Living Out Our Faith Submissively - James 4:5-6
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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight’s study includes two verses. They are James 4:5-6
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
These two verses will conclude the first paragraph of this chapter. Next week, we will summarize and review the entire section. However, for this evening, we have these two verses to consider. So, let’s get right to it.
GRAMMAR STUDY
GRAMMAR STUDY
You can divide these two verses into 5 different clauses.
“Do ye think that that the Scripture saith in vain,” (question)
“The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (quotation)
“But he giveth more grace.” (statement of Divine action)
“Wherefore he saith,” (inference based on previous information)
“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (quotation)
VERBS
VERBS
As for the parts of speech beginning with verbs, we have eight verbs. They are:
“Do ye think” - “to be of opinion, think, suppose,” also signifies in specific contexts “to seem, be accounted, reputed.”
“Saith” - “to say,” occasionally signifies “to ask” as of an inquiry, the reason being that “lego” is used for a variety of speaking methods.
“That dwelleth” - “to cause to dwell” is often said of God’s actions through the Holy Spirit.
“Lusteth” - “to long greatly” and is a strengthened form of “potheo” meaning “to long for” and is an entirely different Greek word than the two we studied in the first 2 verses.
“He giveth” - “to give”, however, in Revelation 3:8 it is translated “add.”
“He saith” - same word as “saith” in verse 5.
“Resisteth” - gives the sense of setting oneself against, “opposing oneself to.”
“Giveth” - same word and meaning as before.
NOUNS
NOUNS
There are eight nouns as well. They are:
“Scripture” - means “to write” and primarily denotes “a drawing, painting,” thus, “a writing” of the O.T. Scriptures.
“Spirit” - denotes “breath” and is often used in conjunction with the Holy Spirit as being the “breath” of God.
“Envy” - “envy” is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage of the prosperity of others, as here in this verse. It is rhetorical and strongly rebukes such action as it signifies that the Spirit which God made to dwell in us was undoubtedly not bestowed that we should be guilty of “envy.”
“Grace” - unmerited favor, however, in this verse, the statement is be taken in connection with the preceding verse with the implied answer that “it cannot so be.” Accordingly, if those who are acting so flagrantly, as if it were so, will listen to the Scripture instead of letting it speak in vain, and will act so that the Holy Spirit may have His way within, God will give even “greater grace,” namely, all that follow from humbleness and from turning away from the world.
“God” - the proper name of God
“Proud” - “showing oneself above others,” though often denoting preeminent, is always used in the N.T. in the evil sense of “arrogant, disdainful, haughty.”
“Grace” - unmerited favor. [Philippians 2:13 “13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” ]
“Humble” - primarily, “that which is low, and does not rise from the ground,” hence, metaphorically, signifies “lowly, of no degree.”
ADVERBS
ADVERBS
There is one. It is the word “vain” in verse 5.
“Vain” simply means “for no reason or to no end.”
Today, we would say it is pointless and meaningless.
ADJECTIVES
ADJECTIVES
There is also only one. It is the word “more.” As we might conclude, it simply means having more external form, size, measure, degree, intensity, and rank.
Now that we have some idea of the words and their meanings, it is time we moved to:
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
Up to this point, the Holy Spirit has given us several causes surrounding temptation and wrongdoing. Now, the Holy Spirit moves to the cure in overcoming temptation and sinful behavior. In fact, we will see two different remedies mentioned in these two verses. Thus,
He is giving us the CURE for that which CAUSES temptation and wrongdoing.
What is the Holy Spirit saying about the CURE for our temptation and wrongdoing?
What is the Holy Spirit saying about the CURE for our temptation and wrongdoing?
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
As we look at these verses, we see how the Holy Spirit poses a question. He asks, “Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain?” In other words, “Are you of the opinion that Scripture is written without meaning or purpose?” As believers, our answer is “No!” We fully believe His Word has purpose and meaning. Through faith, we fully accept that everything written through the entire Word of God is for our benefit and understanding. It is full of purpose and meaning. The Holy Spirit asks this question in order to arrest our attention in our text! Essentially, in a way, the Holy Spirit is saying here is something you NEED TO KNOW! What is it that He wants us to know?
