Worldliness is a foe to fellowship with God. It is an active combatant against righteousness. The captives of worldliness are in an illegitimate relationship with God, by practicing spiritual unfaithfulness. James, in a most direct manner, charges that to be given over to evil desires is a betrayal of commitment to God, and names such for what they are:

James 4:4 "Adulterers and adulteresses ..."

Using the broken marriage covenant to describe unfaithfulness to God is familiar in the Old Testament. (Isaiah 54:5; 57:3; Jeremiah 9:2; Hosea 3:1 ). Jesus charged the religious leaders of belonging to "An evil and adulterous generation" (Matthew 12:39 KJV; 17:17 ). To be ashamed of the Lord and His Word is to be classified by the Lord as belonging to this "adulterous and sinful generation" (Mark 8:38 KJV).

Paul maintained that to receive a different gospel, is to be guilty of disobedience, an act of disloyalty to Christ to whom we are betrothed (2 Corinthians 11:2-4 ). When we are otherwise minded, self-desire minded, instead of single-minded in love and obedience to Christ, our worldliness belies our betrothal to Christ. Worldly covetousness is at enmity with God. It is a world system that is Satan promoted, and embraced by men and women to satisfy the lust of their eyes, their flesh and their pride of life (1 John 2:15- 16 ). To be a friend of this world is to be one with it, in its open hostility to God.

James 4:4 "... Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

James confronts those who adopt the world's set of values to gratify their worldly wants, and at the same time claim to be serving God - he uses shock treatment, challenging their willingness to be a friend of the world with the stark reality that by deliberately so doing, they become an enemy of God. This is so logical that it should be known to them. "Do you not know?" - meaning it is not possible that anyone could be ignorant of the fact that choosing the world defiles our fellowship with God, and leads to the path of spiritual destruction.

What should be the actions of the believer towards the world system that is hostile toward God and His people? (John 7:7; 15:18 ). The Bible answer is decided and clear.

	Come out of the world (John 15:19 ).
	Do not conform to the world (Romans 12:2 ).
	Do not love the world (1 John 2:15 ).
	Overcome the world (1 John 5:4 ).
	Die to the world (Galatians 6:14 ).

Listen to James. Don't be complacent. Do not line up with worldliness against God.

James 4:5 "Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?"

James challenges a carnal mindset that will not take God's Word seriously. God never speaks without reason, so a friend of the world is one who is spiritually unfaithful and against God. Those who persist in adulterating their relationship with God, rationalise their rebellion by thinking God did not mean what He said to be applied to their specific case. Making Scripture vain is a destructive combatant to spiritual life. Peter said concerning Paul's epistles and the rest of Scripture:

2 Peter 3:16 "as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures."

Jesus quoted Isaiah to those who twisted the Scriptures:

Matthew 15:9 "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

Twisting the Scriptures to excuse unfaithfulness sears the conscience:

1 Timothy 4:2 "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"

Right thinking concerning God's Word, and right handling of it, are essential to our own steadfast faithfulness.

2 Peter 3:17 "You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;"

Steadfastness is the byproduct of standing on the Word. Scripture is dependable - it says what it means and means what it says.

James 4:5 "Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'?"

That this statement is not an actual text quotation from the old Testament implies that James was summarising a truth evident in Scripture, that means what it says. The following references sufficiently express that God tolerates no rivals, nor will He accept divided loyalties. worship or service.

Exodus 20:5 "you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, ..."

Exodus 34:14 "'(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),"

(Deuteronomy 4:24 ).

1 Corinthians 10:21,22 "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; ... ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? "

Matthew 4:10 "Then Jesus said to him, 'away with you Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only shall you serve.'""

Luke 16:13 "... You cannot serve God and mammon."

Scripture reveals that God "yearns jealously" over His people.

Hosea 11:8 "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred."

God's compassion for His people could not contemplate total destruction of them, like that of the cities of the plain overthrown when Sodom was destroyed (Deuteronomy 29:23 ). They were to be punished in Hosea's day but not utterly destroyed. God promises a day of restoration, when He would not again have to execute His fierceness of anger (Hosea 11:9 ), because they will become a people who will walk after the Lord (Hosea 11:1-11 ). An incredible picture of God yearning for His People.

Matthew 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ "See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

As Immanuel (God with us) Jesus poured out divine yearning and lamentation over Jerusalem, even pronouncing judgment. He pointed to the day of prophetic promise of His return, when all will acknowledge Him as Lord, the Messiah. Then will Jerusalem know peace. God yearns for His people to enter into the fulness of His promise. James says the yearning jealously of our God is expressed within us by the indwelling Holy Spirit (James 4:5 ). The New King James uses a capital 's' showing that it is the Holy Spirit within us who yearns jealously for our love and devotion to belong only to the Lord. Remember the Holy Spirit jealously yearns for our attaining of our full potential through spiritual faithfulness. It is also true that the Holy Spirit is grieved (Ephesians 4:30 ) by any unfaithfulness to our Lord and Bridegroom. He yearns over us and desires that we yield to His full control (Ephesians 5:18 ), that by living in His fulness, we may put away from us all that is contrary to our submission to Christ as Lord.

Ephesians 4:31,32 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: ³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

When selfishness dominates the life, it affects the way we speak and dictates what we do, and infects what we think and feel. It grieves the Holy Spirit who jealously yearns for our dethronement of self and our return to crowning Jesus Lord of all, in unfeigned love.

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION

1. Why is right thinking about God's Word essential to your own steadfast commitment to the Word? (James 4:5; 2 Peter 3:17 ).
2. What is the meaning of the indwelling Holy Spirit yearning jealously? (James 4:5 ).