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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 4:17

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

Study Summary

If anyone, then, knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them — the principle establishes that sin is not merely transgression of explicit command but failure to do good that one knows is right. The Greek oida (to know) suggests not intellectual awareness alone but informed understanding. The failure is characterized immediately as hamartia (sin), establishing omission as ethically culpable as commission. This broadens the definition of sin beyond explicit vice to include failure of virtue.

Community Reflections

1
Mary Patel (test user)1d ago
God's sovereignty revealed — James 4

God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word…

Read the note →

James 4:17

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

Study Summary

If anyone, then, knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them — the principle establishes that sin is not merely transgression of explicit command but failure to do good that one knows is right. The Greek oida (to know) suggests not intellectual awareness alone but informed understanding. The failure is characterized immediately as hamartia (sin), establishing omission as ethically culpable as commission. This broadens the definition of sin beyond explicit vice to include failure of virtue.

Community Reflections

1
Mary Patel (test user)1d ago
God's sovereignty revealed — James 4

God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. What a reminder that God's ways are not our ways. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. The contrast between human weakness and divine strength is so vivid in this passage. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The Hebrew word…

Read the note →

James 4:17

If anyone, then, knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them — the principle establishes that sin is not merely transgression of explicit command but failure to do good that one knows is right. The Greek oida (to know) suggests not intellectual awareness alone but informed understanding. The failure is characterized immediately as hamartia (sin), establishing omission as ethically culpable as commission. This broadens the definition of sin beyond explicit vice to include failure of virtue.