James 4:4
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.
Now we come to the heart and core of the book of James. The author puts his finger on the central struggle that God’s people have with their Savior: worldliness. James has alluded to this problem at points throughout the epistle. For example, he declares that believers are double-minded (James 1:8) when they ask God for wisdom during trials, yet at the same time doubt Him when they pray. He is not speaking of the common doubts that all believers experience when they pray (Mark 9:24). Rather, James is saying that a double-minded man is a person who is conflicted in his soul over his allegiance to God. He is torn between sin and obedience. Instead of being totally committed to God, he vacillates in his heart because of his craving for the things of this world (James 1:14–15; 1 John 2:15–17). The double-minded person is reluctant to let go of the pleasures of this world for the demands of discipleship. James depicts this same conflict later on in the book (James 3:13–4:3). He describes this struggle with selfish desires in various ways: the earthly wisdom that has created instability among believers (James 3:14–16), the wars and fights that are ongoing because of the lusts in our hearts (James 4:1–2), and the unanswered prayers that are full of self-centered desires (James 4:3). James repeatedly uses three words to describe the self-centered desires that are in all believers: lust, envy, and pleasures. The letter reaches a milestone in James 4:4 when the author confronts the shocking reality of worldliness within the lives of believers.
What Is Worldliness?
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
WORD STUDY
Adulteresses — unfaithful wives
Know — to understand; to comprehend; to realize; to be aware
Friendship — affection; love; close relationship
World — world system; the affairs of mankind apart from God and hostile to God; the corrupt part of culture controlled by Satan
Enmity — hostility, hatred; the opposite of friendship
What is the world? In this passage, the world does not refer to the planet God created or to all the nations around the globe. The term world means the unregenerate people (Eph. 2:1–2) who live under the control of Satan (1 John 5:19) and who have structured life to make self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement their central aims (James 2:15–17). This includes the values, motives, morals, pursuits and prejudices that mold and control the affairs of unsaved people. In his book Love Not the World: Winning the War Against Worldliness, Randy Leedy describes the world as “the lost people of our generation, especially as they manifest their estrangement from our Father by developing and pursuing values that are contrary to the biblical morality that reflects His character.”¹
The mindset of the world towards God and His will is one of either apathetic disregard or of open hostility, thus making the world the enemy of God. The lives of those who follow God will stand in contrast to the lifestyle of the world. Was worldliness a genuine problem for New Testament believers? Twice in this verse James accuses professing Christians of having an affectionate relationship with the world: “the friendship of the world” and “a friend of the world.” Apparently, the influence of the world was significant enough to prompt James to write about it.
If the world is unsaved humanity in its opposition to God’s authority and moral character, what is worldliness? James describes it in two relational terms: adultery and friendship. When James calls believers adulteresses, he is employing Old Testament language. God called Israel His bride (Isa. 54:5), and their marriage covenant demanded unswerving loyalty to Jehovah. When Israel turned to worship of idols, they were, in effect, committing spiritual adultery. James labels these Jewish believers adulteresses because they were pursuing the carnal attractions of this sinful world like Israel pursued idols. In other words, we as believers exhibit worldliness by the direction of our affections.
James also calls these believers the “friend(s) of the world.” In Middle Eastern culture, friendship is taken very seriously. Friends identify with one another. They share the same values and loyalties. To choose to be someone’s friend is a binding commitment. In other words, this passage teaches that worldliness includes choosing to share the standards, priorities and pursuits of this fallen world system. If we embrace the lifestyle characteristics of the world, will we not soon lose our identity as children of God?
How Does Worldliness Evolve?
James 4:4
… whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
WORD STUDY
Therefore — consequently
Will — to intend; to purpose; to desire; to deliberate to the point of choosing
Is — to cause oneself; to establish oneself; to designate oneself; to commit oneself; to take one’s stand as (indicates a continuing status)
Enemy — one who is hostile
How do believers become worldly? James asks another rhetorical question (note also James 3:13; James 4:1): “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” His answer reveals that worldliness is a matter of choice. “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
The path to worldliness involves four stages. First, worldliness begins with our inherent sinful desires.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (James 1:14)
We constantly engage in warfare on two fronts. Internally, we are seized by the self-centered inclinations of our own flesh. Is your heart set on becoming spiritually mature or on satisfying your own lusts? What do you truly value? What is your priority? Are you double-minded (in other words, two-souled—having a heart for God and a heart for the world)? Or are you single-mindedly committed to following Christ? Worldliness starts in the realm of our desires.
Second, worldliness develops through a period of deliberation. A timeframe often exists during which we struggle with our desires before making an actual choice. Our hearts become a battle zone between the commands of God and our sinful desires. The choice is ours (James 1:14). At this point, if we deliberate too long with our self-indulgent desires, they eventually wear down our resistance to the temptation.
Third, worldliness solidifies into a conscious decision to be a friend of the world. The word for will means making a choice at a definite point in time. When we reach this verdict, our allegiance has shifted, and we have established ourselves as friends of the world.
Finally, worldliness manifests itself in actions and behavior. To enter into a friendship with the world means that we are allowing the world’s way of thinking to mold and shape our motives, pursuits, activities and even our appearance.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Rom. 12:2)
What is the result of worldliness? The believer establishes himself as the enemy of God. And as strange as this may sound, every believer needs to be warned of this reality: “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4). The verb know is in the perfect tense, meaning that this truth is learned and should continue to be a controlling reality throughout the Christian journey. We must always realize that we cannot be friends of the world and remain the friends of God. Those who do become friends of the world have taken on the identity of God’s enemies. Man initiates this enmity, but God then distances Himself from the believer, and no close, intimate relationship can then exist with God.
¹ Randy Leedy, Love Not the World: Winning the War Against Worldliness (Greenville: BJU Press, 2012), 13.
This post is from Wisdom from Above: A Study in James by Steve Pettit. Copyright 2015 by BJU Press. Printed by permission of BJU Press.
This post is part of the study designed to correspond with the 2020 Spring Chapel Series. Watch the chapel message below:
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