glory not, and lie not against the truth--To boast of your wisdom is virtually a lying against the truth (the gospel), while your lives belie your glorying. [Jas 3:15]; [Jas 1:18], "The word of truth." [Ro 2:17], 23, speaks similarly of the same contentious Jewish Christians.
15. This wisdom--in which ye "glory," as if ye were "wise" ([Jas 3:13], ).
descendeth not from above--literally, "is not one descending," &c.: "from the Father of lights" (true illumination and wisdom), [Jas 1:17]; through "the Spirit of truth," [Joh 15:26].
earthly--opposed to heavenly. Distinct from "earthy," [1Co 15:47]. Earthly is what is IN the earth; earthy, what is of the earth.
sensual--literally, "animal-like": the wisdom of the "natural" (the same Greek) man, not born again of God; "not having the Spirit" (Jude 19).
devilish--in its origin (from "hell," [Jas 3:6]; not from God, the Giver of true wisdom, [Jas 1:5]), and also in its character, which accords with its origin. Earthly, sensual, and devilish, answer to the three spiritual foes of man, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
16. envying--So English Version translates the Greek, which usually means "zeal"; "emulation," in [Ro 13:13]. "The envious man stands in his own light. He thinks his candle cannot shine in the presence of another's sun. He aims directly at men, obliquely at God, who makes men to differ."
strife--rivalry [Alford].
confusion--literally, "tumultuous anarchy": both in society (translated "commotions," [Lu 21:9]; "tumults," [2Co 6:5]), and in the individual mind; in contrast to the "peaceable" composure of true "wisdom," [Jas 3:17]. James does not honor such effects of this earthly wisdom with the name "fruit," as he does in the case of the wisdom from above. [Jas 3:18]; compare [Ga 5:19-22], "works of the flesh ... fruit of the Spirit."
17. first pure--literally, "chaste," "sanctified": pure from all that is "earthly, sensual (animal), devilish" ([Jas 3:15]). This is put, "first of all," before "peaceable" because there is an unholy peace with the world which makes no distinction between clean and unclean. Compare "undefiled" and "unspotted from the world," [Jas 1:27]; , , "purify ... hearts"; [1Pe 1:22], "purified ... souls" (the same Greek). Ministers must not preach before a purifying change of heart, "Peace," where there is no peace. Seven (the perfect number) characteristic peculiarities of true wisdom are enumerated. Purity or sanctity is put first because it has respect both to God and to ourselves; the six that follow regard our fellow men. Our first concern is to have in ourselves sanctity; our second, to be at peace with men.
gentle--"forbearing"; making allowances for others; lenient towards neighbors, as to the DUTIES they owe us.
easy to be entreated--literally, "easily persuaded," tractable; not harsh as to a neighbor's FAULTS.
full of mercy--as to a neighbor's MISERIES.
good fruits--contrasted with "every evil work," [Jas 3:16].
without partiality--recurring to the warning against partial "respect to persons," [Jas 2:1], [4, 9]. Alford translates as the Greek is translated, [Jas 1:6], "wavering," "without doubting." But thus there would be an epithet referring to one's self inserted amidst those referring to one's conduct towards others. English Version is therefore better.
without hypocrisy--Not as Alford explains from [Jas 1:22], , "Without deceiving yourselves" with the name without the reality of religion. For it must refer, like the rest of the six epithets, to our relations to others; our peaceableness and mercy towards others must be "without dissimulation."
18. "The peaceable fruit of righteousness." He says "righteousness"; because it is itself the true wisdom. As in the case of the earthly wisdom, after the characteristic description came its results; so in this verse, in the case of the heavenly wisdom. There the results were present; here, future.
fruit ... sown--Compare [Psa 97:11]; [Is 61:3], "trees of righteousness." Anticipatory, that is, the seed whose "fruit," namely, "righteousness," shall be ultimately reaped, is now "sown in peace." "Righteousness," now in germ, when fully developed as "fruit" shall be itself the everlasting reward of the righteous. As "sowing in peace" (compare "sown in dishonor," [1Co 15:43]) produces the "fruit of righteousness," so conversely "the work" and "effect of righteousness" is "peace."
of them that make peace--"by (implying also that it is for them, and to their good) them that work peace." They, and they alone, are "blessed." "Peacemakers," not merely they who reconcile others, but who work peace. "Cultivate peace" [Estius]. Those truly wise towards God, while peaceable and tolerant towards their neighbors, yet make it their chief concern to sow righteousness, not cloaking men's sins, but reproving them with such peaceable moderation as to be the physicians, rather than the executioners, of sinners [Calvin].
Chapter 4
Jas 4:1-17. Against Fightings and Their Source; Worldly Lusts; Uncharitable Judgments, and Presumptuous Reckoning on the Future
1. whence--The cause of quarrels is often sought in external circumstances, whereas internal lusts are the true origin.
wars, &c.--contrasted with the "peace" of heavenly wisdom. "Fightings" are the active carrying on of "wars." The best authorities have a second "whence" before "fightings." Tumults marked the era before the destruction of Jerusalem when James wrote. He indirectly alludes to these. The members are the first seat of war; thence it passes to conflict between man and man, nation and nation.
come they not, &c.--an appeal to their consciences.
lusts--literally, "pleasures," that is, the lusts which prompt you to "desire" (see on [Jas 4:2]) pleasures; whence you seek self at the cost of your neighbor, and hence flow "fightings."
that war--"campaign, as an army of soldiers encamped within" [Alford] the soul; tumultuously war against the interests of your fellow men, while lusting to advance self. But while warring thus against others they (without his knowledge) war against the soul of the man himself, and against the Spirit; therefore they must be "mortified" by the Christian.
