explore8_24_81103

Posted: 8/8/03

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Aug. 24

Submission to God is key to glorious living

James 4:1-17

By Jim Perkins

Madison Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio

On rare occasions, the situation demands we raise our voice or shout to be heard over the din of the drivel competing for the loyalties of those we love. During those times, a shout is worth the risk and the investment of our energies!

Need for submission

James carefully considered the issues at hand and decided those matters demanded the strong, “shouting” words of advice we find in chapter 4, especially those in the first five verses. To that end, he employed strong words that left little doubt as to the problems or challenges faced by the recipients of this letter.

It appears the outward symptoms of their situation were “fights” and “quarrels” (4:1) that disrupted the fellowship of believers. The inner problem causing these outer symptoms, however, seems to have been founded on a “friendship with the world”–and a resultant “hatred of God” (4:4)–that structured their response to the “desires (passions) that battle within you” (4:1). As a result, their response to these passionate desires became an exercise in coveting and seeking that which they could not have, and hating–perhaps even murdering–those who obstructed the path to obtaining that which they coveted desperately (4:2). The end result was their prayers became warped and misguided, with no chance of receiving that for which they asked (4:3).

The scenario James described in this section demonstrated the deep need they had to humble themselves before the Lord and seek his enabling presence and guidance. James described the reason for their (and our) need and the hope available to them in verse 6 as he quoted Proverbs 3:34: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Blessing for submission

Their need for God's assistance and guidance in life depended on a particular response to God: “Submit yourselves, then, to God” (4:7). In this setting, “submit” might mean to forego one's own rights and renounce one's independent will in order to place oneself under the authority and leadership of God. Thus, with deep conviction one could say with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

The command to “submit yourself to God” is one of 10 commands in verses 7-10 that might refer back to James' quotation of Proverbs 3:34 (4:6). In order for God graciously to gift those who would forego the poison of pride, James challenged all believers, with a sense of urgency, to submit to God, resist the devil, come near to God, wash your hands, purify your hearts, grieve, mourn and wail, change from laughter to mourning and joy to gloom, and humble yourselves before God (compare to 1 Peter 5:5).

These believers needed relief from the depredations and destruction promoted by the enemy. By turning to the Lord in humility and submission, the community of believers could experience the peace and freedom only God can bring. As they gladly decided to “humble yourselves before the Lord, the Faithful One would fulfill the promise of real spiritual victory: and he (the Lord) will lift you up” (4:10).

Reason for submission

In this last section of our text (4:13-17), James offered a concrete example from everyday life that illustrated the vital importance of a sincere and honest submission of ourselves to the Lord. This short passage references the lives of two different groups of people, detailing their attitudes toward life and their public utterances concerning their plans for the tomorrows.

The first group (verses 13 and 14) might consist of fellow believers, but their life commitment to self seems to be evidenced in the foolish arrogance of the words found on their tongues. Listen to the folly of their self-sufficiency as they chose to leave no room for the providence of God in their future: “Tomorrow we will” (4:13). Their presumption was that they controlled the tomorrows of life, a presumption James quickly discounted: “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” Indeed, life is marked by uncertainty and brevity, like the “mist” of the morning that suddenly appears and just as quickly vanishes (4:14). They were guilty of the grievous error of boasting and bragging (4:16) of their own self-sufficiency, when indeed they had none!

The second group, on the other hand, voiced a simple faith in and dependence on the Lord. Although the statement of verse 15 seems perfunctory at first glance (“If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.”), notice the attitude of submission and dependence contained within. These believers gladly gave God the place of lordship in life, for they were willing to seek and abide by his desire for their lives: “If it is the Lord's will.” Only then would they move on to another business venture–which for James brings no judgment or condemnation. Also, this group recognized life itself is dependent on God: “If it is the Lord's will, we will live”–that is, they recognized their next breath was dependent on and a gift from God. In this statement and as a result of this attitude, then, we find a group living out the meaning of verse 17–know the good you should do and go do it for God's glory!

Question for discussion

Write a practical, personal application for “submitting to God.” How can you do that every day in life?