Although it is difficult to trace James’ thought from verse to verse, we can see clearly that in 4:1-10 James is concerned with three major items that are problems to us: pleasures (v. 1), the world (v. 4), and the Devil (v. 7). These matters must be thoroughly dealt with. Otherwise, we shall be adulteresses, enemies, and sinners. Surely, as those who love the Lord, we do not want to be adulteresses, enemies of God, and sinners. However, if the problems of pleasures, the world, and the Devil are not dealt with, we may eventually become adulteresses, enemies, and sinners.
I am concerned that some among us may already have become adulteresses and enemies of God. The ones spoken of here are God’s people, they belong to God, and they have been born of God. Nevertheless, their actual condition is that of being an enemy of God. The reason they are enemies of God is that there is too much of the world in them. A strong friendship has been built up with the world, the satanic system organized by God’s enemy, His adversary. (The fact that Satan is not only God’s enemy but also His adversary means that he is an enemy within God’s sphere; hence, an adversary).
If a child of God loves the world, and forms a friendship with the world, the world will cause him to become an enemy of God. Such a believer becomes an enemy of God because he takes sides with God’s enemy by loving the world, the satanic system. In a very real sense, such a one desires to be incorporated in the satanic system of the world. Therefore, in the sight of God, he becomes an enemy. Furthermore, he also becomes a sinner. By this we see that, according to one’s actual condition, a child of God may be an adulteress, an enemy of God, and a sinner.
In order not to become adulteresses, enemies, and sinners, we need to deal with pleasures, the world, and the Devil. Pleasures are related to lust. If we did not have lust, we would not need pleasure. Joy, however, is not related to lust. God is a joyful God, and joy is for our being, not for our lust. It is right for us to be joyful, but it is not right to have pleasures that are related to lust.
Those who seek pleasure are those who indulge their lust. Throughout the world, Sunday has become a day of pleasure. This day, generally speaking, is no longer regarded as the Lord’s Day, the day for the Lord’s people to fellowship with Him, stay with Him, worship Him, enjoy Him, and rest in Him. On Sundays the worldly people seek to indulge their lusts for the sake of pleasures. Often, the conversation at school or work on a Monday morning is related to sinful, worldly things done over the weekend. Today the people of the world indulge their lusts in all kinds of pleasures.
This lust is also in us. If we do not live in the spirit, we shall not have a way to overcome the indulgence in lusts. We need to have our spirit nourished by the implanted word. Every morning and also during the day we need to be nourished by contacting the implanted word so that our spirit may be strong to withstand lust and even overcome it.
James, a godly man, did not want to see that the believers were becoming involved in lust-indulging pleasures. He knew that such pleasures would constitute them adulteresses, enemies of God, and even sinners. He knew that all these pleasures are related to the world. To use the weekend to seek pleasure is to love the world. A believer who spends his weekend in such a way will sink very low spiritually. It may even seem that he would need a huge “crane” to lift him up again.
According to 4:1-10, pleasures are related to the world, and the world is linked to the Devil. Here we have an evil trinity that is versus the divine Trinity. As Christians, we have a Triune God, and we face a triune problem. The triune problem is the devilish trinity of lust, the world, and the Devil. This trinity is opposed to the divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The New Testament reveals clearly that the lusts of the flesh are against the Spirit, that the world is against the Father, and that the Devil is against the Son. Galatians 5 says that the flesh with its lusts is against the Spirit, James 4 and 1 John 2 reveal that the world is opposed to God the Father, and 1 John 3 indicates that the Devil, Satan, is against the Son, who came to destroy the works of the Devil. By this we see that the Triune God is fighting against the triune problem, that the divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit— is versus the world, the Devil, and the flesh. If we have a bird’s-eye view of 4:1-10, we shall see that in these verses three major things are covered—pleasures, the world, and the Devil.