Here we have the Lord again pictured as a great giver. Now it is grace that He gives. In the first chapter He is the giver of wisdom and every other good and perfect gift. His gifts are unconditional; He makes no charge for them. They are always undeserved, so by grace. However, He does not give to the proud who think they deserve, but to the humble, who know they do not.

The grace of God in Salvation: The accepted definition of "grace" is "unmerited favor." The grace of God really goes far beyond this. He gives great and many favors, while we deserve punishment. We had sinned against Him grievously, but when we come to Him confessing our guilt and obeying His commands, by His matchless grace, He freely pardoned us on the ground of the cross work of our Lord Jesus Christ. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).

"... more grace ..." The promise of more grace is given right after some of the severest statements in the whole Bible. He had charged his readers with bitter envy and strife; with warring and lusting even to killing. Because of their worldliness he calls them adulteresses. Yet now he tells them that God stands ready to dispense more grace; ready to pardon and to welcome them back to his heart if they would but humble themselves in His sight. How undeserving of this they were, but this is according to the loving nature of the Lord.

We all need more grace: God's grace does not stop with salvation. We need it for pardon, but also every day to carry us along the way. We sin every day, but He is gracious to forgive us as Christians. A dirty urchin broke a rich man's window. He was brought in before the rich man, and he wondered how he would ever be able to pay for it. To his surprise the rich man forgave him for breaking the window. This pictures the grace of pardon. However, this was only the start of the rich man's grace. The urchin was first given a bath, then nice clean clothes, then his supper. Then the rich man adopted him and shared his lovely home with him, and made him his heir. All these things by His grace, the Lord does for us. He has the grace to meet every need whether great or small. By it He lifts us out of the dung hill and sets us among princes (1 Sam. 2:8).

The effects of grace: When one realizes that he has received all these undeserved favors from the Lord, it has a great influence for good in his life. First of all, it will produce love for Christ and His people. It will deaden any love there may be for the world, and help overcome its allurements. It will tend to make us "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Tit. 2:11, 12). It will fill one with joy and contentment, make one more gracious to others, and cause one to be willing to sacrifice for Christ, He is ready to give more grace. "There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time – and in the world to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29, 30).

Grace abundant: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). There is grace for every need; the supplies are unlimited, but we must ask in true humility, confessing our unworthiness.

James for this dispensation: Grace is primarily a New Testament word. This is the dispensation of the grace of God (Eph. 3:2). James mentions the grace of God twice in this verse. This is further proof that this book is for this dispensation.

"... Wherefore He saith ..." Instead of "wherefore he saith," the Revised Version has "wherefore the Scripture saith." There is no word in the original for either "he" or "the Scripture." It simply says, "Wherefore saith". The inference is, "wherefore the Scripture saith." The rest of the verse is a quotation from Proverbs 3:34. Some might wonder why quotations in the New Testament do not read exactly as they do in the Hebrew Bible. Seventy scholars, some 200 years before Christ, translated the Hebrew Bible into the Greek. The New Testament writers wrote in the Greek language, and when quoting from the Hebrew Bible, used the translation of the seventy. This makes quotations in the New Testament double translations; First, out of the Hebrew into the Greek, and then by our translators into the English. Realizing the great difficulties of translating from one language into another, we can understand slight differences in the wording. Proverbs 3:34 reads, "Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly."

"... God resisteth the proud ..." The word "resisteth" is literally" to range oneself against". So we could say, "God ranges himself against the proud". It is a battle term with one army arranging itself against the other. It other words, the proud man has the mighty God fighting against him. Romans 8:31 says, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" But if God is against us, who can be for us? God is definitely for the humble, but against the proud. To have the Lord against us means we are on the losing side of the battle. The wise thing is to humble ourselves before Him at once.

Christian's pride: At the time we were saved we were very low; we realized we were guilty sinners and deserved only His wrath. We obeyed His commands and He lifted us up. As time goes by pride seems to return to some of the Lord's people. This the Lord hates and He will resist such in order to bring them again down in humility. Pride stops the grace of salvation to many, pride also stops the "more grace" to the saved. There is such a thing as spiritual pride, and some have fallen into this snare.