We NEED TO KNOW that He, the Holy Spirit, YEARNS overs us with JEALOUSY!
We NEED TO KNOW that He, the Holy Spirit, YEARNS overs us with JEALOUSY!
Two key words are given in the statement, “The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy.” This statement is part of the question and is asked so that it is accepted as truth.
“The spirit that dwelleth in us” is the Holy Spirit. Remember that this entire letter was written to believers. We have noted this several times throughout our study of this great book. The Holy Spirit uses the term “beloved brethren” in the first two chapters of this letter three times. You cannot be called His “beloved” unless you have already accepted Christ as your personal Savior. When you accept Christ fully and completely by faith, we understand that God places His Spirit within us through Scripture. The Holy Spirit indwells us.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
I go give more verses, but I think you get the point. Going now back to our text, we see something important about God’s Spirit.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Note that He “lusteth.” This word is not the same word used before in verses 1 through 3. Those words described a sinful and selfish desire to satisfy fleshly desires through worldly pleasures. The word used here in verse 5 is longing or yearning for something. In other words, the Holy Spirit YEARNS to the point of envy. I will get the “envy” part in just a moment. However, here is the idea for now. Not only does the Holy Spirit indwell us, but He also YEARNS over us. We are constantly in His thoughts as He is concerned each moment of each day about our spiritual well-being. Stop and think about that for just a moment. Not only is He the God of the Universe, but every single moment He is living within us, constantly desiring that we live a path filled with His grace each day.
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Again, note that the Holy Spirit lusteth [yearns] to envy over us. How about the word “envy?” It is a vital component of this verse. “Envy” and “jealousy” are interchangeable. Scripture speaks again and again to the fact that God is a jealous God. We have just begun our study of the Names of God on Wednesday evenings. One of His names speaks to the fact that He is a jealous God.
Exodus 20:5 (KJV 1900)
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord [yahweh] thy God [Elohim] am a jealous God [El Qanna], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exodus 34:14 (KJV 1900)
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord [yahweh], whose name is Jealous [Qanna], is a jealous God [El Qanna]:
This word “qanna” demonstrates that God does not tolerate competitors or those who sin against Him because of His holiness. He is not envious or jealous in that we understand it, for we see it always from a sinful, fleshly standpoint. From God’s perspective, He is a God that cannot sin, and thus, He is jealous in the sense that He has a great ZEAL against every wicked and evil thing that would seek to pollute holiness in His people. I will come back to that point in just a moment; however, note the following verses for now.
Deuteronomy 32:16 (KJV 1900)
16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, With abominations provoked they him to anger.
21 They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; They have provoked me to anger with their vanities: And I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, And I was jealous for her with great fury.
We see God’s zeal for His people in each of those verses. His desire is always that His people be holy as they overcome sin and the flesh by obedience to His Word. Israel failed in this endeavor quite often. Consequently, God was “jealous” or filled with zeal against the sin that permeated the hearts and lives of the Israelis.
With that understanding, we move back to James 4:5
5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
In this New Testament age, those who put their complete faith in all Christ has done for them on the cross become God’s people. Even now, God, who does not change, is filled with zeal against things that defile the hearts and lives of His people. In fact, this verse falls right in line with our study of verse 4 last week.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
I think William Barclay gave an accurate understanding of this verse when he said, “The idea is that God loves men with such a passion that he cannot bear any other love within the hearts of men.”
Friendship with the world replaces our love for the Lord. The end result is the “spirit that dwelleth us lusteth to envy.”
Why is it essential for us to know this? God does not cast you off by rejecting and forsaking you whenever you face heavy temptation and even give in to it. Instead, God continues to love no matter the situation. He has a yearning and longing for you to return to Him - a desire and hope that comes with a deep, intense zeal to help you overcome sin in your life. It is the reason that He gave us the promise of 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is also why He gave us His Spirit to indwell us.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Now, remember there are two cures. The first is when we realize and understand the Holy Spirit YEARNS over us with GREAT ZEAL.
