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</html>";s:4:"text";s:27929:"BibliographyTrapp, John. "Commentary on James 4:8". Mayor quotes in connection with this verse, Hermas, Mand., ix. Job 9:30. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. It is a good exchange to put away carnal joy for godly sorrow; for then we put away a sin for a duty, brass for gold; yea, we have that in the duty which we expected in the sin, and in a more pure, full, and sweet way. Similar expressions in 2 Chronicles 15:2; Isaiah 57:15; Zechariah 1:3. In … 8. Christians are brethren. If you saw one person using every art to please another, and to draw him into conversation, and the second person avoided his presence, and refused intercourse, what would you think? That he separates himself from evil ways and evil companions, and devotes himself to God. "The Adam Clarke Commentary". "Cleanse your hands"-a figurative expression which means to cleanse yourselves (Isaiah 1:15; Psalms 24:4; 1 Timothy 2:8). Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 3. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Only God has the right to prescribe the terms upon which men may approach him, and these are outlined in  Hebrews 10:22ff, where faith, repentance and baptism are laid out as preconditions of drawing near to God "in Christ.". Not sure how people that live, outwardly conservative lives can be the problem, when they are the ones doing what is right. (Luke 7:39.) THE MEANING. The connection is just as necessary, but it is of a different kind. James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. "Commentary on James 4:8". Revival Rising: Loving God and the Lost With All That You Are . The proper business of such persons, therefore, was to cleanse the heart from disturbing influences, that it might settle down in unwavering attachment to that which is good. This implies, in the first place--. ; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. THE IMPORTANCE of obeying this injunction to our final happiness and security. "Commentary on James 4:8". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hmc/james-4.html. Of his favor, holiness is the fruit, the effect, and not the cause. 2. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/james-4.html. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/james-4.html. "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible". 1897-1910. He wrote to encourage them to live asChristians should, i… 3. 1871-8. Draw nigh to God — So “cleave unto Him,” Deuteronomy 30:20, namely, by prayerfully (James 4:2, James 4:3) “resisting Satan,” who would oppose our access to God. This may be seen by considering the nature of the exercise itself. Do not suppose that you have any refuge in the paucity of your misdeeds. If we wish the favor of God, we must come to him; nor can we hope for his mercy, unless we approach him and ask him for it. Copyright StatementThese files are considered public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library. Joy is the keynote of the New Testament. Surely, the penitent as well; the murderous hands “which all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten,” the hearts polluted with the most abominable lusts, may and must be cleansed; sinners and double-minded (refer to James 1:8) though they be, and both in one, the Lord of mercy will “draw nigh” to them, if they to Him: all their “transgressions shall not be mentioned,” they “shall live and not die” (Ezekiel 18:21-22). The essential excellence of what is done by a moral agent, consists in its recognition of the existence, and in its submission to the will of Him who ruleth over all. Confession of sin is a part of prayer full of blessedness. Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible. To grasp the full meaning of this word, it is best to understand how it is used within its context. In calling them sinners he meaneth not them which are subject by natural infirmity to the committing of sin, as all men are so long as they rest and remain upon the face of the earth, but hereby he noteth their heinous and horrible iniquities. Bible scholars conclude that James might have coined this word. BibliographyDerickson, Stanley. (F. It will not be understood from this that Jewish worship was only of this outward, ceremonial character. We can never hope for his favor while we prefer to remain at a distance from him; none who in fact draw near to him will find him unwilling to bestow on them the blessings which they need. Worshipping with a pious heart is evidently the manner of drawing nigh to God, which the apostle had in mind when he penned the text. It must be the only true and permanent exaltation. 1. Anyway, there was little of value in the thread except the observation that it was clearly true, we as believers look like the world. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 4. Copyright StatementThe New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Observe, 2. It seems he is serious about people that are not doing well with the Lord, correcting their problem. Instead we will be inspired to the exercise of wisdom in humility — in making the fine choices that are “born of wisdom” (James 3:13) and which lead to the kind of “harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18) seen in peaceful human relationships. ... 