Pride among early Christians: The root of all the troubles among these early Jewish Christians seems to have been pride. Pride makes one to want to be somebody in the world or in the church. To gain advantage in the world, some compromise in worldly things and so become what verse 4 calls, "a friend of the world." Ambitious in the things of the church it would appear were the root of the envy and strife that prevailed. Whatever the type of pride, let us crucify it and turn to the Lord in humility. Examples of pride and its results: We have many examples in the Word of the proud put down. Pharaoh was such. Moses comes to him in the name of the Lord and asks, "How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me?" But Pharaoh's neck was hardened, and as a result, we see him and his host drowned in the Red Sea. Nebuchadnezzar was proud. He said, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:30). Immediately his reason left him, and he was driven out into the fields to live like the beasts. Haman was proud. He thought in his heart, "To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?" Soon he had to lead honored Mordecai, his enemy, through the streets and cry before him, "Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour" (Esth. 6:6, 11)

Modern examples: Proud men, who have thought to rule the world, have been brought down. The great Napoleon died a prisoner on the Island of St. Helena. Mussolini and Hitler died untimely deaths. There still are those who in their pride are seeking to rule the world. They do not seem to know that the Lord is arrayed against them.

Pride is Satanic: Satan fell through pride. He said, "I will, I will, I will" in Isaiah 14. He said, "I will" – the Lord said, "You will not." Satan was cast out and he will end in the lake of fire. He now delights to fill men with pride, bringing about their downfall. This is his principal weapon with the unsaved and sometimes with the saved as well.

James and Mary on pride: James was probably the second son of Mary; the first after the Lord Jesus. It is interesting to note that Mary used similar language to James. She said, "He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree" (Luke 1:51, 52). She said this before James was born, but he may have heard her repeat it, or similar words, later on. Then, no doubt, he heard the Lord Jesus speak this way on various occasions. The Hebrew Bible has many references to pride and humility, and James had a good knowledge of the Scriptures. Perhaps we should not surmise on these things. James, like the rest of the New Testament writers, was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

"... but giveth grace unto the humble." The humble man has small thoughts of self. He does not feel that he deserves anything from anybody, and has no ambitions to have the preeminence. He is not covetous or envious. He realizes that he is utterly dependent on the Lord, and is quick to confess his shortcomings and shows repentance for his sins. A humble man will not fight and war for what he desires, but will wait on the Lord to give.

The humble receive of God: The Lord promises great things to the humble. To such He will give grace and more grace. They gain the victory because the mighty God is on their side. More victories are won on the knees of Christians than on battlefields. The publican who smote on his breast and said, "God be merciful to me a sinner" went home to his house justified rather than the proud Pharisee. Let us keep humble before Him. Remember, He brings down the proud.

Scripture Reading: James 4:7 (KJV)

Verses 7-10 are filled with short terse demands which are designed to stir the heart. They appeal to those who had been moved with envy and given to strife and worldliness. The principal theme is subjection to God, which we have in our verse 7 and also 10. The subjects dealt with in verses 8 and 9 are closely related to submission.

"Submit yourselves therefore ..." The word "therefore" refers us back to "God resisteth the proud," therefore submit to Him. God "giveth grace unto the humble" therefore submit to Him. Pride is apt to keep one from submitting, but submitting will banish pride. Humbleness will cause one to submit and submission will cause one to be more humble.

"Submit ... to God ..." In order to be saved we had to humbly submit our souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. We felt we could do nothing to save ourselves, so we put ourselves in His hands and obeyed His commandments. After we are saved, if we are not cautious, pride and self-will will again rise to the surface. So we need this constant submission to the Lord.

Submit to our Commander: The word "submit" is a term used in connection with warfare. We are to submit like a soldier to his captain, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). Remember how it was in the army? One was expected to obey every little command of one's superiors. When the commander said, "Forward march," the whole company in step would start out, "right, left, right, left." Then the word, "company halt" and as one man they would stop in their tracks. What an example of true submission to Christ. May we obey His least command with joy.

Let Christ control us: Christ should reign in us and over us. He should control our whole beings, our minds, our hearts, our wills, our bodies. We should submit to Him our affections, our time, our talents, our plans, our purposes, our pleasures; perhaps harder, our possessions, our worries, our troubles. Let us submit as a wife should to her husband, as a slave to his master. He should be our Lord, indeed, and we should seek to do only His will. If we submit to Him, we will also submit to the Word of God without question. The New Testament is full of commands from our Captain; we should submit and obey.

Effects of submission: Submission to God will have definite effects upon our lives. We cannot submit to Him without being more like Him. Sin is sure to have less of a hold upon us. It will bring us satisfaction and contentment. We will not be grumbling about out lot, but will be willing to receive the bad as well as the good. By submission we will learn even to rejoice in our tribulations (Rom. 5:3); at least we will bear them patiently. No matter what comes our way, we will never question God's righteousness, or His love. We know that He will work all out for our good (Rom. 8:28).

