Friendship of the World James 4:4

James, the “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”, told the people within the “twelve tribes scattered abroad” their “wars and fightings” came from their “lusts that war in” their “members”, and though they would “ask” things of God, they would only do so “to consume it upon” their “own lusts”. In chapter four and verse four of his letter, James reminded them “the friendship of the world is enmity with God” where we read:

You 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.

The verse begins, “You adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” James began with the words, “You adulterers” which means “male humans who are faithless toward God and ungodly” “and adulteresses” or “female humans who are faithless toward God and the ungodly”, “know you not” or “do you not perceive, notice, discern and discover” “that the friendship” which refers to “fondness and affiliation” “of the world” or “that which is an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order or government” “is enmity” which means “hatred, opposition and hostility” “with God” who is “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. James referred to “hatred and hostility” toward God that was manifested as “spiritual” adultery by those who aligned themselves and are affiliated with the ways of the “world”.

The verse goes on to say, “whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James continued, “whosoever” which refers to “the ones which, that, whithersoever and whereof” “therefore” or “consequently, accordingly and these things being so” “will be a friend” which means “to happen and present themselves deliberately, purposely and willingly with desire to be an associate, companion and neighbor” “of the world” or “that which is an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order or government” “is the enemy” which refers to “one who is hating, odious and opposing” “of God” who is “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. James concluded that people who are “friends of the world” are “hating, opposing and odious” toward God Himself.

When we meditate upon these words of James, we should never be “friends” with the ways of “the world”. None of us should desire to be God's “enemy”, and yet, some people affiliate themselves with the world and put themselves in full opposition to Him. Jesus Christ desires to be the Lord and Savior of our lives, and if we align ourselves with God's ways, we will be His “friends”. If we associate ourselves more with the “world”, we are none other than the “enemies” of God.

Next time James shares about “the spirit that dwells in us”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.