5-Day Commentary Challenge - James 4. Jeary.). "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". James 4:7-10. It is also necessary on the other hand that the fruits of inward repentance should appear in the brightness of our works. "Commentary on James 4:8". Trapp. We have often seen that to sanctify signifies to separate a thing or person from profane or common use, and consecrate it or him to God. This isn"t the normal feel good, get fuzzy type teaching that we hear today. It has crossed my mind more than once in this study that there must have been some real problems among the recipients of this letter. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/james-4.html. p. 691:  οἱ  διπρόσωποι  οὐ  θεῷ  ἀλλὰ  ταῖς  ἐπιθυμίαις  αὐτῶν  δουλεύουσι. These things thus set down, in the last place we are taught how we should draw near to God, which the apostle expresseth in these words: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purge your hearts, you double-minded.”. BibliographyBurkitt, William. Contributed by Rodney Johnson on Oct 24, 2020. Change Language {{#items}} {{local_title}} ‘Cleanse your hands.’ The hands were the means by which men performed their actions. For when he bids us to draw nigh to God, that we may know him to be near to us, he intimates that we are destitute of his grace, because we withdraw from him. That is the measure of your sinfulness; and if your humility should be in proportion to your sinfulness, what limit can be set to it? Even the privilege of drawing near to some great man, such as a president, a prince or a king excites and challenges men, and how much greater is the privilege of drawing near to the Almighty God himself! In short, James meant no other thing in this passage, than that God is never wanting to us, except when we alienate ourselves from him. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/james-4.html. A. 2. The epithets ‘sinners’ and ‘double-minded’ refer not to different, but to the same class of persons. and purify your hearts. "Commentary on James 4:8". Aser. 1983-1999. Furthermore, in what seems only too modern in theme, James identifies our difficulty in satisfying our insatiable wants and desires for things as the root cause of the inevitable coveting and cravings that lead to conflict, disputes, and eventually to outright war (James 4:1-3). See  James 3:9-12. Several benefits are imparted by the fulfilment of this promise. But we are required to speak the truth lovingly (Ephesians 4:15). All rights reserved. The wonderful benefits of drawing near to God are beyond all calculation: 1. ), Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up, The heart is naturally at enmity with God. The Book of James – A Detailed Commentary Basic Training Bible Ministries Page 2 Introduction to James Background of the Book The Epistle of James is one of the general epistles, including 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, and Jude. We couldn"t possibly want to love God as much as he loves us" (Draper p. 125). 1896. When we exhort you to be humble, we do not exhort you to think yourselves worse or meaner than you really are. Cleanse therefore your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/james-4.html. 1. What is required now is genuineness of action and heart. 1. "Mark Dunagan Commentaries on the Bible". ‘Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.’. God may be said to draw near to man divers ways. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/james-4.html. "Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/james-4.html. His comfort comes from no such proud and false source, but from resting his evil heart on the pardoning and cleansing love of his Redeemer. When the sinner is made humble, he is merely undergoing a part of that moral process which must take place, in order that he may be raised from the death of sin to the life of holiness and peace. "Commentary on James 4:8". Double-minded; those who are drawn different ways by conscience and passion, and are halting between two opinions. "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe"  (Psalms 119:117). BibliographyJamieson, Robert, D.D. "Commentary on James 4:8". There is not much difference in the two words here rendered ‘cleansing’ and ‘purifying:’ the former is freedom from stain or blemish, the latter is consecrated or set apart. It provides safety. As showing the reasonableness of prayer, consider the benefits of a persevering attendance on this duty. Cleanse your hands speciﬁes what is to be done, and ye sinners designates to whom the demand applies. Prayer. Some causes of contention, besides those mentioned in the foregoing chapter, and to watch against them (v. 1-5). True conversion, real change, is a real possibility. We may learn the blessedness of prayer by its effect on the character of him who offers it, and also by the blessings bestowed in answer to it. "Abbott's Illustrated New Testament". Quest. The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, I think, but seldom noted. 10 Humble … Ye double-minded - See the notes at   James 1:8. Single-mindedness involves singleness of purpose, namely, living for the glory of God rather than for both God"s glory and our own selfish desires (cf. The first two commands are related to God and the devil: 1) submit to God and 2) resist the devil. In coming to Him, we come to our Judge. James 1:8). James 4:8.  