A Commentary on the Epistle of James, Chapter Four

In the first part of the fourth chapter of the epistle of James, the author wrote about the unanswered selfish prayers of those who primarily pray for what they want. The obvious conclusion is that truly godly people should always pray for what the Lord wants of them rather than for what they might hope to get for themselves from Him. In the second part of the fourth chapter, he wrote about the importance of putting the Lord first in all things. The reasons for doing that are many. It is important to live a holy life. It is important for the saints of God to hold up each other. It is important for them to not extinguish the work of the Holy Spirit by their own works of unrighteousness.

Then in the third part of the fourth chapter of this epistle, James gave his recipe for holy living. It is to simply submit oneself to the Lord and resist the devil. Finally, he wrote in the fourth part of the fourth chapter of this epistle about the importance of the saints of God not speaking inappropriately or harshly about one another or to one another. He then concluded the fourth chapter by telling them that it would be sin for them to not do those things that he had called the good works of those who are in Christ.

There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text. Something that the reader of this text might find useful is boxes that show the different passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader in trying to understand the various events and to also put them into the right context. So it is hoped that that will make this book easier to read and that the Lord will receive the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully deserves.