of James Chapter 4

Introduction

Good morning, brethren, and thank you very much for the prayer in support of the preparation of this morning’s message.

Today, we will be studying James chapter 4, and I would ask you to open your Bibles there. We will begin by reading portions of today’s passage.

However, I would like to start slightly earlier, at the end of James chapter 3, because chapter 4 continues a theme James has already begun—namely, the contrast between what is heavenly and what is worldly.

Let us begin with James 3:15–18:

“This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Now let us turn to James 4:4:

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Verse 12:

“There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”

Verse 14–15:

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

And finally, verse 17:

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

May the Lord bless the reading of His Word. I will leave you to read the rest of the chapter and to study it in more detail later in CP.

Before we go further into this chapter, I would like to briefly recap the background of James, because it is very important for appreciating his thought flow and the theme of this passage.

 

Background and Purpose of the Letter

James tells us in chapter 1, verse 1 that he is writing to Jewish believers who were scattered abroad, living in the diaspora. This scattering occurred after the death of Stephen, as recorded in Acts chapter 11, and continued during the persecution of the church under Herod Agrippa in Acts chapter 12.

Now, as readers today, we are neither Jews nor people living in the diaspora. So we must ask: How is this book relevant to us? Answering that question is key to understanding and applying this chapter.

Before their scattering, these Jewish believers lived in a community centered around the synagogue and deeply shaped by the Law of Moses. Once dispersed into foreign lands, they were immersed in cultures and lifestyles that were very different—much more secular and worldly.

In that sense, their situation closely resembles ours today. We live in the world, but we are not of the world.

James is deeply concerned that these believers not be consumed by the world. That is why his letter carries such a strong practical emphasis and a passionate call to uncompromising obedience to the Word of God. Yet James does not present obedience merely as instructions for godly living. Rather, he presents it as evidence of living faith.

Salvation is received by faith, but it is verified by works and godly living.

Throughout the five chapters of this book, James lays out what is almost a spiritual checklist:

• How believers respond to trials
• How they respond to those in need
• What comes out of their tongue
• The wisdom they display
• How they relate to the world (chapter 4)
• And how they pursue wealth (chapter 5)

This checklist is meant to draw believers back to genuine faith. That is why James ends the book in chapter 5, verse 19:

“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death.”

 

The Thought Flow of James Chapter 4

James chapter 4 can easily be read as a series of disconnected instructions, but there is actually a clear structure and thought flow.

James highlights three major observations or behaviors:

1. Quarrels and fights (verse 1)
2. Speaking and judging against brothers (verses 11–12)
3. Presumptuous planning (verse 13 onward)

For each of these, James:

• Explains what is wrong with the behavior
• And then provides instruction and a solution

I will go through each of these one by one.

 

Friendship with the World (James 4:4)

Let us begin with verse 4, where James speaks about friendship with the world.

The root word James uses for “friendship” (philos) refers to love in the sense of emotional attachment and affection. James is not talking about occasional failures or moments when believers stumble. That happens to all believers.

Rather, he is referring to a settled affection—a permanent desire to embrace the world joyfully.

When James speaks of “the world,” he is not referring merely to the physical world. He is referring to a man-centered, Satan-directed system that is hostile to God, to Christ, and to Christians.

James is very direct: a deep affection for the world is incompatible with loyalty to God. In fact, he says it is enmity with God. The word “enmity” means personal hostility or hatred. It is a very strong term.

Scripture elsewhere tells us that believers are friends of God. In John 15:14, Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” The only time believers are described as enemies of God is before salvation. Romans 5:10 reminds us that we were enemies before being reconciled. Romans 8:5–6 describes enmity with God as characteristic of the fleshly person who does not possess the Spirit.

Therefore, the enemy of God cannot be the same as the friend of God.

James must therefore have in mind the false professor—the person with dead faith who still loves the world. This is like the seed in Matthew 13 that falls among thorns. The person hears the gospel, but the love of the world chokes it out, and no fruit is produced. The evidence is that such a person was never truly redeemed.

This is why James draws such a clear dichotomy: one is either a friend of God or a friend of the world.

That contrast is already present at the end of chapter 3, where James contrasts worldly wisdom with wisdom from above. Worldly wisdom is marked by jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, and vile practices. That helps us understand why James says in chapter 4, verse 1 that desires and covetousness are the root of conflicts within the church.

This theme is consistent throughout the New Testament. 1 John 2:15–16, 1 Corinthians 3:3, and 1 Timothy 6:4 all connect worldliness and false belief with strife, division, and carnality.

James’s message is fully aligned with the rest of Scripture.

 

God’s Jealous Grace: The Solution to Worldliness

James does not leave us with warnings alone. He offers a solution.

In verse 5, James reminds us that God is passionate—jealous—that the Spirit He has placed within us should be faithful to Him. God is a jealous God, as revealed in Exodus 20 and Exodus 34. He demands exclusive worship and commitment and will act to keep His people from being claimed by the world.

For believers, this is a great consolation. God is not indifferent to our faithfulness. He is actively committed to preserving us, despite our weakness.

That is why James calls believers to humble submission, to draw near to God, and to resist the devil. God responds by giving grace and exalting the humble.

Jesus Himself illustrated this in Luke 22, when He told Peter that Satan had demanded to sift him like wheat, but that He had prayed for him. Prayer is a vital defense against temptation and spiritual attack.

James’s instruction is clear: draw near to God through prayer, resist the devil, and rely on God’s sufficient grace.

 

Warning Against Judging and Presumption

Speaking and Judging Others (James 4:11–12)

James next warns against slander and judgment.

Behind critical and harsh fault-finding is an attitude of pride that seeks to usurp God’s authority. James reminds us that God alone is the lawgiver and judge. There is no delegation of that role to individuals.

This does not refer to proper church discipline exercised by church authority. Rather, James is concerned with individual, critical speech that condemns others and assumes authority over their standing before God.

 

Presumptuous Planning (James 4:13–16)

James also warns against presumption in our plans. He calls this attitude arrogant and evil because it assumes control over the future.

Scripture reminds us that God holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). We are mortal—our life is a mist. Like the rich fool in Luke 12, we must remember that the future belongs to God.

James’s solution is simple but profound: “If the Lord wills.” While not many of us habitually speak or pray this way, doing so reminds us of our dependence on God and His sovereignty over our lives.

 

Sovereignty as the Unifying Theme

These three warnings—worldliness, judgmentalism, and presumption—are all connected by one underlying issue: failure to submit to God’s sovereignty.

We cannot acknowledge God as sovereign while loving the world, placing ourselves above His law, or living as though we are independent of His will. These are characteristics of the world, not of believers.

 

Sin of Omission and Living Faith (James 4:17)

In closing, James adds another dimension to proving faith by works.

In verse 17, he reminds us that sin is not only about direct disobedience, but also about inaction—the failure to do what we know is right. This is the sin of omission.

James reinforces what he taught earlier in chapter 1, verse 22: we must be doers of the Word, not hearers only. Knowledge without action is useless.

Paul echoes this struggle in Romans 7, where he speaks of both doing what he should not do and failing to do what he should do—both of which he calls sin.

Jesus Himself gives the final warning in Matthew 25, where those judged are condemned not for overt evil, but for failing to act when they saw others in need.

 

Conclusion

James reminds us that genuine faith is not merely something we profess—it is something we practice. Knowledge of God must result in transformed living. Worldliness, pride, presumption, and inaction all reveal a heart that has not fully submitted to God’s rule.

May we not be hearers only, but doers of the Word.

Let us close in prayer.