ἐγγίσατε, draw near) The flight of the devil is followed, in the order of nature rather than of time, by an approach to God, in holy prayer, James 4:2-3.— ἐγγιεῖ, He will draw near) as propitious. Cleanse … hands—the outward instruments of action. And purify your hearts — From all spiritual adultery. While resisting Satan on the one hand, we must also draw near to God on the other. There were few real answers, mostly blaming it on the ultra conservative people that are legalistic in their manner, which in turn puts people off. 1 Peter 2:9. Copyright � Broadman Press 1932,33, Renewal 1960. 8. Worship is coming into His presence, and waiting upon Him--is listening to His voice. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/james-4.html. "Hands is an appropriate metaphor for outward activity, just as hearts in the next clause…refers to inward thoughts and attitudes" (Kent p. 150). 2. BibliographyTorrey, R. A. It’s interesting that this word appears only in the book of James (James 1:8; 4:8). "E.W. In coming to Him, we come to our Redeemer. BibliographyPoole, Matthew, "Commentary on James 4:8". Hearts—Imply a deeper change, that the doubleminded, no longer serving the world, may have a single heart for God. But which of you can venture to say that your transgressions are few in number? The person who tries to get the best-for self out of the world and the best-for self out of Christianity at the same time. Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament. "We couldn"t possibly want to be close to God as much as he wants to be close to us. 5,  οὐ  μὴ  διψυχήσῃς,  πότερον  ἔσται  ἢ  οὔ, and the identical words in Did. If the heart is wrong, nothing can be right. James 4:8, ESV: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." BibliographyBengel, Johann Albrecht. Increased study and prayer will be to no avail if we continue to trust in ourselves. You must draw nigh to God in all His ordinances. Copyright StatementThe text of this work is public domain. 1917. And as pride consists in our entertaining higher ideas of ourselves than truth will warrant, and in our presuming upon these, both in feeling and in practice, as if they were just and correct, so humility consists in our entertaining accurate notions of what we really are in relation to some one above us, and in preserving that station which a regard to our real merits requires us to occupy, as to the sentiments we cherish and the conduct we maintain, with respect to those under whom we are placed. (Bp. BibliographyAbbott, John S. C. & Abbott, Jacob. 3. "you sinners"-The Christian who is a friend of the world is a sinner. Isaiah 1:15,  αἱ γὰρ χεῖρες ὑμῶν αἵματος πλήρεις: Isaiah 59:3; 1 Timothy 2:8. 2. This agrees with all the requisitions of the Bible, and is in accordance with what must be the nature of religion. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rwp/james-4.html. (8-9) Partiality is condemned by the Scriptures. BibliographyZerr, E.M. "Commentary on James 4:8". 2012. BibliographyClarke, Adam. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse… hands… sinners—The sinner is the actual transgressor; his hands are stained with blood or other blot of sin; he must cleanse by reformation that he may spread clean hands in prayer to God. Reflection / Devotion / Commentary Monday, October 12, 2015. But after having told you all that we can add intelligence as pleasing as that which went before it was painful. "Commentary on James 4:8". For what is your life? https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/james-4.html. The Biblical Illustrator. Those addressed in this paragraph are either worldly men outside the Christian brotherhood, or else those of the brethren who had become worldly. "Commentary on James 4:8". Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. God has enjoined it. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/james-4.html. The very heathens knew this; and had therefore their coena pura before their solemn sacrifices; and the sacrificers were appointed to purify themselves some days before. By clean hands the scriptures generally mean "hands not polluted with any vice or wickedness." (Witham). Now this is not to be understood as if men could first draw nigh to God, before he draws nigh to them; for as God first loves, so he first moves; he takes the first step, and, in conversion, turns and draws men to himself; though this does not respect first conversion, but after acts in consequence of it; nor is it to be considered as a condition of the grace and favour of God, in drawing nigh to his people, but is expressive of what is their duty, and an encouragement to it: cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded; the persons addressed are not the profane men of the world, but sinners in Zion, formal professors, hypocritical persons; who speak with a double tongue to men, and who draw nigh to God with their mouths, but not with their hearts; who halt between two opinions, and are unstable in all their ways: cleansing of their hands and hearts denotes the purity of outward conversation, and of the inward affections; and supposes impurity both of flesh and spirit, that the body and all its members, the soul and all its powers and faculties, are unclean; and yet not that men have a power to cleanse themselves, either from the filth of an external conversation, or from inward pollution of the heart; though a man attempts the one, he fails in it; and who can say he has done the other? 