James 4:8

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - James 4:1-17

The writer now dealt with the effect of faith on character. Everything depends on desire. To attempt to satisfy a natural desire without reference to God is futile, and issues in internal conflict and outward warfare and strife. The writer inquired, "Doth the Spirit which He made to dwell in us long unto envying?" It is self-evident that the Spirit of God does not create desire which issues in envying. The divine corrective of such a condition is, first, that God "giveth more grace . . . to... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:6-10

As A Consequence They Are To Subject Themselves to God, Resist the Devil, And Draw Near to God By Purifying Themselves And Truly Repenting (James 4:6-10 ). The condition of some of God’s professed people having been revealed somewhat emphatically, James now calls on them to get back to God, responding to His jealous love which seeks to bring their spirit back to Him. It is a question of humbling themselves, submitting themselves to God, resisting the Devil, and then drawing near to God so... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:8

‘Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.’ And now the way by which they can submit to God and draw near to him is explained. It is first of all by being cleansed. They are to cleanse their hands by letting go of all that has defiled them and walking in the will of the Father (compare Isaiah 1:16; Psalms 26:6), and purify their hearts by fixing them firmly on God (see 1 John 3:3) and obeying the truth (1 Peter 1:22), no longer being doubleminded. For a... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1-10

James 4:1-2 Samuel : . The climax of the last paragraph leads to a diagnosis of the disease that poisoned quarrelsome Jewish communities. Faction fights were the logical outcome of unbridled passions; they “ campaign against man’ s self” ( 1 Peter 2:11), and weaken his power of control. James 4:2 is best rendered, “ You covet, and miss what you want— then you murder. Aye, you are envious and cannot get your desire— then you fight and wage war.” It is hard to see how faction that would not... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - James 4:8

Draw nigh to God; by faith, which is a coming to God, Hebrews 7:25; by true repentance, which is a returning to God, Hosea 14:1; Malachi 3:7; and by fervent prayer to him for the help of his grace, Psalms 25:1. And he will draw nigh to you; by the manifestation of his grace and favour to you, particularly giving you strength against the devil and your lusts. Cleanse your hands; reform your actions, amend your lives. Hands, the principal instruments of bodily actions, being put for the actions... read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - James 4:5-10

CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTESJames 4:5.—The precise rendering is doubtful. There is no passage either in the Canonical or Apocryphal Scriptures that is here referred to. The Revised Version gives in the text, “Doth the spirit which He made to dwell in us long unto envying? But He giveth more grace.” And in the margin two renderings: “The spirit which He made to dwell in us He yearneth for even unto jealousy”; “That spirit which He made to dwell in us yearneth for us even unto jealous envy.” In... read more

Charles Simeon

Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae - James 4:8-10

DISCOURSE: 2371REPENTANCE URGED [Note: For Ash-Wednesday.]James 4:8-10. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.THE season of Lent has been set apart by the Church for the purpose of calling all her members to deep humiliation of soul before... read more

C.I. Scofield

Scofield's Reference Notes - James 4:8

sinners Sin. (See Scofield " :-") . read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - James 4:1-17

Chapter 4This chapter could be entitled how to win friends and influence people. Guard your tongue, bring your tongue under control, use it for good, use it to encourage to build up, don't use it to tear down, to destroy, to cut, to hurt. Your wisdom, let it be Godly wisdom let it be demonstrated in your manner of life, that is your life let it be pure. Let your life be peaceable, merciful. Now this fruit of righteousness that we desire is actually sown in peace and that fruit of righteousness... read more

Joseph Sutcliffe

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments - James 4:1-17

James 4:1-2 . From whence come wars and fightings among you? St. James saw in the Spirit the bloody and cruel wars which would rise among christian powers, much the same as among the heathen. He had a clear conviction that the cause of wars is uniformly the same, namely, evil concupiscence, pride, avarice, revenge. The prophet Isaiah assigns the same reason for all wars, the pride of the human heart, Judah envying Ephraim, and Ephraim vexing Judah. Isaiah 11:13. He also adds the promise,... read more

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