We find the second one in verse 6.
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
We NEED TO KNOW that God gives the HUMBLE Believer GRACE and MORE GRACE, but He RESISTS the PROUD.
We NEED TO KNOW that God gives the HUMBLE Believer GRACE and MORE GRACE, but He RESISTS the PROUD.
Grace, as we know, means unmerited favor. God continually bestows upon believers many favors and blessings. All of which we are totally undeserving. However, remember that this passage deals with temptations and wrongdoing. Thus the idea is that when we are faced with such temptations, God is more than willing to meet our need no matter what it is. God stands ready to provide if we need His strength, wisdom, power, perseverance, patience, or even forgiveness. Again, we are totally undeserving. However, God is a God of great love, mercy, and grace!
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
God bestows upon us grace and more grace. In other words, He gives us grace upon grace upon grace, and so it goes.
Not every believer and not every person receives God’s grace. There is one critical factor at play in our text. For example, the unbeliever does not receive God’s grace until they fully accept Christ, God’s Son, as their personal Savior. Something that only comes by fully acknowledging their sin, repenting of their sinful lifestyle, and fully believing Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection with all their heart, soul, and mind. When they do, they then experience God’s extraordinary grace as He imparts eternal life and places His Spirit within them.
By that same thought, not every believer is given more grace. Yes, they have experienced saving grace. However, our text speaks about the grace needed to overcome daily temptations that lead to sinful actions. God does not automatically meet our needs in such instances. The fact is that He states we are to come to Him asking for His help. Christ Himself taught this very fact when He gave us His model prayer in Matthew 6.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
According to His model, are we not to daily ask for His assistance in overcoming temptation? Now, if we follow this out by including our study of James 4, we know this.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
And, now, in our text this evening, we read.
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Obviously, God does not meet every believer’s request to overcome temptation in their life when their request is accompanied by selfish pride and selfish motives. God specifically states that He “resisteth the proud.” The word “resisteth” means to set oneself against something or someone. Here, we learn that God sets Himself against the believer’s request whose life is filled with pride. We know pride to mean someone who seeks preeminence and demonstrates arrogance, disdain, and a haughty attitude to others. All of which align with what we learned in verses 1-4. The believer who is filled their heart with what they desire instead of God’s desires is proud. God, who is jealous and filled with zeal against sin and selfishness, sets Himself against any requests from such a believer. That is the bottom line.
However, as always with God, there is hope. God is ready and willing to help. In fact, His zeal against anything that defiles what is holy places Him in a position prepared to assist believers. He is always a God of grace, and He stands ready to give “more grace.” However, His grace is reserved for those believers who willing “humble” themselves before Him.
The word “humble” is literally a word of low degree. In a literal sense, it means “that which is low, and does not arise from the ground.” It paints a picture of a lowly subject in the presence of a king. The commoner prostrates himself before the king as he bows in humble obedience and submission. The lowly subject continues to bow as he places his request before the king realizes that the king has the power to grant or reject his appeal. There is no pride or arrogance on display. Instead, the lowly subject knows that he is entirely at the king’s mercy.
Is it not the same in our relationship with the King of Kings? We are simple sinners saved only by God’s grace. Were it not for God’s grace, love, and mercy, all of us would still be under His condemnation, destined to live an eternity in fire and brimstone. It is something that we must never forget. And, yes, God grants us the special status of adoption into His family, but that position is also one of grace. Thus, we must remember that if we are going to have even a smidgen of opportunity at overcoming our sinful flesh, it is when we humbly and submissively obey God’s commands. The believer who turns to God and away from this world and his wrongdoing with great humility receives all the grace from God he will ever need. At that moment, God, who YEARNS over His people with great zeal, looks down upon His child with great love and bestows upon them all they need to overcome this world’s temptations.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.