1851. BibliographyVincent, Marvin R. DD. Copyright StatementCopyright 2008. See full comment on that passage in my Commentary on Hebrews, pp. There may be an endless variety in the mode and in the measure of sinning with which different individuals are chargeable. The hands are specially mentioned as being the instruments of wickedness. A most joyous word.— καθαρίσατε, cleanse) That you may be able to put to flight the devil.— ἁγνίσατε, purify) that ye may be able to approach God, having laid aside adultery of soul.— δίψυχοι, ye double-minded) who give yourselves both to God and to the world, James 4:4. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wbc/james-4.html. The person who loves God, but not completely, they have some trust in God, but not fully, they don"t like some things in the world, but they don"t abhor every evil in the world. It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Commentary. “’God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.’ So submit to God. The apostle here seems to have had his eye on those who were vacillating in their purposes; whose hearts were not decidedly fixed, but who were halting between good and evil. But what some cavil at, and say, that God’s grace is secondary to our preparation, and as it were the waiting-maid, is only frivolous; for we know that it is no new thing that he adds now to former graces and thus enriches more and more those to whom he has already given much. He has “no pleasure in the death of him that dieth” (Ezekiel 18:32). But as God stands on our side, there is no reason to fear succumbing. Then draw nigh to God in prayer, and he will draw nigh unto you, will hear you; which that nothing may hinder, cleanse your hands - Cease from doing evil. "Commentary on James 4:8". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/james-4.html. James 4:8. If you feel and cherish that humbleness of mind which just conceptions of your guilty and depraved and wretched condition are calculated to generate; and if in the midst of this self-reproach you are ready to throw your fortunes unreservedly upon the merits of that dispensation which Divine grace offers to you as your all-sufficient refuge, then there is no insuperable barrier between you and the salvation which you need. James 4:8 Parallel. BibliographyEllicott, Charles John. Charles Schribner's Sons. That this double-mindedness hinders both our drawing nigh to God, and God's drawing nigh to us; a heart divided between God and the world, between conscience and lust, between religion and self interest, will hinder all intercourse and sweet communion betwixt God and us in the duty of prayer. When we have been in the realm of the Devil awhile, and we turn toward God it brings us to the shocking realization of whom and what God is and how far from Him we have wondered. 6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 2. I would like to repeat the previous verse with the next two. (James 3:18). Cleanse your hearts. Ver. There must be a deeper work than that; a work which shall reach to the heart, and which shall purify the affections. There are certain indispensable prerequisites. The abjectness and servility of one man to another are not pleasing to God. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. We are to understand it as conveying a gracious promise of conscious and sensible communion with the Father of our spirits. It gives unspeakable joy. Submit yourselves therefore to God. The μετάνοια required in James 4:8 does not take place without grief and mourning for guilt. The ancient Jews used to wash their hands before they went to sacrifice, or to religious worship, as the Jews do to this day, before they go into the synagogue to worship: and to this custom the apostle seems to allude in this verse. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. It was not settled and determined in favor of religion, but vibrated between that and the world. We have already been told how to draw near to God, that is by humbling ourselves, and placing our selves completely under His authority. "Commentary on James 4:8". I recently read several pages of posts from all over the country relating to why Christians are so much like the world. Cleanse your hands] For there is no coming near God, Joshua 24:19. Alternately it might be saying, ‘do not just wash your hands, make sure that you wash your hearts as well’, but that weakens the statement and does not really fit in with the pattern which is of continual positive action in response to God’s commands. Whilst the devil is to be kept at a distance by resistance, we are to draw nigh to God. BibliographySchaff, Philip. When a great storm moves through a forest, the branches farthest from the trunks of the trees are the first to fall. 1. BibliographyAlford, Henry. Yet in every approach to God, it is true there must be a “desire “to be free from sin; and this doubtless is the view of the commentary; indeed it is so expressed, though some words are objectionable.). The devices of God’s wisdom become acceptable to you, the offers of His mercy become welcome to you, the hopes of His favour become precious to you, the whole manifestation of His redeeming love becomes available to you. Certainly "love" requires us to speak truth, even when it is difficult to do so. There are certain dispositions which must be the accompaniments of prayer. If we injure our fellow-man, we are to take the attitude of penitence before him. Matthew 27:24. Then said I, Here [am] I send me.". 