2. Ye lust--A different Greek word from that in [Jas 4:1]. "Ye desire"; literally, "ye set your mind (or heart) on" an object.
have not--The lust of desire does not ensure the actual possession. Hence "ye kill" (not as Margin, without any old authority, "envy") to ensure possession. Not probably in the case of professing Christians of that day in a literal sense, but "kill and envy" (as the Greek for "desire to have" should be translated), that is, harass and oppress through envy [Drusius]. Compare [Zec 11:5], "slay"; through envy, hate, and desire to get out of your way, and so are "murderers" in God's eyes [Estius]. If literal murder [Alford] were meant, I do not think it would occur so early in the series; nor had Christians then as yet reached so open criminality. In the Spirit's application of the passage to all ages, literal killing is included, flowing from the desire to possess so David and Ahab. There is a climax: "Ye desire," the individual lust for an object; "ye kill and envy," the feeling and action of individuals against individuals; "ye fight and war," the action of many against many.
ye have not, because ye ask not--God promises to those who pray, not to those who fight. The petition of the lustful, murderous, and contentious is not recognized by God as prayer. If ye prayed, there would be no "wars and fightings." Thus this last clause is an answer to the question, [Jas 4:1], "Whence come wars and fightings?"
3. Some of them are supposed to say in objection, But we do "ask" (pray); compare [Jas 4:2]. James replies, It is not enough to ask for good things, but we must ask with a good spirit and intention. "Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it (your object of prayer) upon (literally, 'in') your lusts (literally, 'pleasures')"; not that ye may have the things you need for the service of God. Contrast [Jas 1:5] with [Mt 6:31],. If ye prayed aright, all your proper wants would be supplied; the improper cravings which produce "wars and fightings" would then cease. Even believers' prayers are often best answered when their desires are most opposed.
4. The oldest manuscripts omit "adulterers and," and read simply, "Ye adulteresses." God is the rightful husband; the men of the world are regarded collectively as one adulteress, and individually as adulteresses.
the world--in so far as the men of it and their motives and acts are aliens to God, for example, its selfish "lusts" ([Jas 4:3]), and covetous and ambitious "wars and fightings" ([Jas 4:1]).
enmity--not merely "inimical"; a state of enmity, and that enmity itself. Compare [1Jo 2:15], "love ... the world ... the love of the Father."
whosoever ... will be--The Greek is emphatic, "shall be resolved to be." Whether he succeed or not, if his wish be to be the friend of the world, he renders himself, becomes (so the Greek for "is") by the very fact, "the enemy of God." Contrast "Abraham the friend of God."
5. in vain--No word of Scripture can be so. The quotation here, as in [Ep 5:14], seems to be not so much from a particular passage as one gathered by James under inspiration from the general tenor of such passages in both the Old and New Testaments, as [Nu 14:29]; [Pr 21:20]; [Ga 5:17].
spirit that dwelleth in us--Other manuscripts read, "that God hath made to dwell in us" (namely, at Pentecost). If so translated, "Does the (Holy) Spirit that God hath placed in us lust to (towards) envy" (namely, as ye do in your worldly "wars and fightings")? Certainly not; ye are therefore walking in the flesh, not in the Spirit, while ye thus lust towards, that is, with envy against one another. The friendship of the world tends to breed envy; the Spirit produces very different fruit. Alford attributes the epithet "with envy," in the unwarrantable sense of jealously, to the Holy Spirit: "The Spirit jealously desires us for His own." In English Version the sense is, "the (natural) spirit that hath its dwelling in us lusts with (literally, 'to,' or 'towards') envy." Ye lust, and because ye have not what ye lust after ([Jas 4:1], ), ye envy your neighbor who has, and so the spirit of envy leads you on to "fight." James also here refers to [Jas 3:14], .
6. But--"Nay, rather."
he--God.
giveth more grace--ever increasing grace; the farther ye depart from "envy" [Bengel].
he saith--The same God who causes His spirit to dwell in believers ([Jas 4:5]), by the Spirit also speaks in Scripture. The quotation here is probably from [Pr 3:34]; as probably [Pr 21:10] was generally referred to in [Jas 4:5]. In Hebrew it is "scorneth the scorners," namely, those who think "Scripture speaketh in vain."
resisteth--literally, "setteth Himself in array against"; even as they, like Pharaoh, set themselves against Him. God repays sinners in their own coin. "Pride" is the mother of "envy" ([Jas 4:5]); it is peculiarly satanic, for by it Satan fell.
the proud--The Greek means in derivation one who shows himself above his fellows, and so lifts himself against God.
the humble--the unenvious, uncovetous, and unambitious as to the world. Contrast [Jas 4:4].
7. Submit to ... God--so ye shall be among "the humble," [Jas 4:6]; also [Jas 4:10]; [1Pe 5:6].
Resist ... devil--Under his banner pride and envy are enlisted in the world; resist his temptations to these. Faith, humble prayers, and heavenly wisdom, are the weapons of resistance. The language is taken from warfare. "Submit" as a good soldier puts himself in complete subjection to his captain. "Resist," stand bravely against.