Submit Yourselves to God: a closer look at James 4

Submit yourselves to God is a weighty command. It comes riding in on the heels of multiple gems to aid your faith.

The author is believed to be Jesus’ oldest brother, James, and it appears he is addressing the church of mainly Jewish believers, while it was still a predominantly Jewish church.

To set the stage, he first takes us through:

• trials and temptations,
  • testing of our faith, and
  • source of temptation;
• listening and doing;
• favoritism forbidden;
• faith and deeds;
• taming the tongue; and
• two kinds of wisdom (worldly versus Godly).

Pure motivations?

Here we arrive at 4:3:

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 4:3, NIV

James is now carrying us through what our worldly flesh is desiring and why there are problems among them (and us, as human nature has not changed).

Does this define you: adulterous, hatred, enemy of God?

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.

James 4:4, NIV

An enemy, that is some strong language! We need to take ourselves back a chapter now and reacquaint ourselves with that worldly versus Godly wisdom is. Godly wisdom provides a solid foundation for guidance in our lives. It is obtained, in part, through humility. Godly wisdom will lead us away from a friendship of the world and into right relationship with Him.

‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’

James 4:6b, NIV

Do proud people ask for advice? Do proud people seek out Godly wisdom and correction? Those of a humble nature will be the ones to desire a purer life through a lens of Heavenly motives.

Humility is the basis for submission.

Submit yourselves, then, to God.

James 4:7a, NIV

Submit is a word that scares a lot of people. This fear oftentimes falls under a proud supposition that you will lose something should you submit to it; whether that be authority, boasting, rights, dignity, etc.

However, when we look at the entire book of James, he crafts it so well for us to see that submission is the rightful response to our place in this life. If we do not submit to the sovereignty of God, our pride needs to be shoved aside. A revisit is in order to the lessons surrounding James 4:6b.

Our created place in this world…

In essence, under Strong’s Concordance, ‘submit yourselves to God’ explains this as a placing or ranking under, to subject to, to obey. This dynamic flows through the entire Bible. We see in Genesis that there is order, that God created man in His image and are subject to His rules. In turn, man has rule over the beasts. The submission requested of God is founded in a basis of respect and reverence. It’s a divine acquiescence and acceptance of our place.

Act NOW! Do not delay!

What is encouraging is that guidelines are next given to assist this mindset. In Greek, these call for IMMEDIATE action:

• Resist the devil and he will flee from you,
• Come near to God and He will come near to you,
• Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded,
• Grieve, mourn, and wail (repent),
• Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom, and
• Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Therefore, make the decision today to submit, in full to God’s arrangement, His plan for your life. Learn and seek out a humble heart through the immediate actions above.

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