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James 4

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From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

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Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

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Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

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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.

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Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

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But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

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Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

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Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

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Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

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Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

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Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

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There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

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Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

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Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

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For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

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But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

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Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

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James 4:10

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Study Summary

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up — the principle of exaltation through humiliation appears repeatedly in Scripture (cf. 1 Peter 5:6, Matthew 23:12). The tapeinoō (humble) oneself before the Lord results in hypsoō (elevation/exaltation) by him. The symmetry suggests that God's lifting up matches the measure of one's self-humiliation. This is not self-abasement but the alignment of will with God's purposes.

Community Reflections

1
Adam Smith (test user)1d ago
The shepherd and the sheep — James 4

God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in…

Read the note →

James 4:10

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Study Summary

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up — the principle of exaltation through humiliation appears repeatedly in Scripture (cf. 1 Peter 5:6, Matthew 23:12). The tapeinoō (humble) oneself before the Lord results in hypsoō (elevation/exaltation) by him. The symmetry suggests that God's lifting up matches the measure of one's self-humiliation. This is not self-abasement but the alignment of will with God's purposes.

Community Reflections

1
Adam Smith (test user)1d ago
The shepherd and the sheep — James 4

God is faithful in every circumstance.. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience would have immediately understood the metaphor of sowing, waiting, and harvesting.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in…

Read the note →

James 4:10

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up — the principle of exaltation through humiliation appears repeatedly in Scripture (cf. 1 Peter 5:6, Matthew 23:12). The tapeinoō (humble) oneself before the Lord results in hypsoō (elevation/exaltation) by him. The symmetry suggests that God's lifting up matches the measure of one's self-humiliation. This is not self-abasement but the alignment of will with God's purposes.