God has claims upon us: We owe submission to the Lord because of the many things He has done for us. First He has the right to our submission because He made us. Then He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins, and we are His by redemption. Then He gave us His Spirit to give us new life, to seal us, and to be our constant companion. He also gave His word to instruct us and to guide us. To this list we could add numberless other benefits, both material and spiritual. For all this we owe Him our wholehearted submission.

Examples of submission: We have many examples in the Word of those who submitted themselves to the will of God. Job is a fine case. He lost his all; all his goods and then all his children. In none of this did he curse God, but said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: The three friends of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego showed a very submissive spirit toward the Lord. They would not bow to Nebuchadnezzar's image even upon threat of being thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Their reply to him is classic: "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Dan. 3:16-18).

Paul: Paul was submissive to the Lord from the very start. At his conversion he said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6) From then on his life was truly submissive to the Lord and His commandments. He practiced what he wrote, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).

The mother of our Lord: What the angel of the Lord asked Mary to submit to was naturally a hard thing. To be with child outside of wedlock was considered a serious sin; far more so for a Jewess in that time than for a woman in our time. Naturally, she might expect not only disgrace and setting aside by Joseph, but stoning according to the law. However, she had enough faith to believe that since it was of the Lord, He would see her through it all. Her reply to the angel might well be the life's motto of any young Christian lady. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38).

The Lord Jesus: The greatest example of all is the submission of our Lord Jesus to His Father. The three prayers and the sweat of blood in Gethsemane prove that He dreaded the cross. Yet He did not flinch. He set His face like a flint and says, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). This is the way the Lord would have us submit to His will.

"... Resist the devil ..." Here we have God and the devil in direct opposition to each other. Submit to God, but resist the devil. We will not be able to resist the devil if we do not submit to God. By submission we are given grace to overcome the devil. He is God's greatest enemy and man's too. If we are to live victorious lives we must resist him. We must continually say "yes" to the Lord, but "no" to the devil.

"... Resist ..." The word "resist" is literally "stand against." Like "submit" it is a military word. We are to surrender to God, but stand firm against the devil. You cannot make a peace treaty or compromise with the devil. He must always be treated as an enemy and resisted. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).

How to resist: It was thought by some that Martin Luther once had an encounter with the devil, and he threw an ink well at him. We have all had encounters with the enemy too, and perhaps we have not done too well in resisting him. Of course, the best way is to throw Scripture at him. That is the way the Lord Jesus overcame him at the time of His temptation. Three times He said, "It is written" and quoted from the Word, and Satan fled from Him (Matt. 4:1-11).

The sword of the Spirit: A woman complained of the terrible onslaughts of Satan. An old Christian told her, "The devil cannot stand the Bible; try using a text on him." She found it worked. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). If we pray and use the Word of God, Satan will not be able to overcome us.

Satan a personal being: The Scriptures everywhere picture the devil as a real and powerful personage. Some try to laugh him out of court, but it cannot be done. The story is told of a young preacher, who, in his sermon, contended there was no personal devil, and belittled those who believed there was. After his sermon a lady asked, “If there is no devil, who is doing his work so well?”

The Devil is powerful: The devil is powerful. Peter calls him a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8). We see the effect of his power all about us. Many men and women are completely under his sway. One of his principal works is to keep the seed of the Word out of the hearts of men, thus keeping them from believing and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 4:15). He does his utmost to get Christians down, too. He caused Peter to deny the Lord Jesus (Luke 22:31). We must continually watch and pray or he will gain advantage over us by his devices (2 Cor. 2:11). Christ more powerful: Greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Neither give place to the Devil: "Neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). These early Christians were envying, quarreling, and fighting one another. They were speaking evil of each other and accusing each other of various things. The devil is called "the accuser of our brethren" (Rev. 12:10). So when we accuse the brethren and fight with them, we are busy doing the devil's work. When the British Admiral Nelson saw two of his men fighting he stopped them and as he pointed to the horizon and said, "Out there is your enemy." Fellow Christians are not our enemies – we are not fighting them. Our enemy is Satan and him we are to resist.

"... he will flee from you." If we resist Satan in the proper way, we have the assurance in our verse that he will flee from us. His defeat will be sudden and emphatic. Remember, the chief part of resisting Satan is submitting to God.

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