Humbly Submit to God

James 4:7-10 is one of the hardest hitting passages in this epistles. One might wonder how popular James would be if he were to preach in our day. Preachers in our day often flatter their hearers. In our last text James called his readers murderers and adulteresses. In this week's text James calls them sinners and double minded. Many churches in our day are all about happiness and joy. James tells us to be miserable, to mourn and to weep. Many popular preachers aim to build their hearers' self-esteem. James repeatedly tell us that we must humble ourselves before God. Others say that preaching should almost exclusively speak in the indicative of what God has done for us in Christ. James strings together ten imperatives exhorting us to active obedience.

The context of James' exhortations is his concern for the quarrels and fights among his readers which are rooted in their proud worldly selfishness. The cure for such conflicts is to humble ourselves before God.