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness. This is in keeping with God's law as seen in the whole universe. So, these Christians no longer had the day-to-day contact with theirleaders. All Rightes Reserved, Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855. The great and vital fact with respect to you is, that you are stained with sin. 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:3. ἁμαρτωλοὶ …  δίψυχοι] This address, designating the present condition of the addressed, shows the necessity of  μετάνοια;  ἁμαρτωλοί, because instead of God, who chose them for His possession, they serve the lusts ( ἡδοναῖς, James 4:1) of the  κόσμος, corresponding to  μοιχαλίδες, James 4:4;  δίψυχοι, because they would at the same time be Christians. James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. The passage is a strong injunction to holiness and singleness of heart: it does not say, however, that by these we obtain acceptance with God. Being the child of an Aggie, I … "The Bible Study New Testament". Had we nothing more to tell you than that you are sinners, it would only fill you with mortification, hopelessness, and anguish. Must we sweeten the streams before the fountain? To wash or cleanse the hands was, therefore, emblematic of putting away transgression,   Matthew 27:24. It is a most excellent, yea, an essential means of nourishing the new nature, and of causing the soul to. "Scofield Reference Notes on James 4:8". One can be a Christian and yet not be close to God. Our most intense desires should ascend above all temporal blessings. James recognizes that we cannot both be friends of this world system in rebellion against God, and friends of God at the same time (Matthew 6:24). Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. 1871-8. BibliographyConstable, Thomas. "Commentary on James 4:8". Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. That we are commanded to draw near unto God, doth it not insinuate unto us that naturally we are estranged and alienated from Him? 1 Timothy 2:8. BibliographyDunagan, Mark. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/james-4.html. 1 have often thought of that picture, and said to myself, that in some such way God’s all-seeing eye follows me all my life through. 1. On the wall was a large painting of an eye. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/james-4.html. of the Twelve Patriarchs, Dan. That double-minded men have corrupt hearts: double- mindedness is a dividing of the heart between God and something else: whereas God calls for the whole heart, the whole mind, the whole soul, the whole strength. Heinrich Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament, Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible, Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament, Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges, τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς ἀληθείας, Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, E.M. Zerr's Commentary on Selected Books of the New Testament, "Sorry bud, didn"t mean nuttin by it bro! III. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,... - Verse-by-Verse Commentary The saddest duties are sweeter than the greatest triumphs, and the worst and most afflicted part of godliness is better than all the joys and comforts of the world. "Commentary on James 4:8". James 4:8 NASB. "Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament". The Greek word,  πενθήσατε, imports a funeral grief. Then said I, Here [am] I send me.". Except those things were done they could not draw nigh to God. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/james-4.html. The reason why James names the hands is not only because they are the principal organa operandi, but also because that he, with  ἐγγίζειν  τῷ  θεῷ, does not think exclusively on prayer; see 1 Timothy 2:8. This must be understood consistently with the perfection of God's immensity and omnipresence: the saints draw nigh to God when they present their bodies in his sanctuary; when they tread in his courts, and attend his ordinances; where they always find it good for them to draw nigh unto him; and blessed is the man that approaches to him in faith and fear: they draw nigh to him when they come to the throne of his grace, for grace and mercy to help them; when they draw near to him in prayer with true hearts, and lift them up with their hands to God; when in the exercise of faith and hope they enter within the vail, and come up even to his seat; and lay hold on him as their covenant God and Father; and he draws nigh to them by granting them his gracious presence, by communicating his love to them, by applying the blessings of his grace, by helping them in times of need and distress, and by protecting them from their enemies; the contrary to which is expressed by standing afar off from them. 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