James 4:7, NIV: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7, ESV: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7, KJV: Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Full Answer
What is the meaning of Matthew 4 7?
Matthew 4:7 is the seventh verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Satan has transported Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple of Jerusalem and told Jesus that he should throw himself down as God in Psalm 91 promised that no harm would befall him.
What does biblical resist mean?
1 : to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat he resisted temptation.
What is the meaning of James 4?
James is talking about being humble before God, and being humble means avoiding presumptuous behavior. In his illustration, James portrays a traveling merchant planning out their travel for future markets. There is nothing wrong with planning, but James warns against presuming our futures.
What is the meaning of James 4 17?
James presupposes in verse 17 that we not only believe and trust the Word of God, but know to apply its truth. It echoes all of James' earlier exhortation that faith without works is dead, because our works testify to the truth of God's Word alive in our hearts.
How do you resist the devil's temptation?
“How do I resist temptation?”Pray for Strength. To withstand temptation, we first need the will and the sincere desire to choose the right. ... Support Each Other. ... Share Your Beliefs. ... Listen to the Holy Ghost. ... Stand in Holy Places. ... We Can Decide to Do Right. ... Role-play Choosing the Right. ... Have Good Friends.
What is draw near to God?
What Does it Mean to Draw Near to God? Drawing near to God means that you want to be in a close relationship with God. Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). He is the only way you can draw near to God. God sent Jesus to be the mediator between God and man.
What does James 4 say in the Bible?
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
What does being double-minded mean?
Definition of double-minded 1 : wavering in mind : undecided, vacillating a double-minded man unstable in all his ways — James 1:8 (Revised Standard Version) 2 : marked by hypocrisy : insincere.
Who was James addressing in James 4?
James the Apostle, abbreviation James, New Testament writing addressed to the early Christian churches (“to the twelve tribes in the dispersion”) and attributed to James, a Christian Jew, whose identity is disputed.
What is an example of a sin of omission?
For example, if a person chooses to drink to excess and is therefore unable to perform a necessary task, that person is responsible for that failure—even though that person is physically unable to perform the task because they knowingly put themself into a state (drunkenness) where accomplishing the task was impossible ...
Who wrote James 4 in the Bible?
James the brother of JesusJames 4 is the fourth chapter of the Epistle of James in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" and the epistle is traditionally attributed to James the brother of Jesus, written in Jerusalem between 48 and 61 CE.
What James says about sin?
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
Why do people fight in James 4?
In the previous six verses of James 4, James powerfully explains the reason that people, both unbelievers, and believers, fight. He says we lust after things that we aren’t getting, and so we want to murder over it. This is both hard and profound, and it is also true. The only way to combat this pride and hatred within our flesh is to submit to God.
Why is it a shame to resist the devil?
It’s a shame because we can actually resist the devil. After submitting to God, we can ignore his lies. “Take every thought captive” (2 Cor 10:5) and then keep your eyes on Christ, to whom you have given your whole life, joyfully laying down your rights to anger, lust, pride, etc. Satan will flee when you resist.
What are the two things that Christians are unaware of?
As Christians we are largely unaware of at least two things: 1) Satan is constantly on the attack. Even though we know the truth of this from God’s Word (1 Pt 5:8), we mostly don’t realize it is happening. 2) Christians have all the power and authority from God to resist him and make him run away from us.
What does it mean to live as sojourners in an enemy kingdom?
We live as sojourners in an enemy kingdom. We are not of this world, but we are in it for a time as God’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20). That means that most of the world is playing by a set of rules dictated by the enemy. Pride, fear, envy, lust, and hatred make his world go around, and if Christians are unaware of the weaknesses of our own flesh, ...
Why does Satan love people?
Satan loves for people to believe that because it leaves them powerless against him. But those who truly believe God and his Word to us will have no choice but to lay down their lives to him and for him. Surrender to God is the path of life everlasting.
How to submit yourself to God?
#1 “Submit yourselves…to God.”#N#Don’t fall for the easy believism that says because you prayed a prayer once and “asked Jesus into your heart” (not in the Bible) that you never need to worry about hell, and that is all there is to being a Christian. Satan loves for people to believe that because it leaves them powerless against him. But those who truly believe God and his Word to us will have no choice but to lay down their lives to him and for him. Surrender to God is the path of life everlasting. The degree to which you do this will determine your experience of the “abundant life” (Jn 10:10) and the “easy yoke” (Mt 11:30) promised by Christ.
Does Satan have the power to harm God's children?
But it need not be that way. To truly combat satan and live victoriously on planet earth in the present age while satan, though beaten, still has the power to harm God’s children who are unaware, we need to heed James’ instructions.
When we resist Satan, he will flee from us?
When we resist Satan - he will flee from us. Praise God that in the power of the Holy Spirit that we have authority over our bodies to present our members to God as instruments for righteousness, holy and acceptably unto God - for we are not under law but under grace.
How to overcome temptations of the enemy?
In order to overcome the temptations of the enemy we are simply instructed to resist: to resist the devil. . to resist the temptation. . to resist the sin - to resist the evil. When temptation hammers on the door of our mind we are to simply to say NO!
Can we allow sin and Satan to have authority over our bodies?
We can allow sin and Satan to have authority over our bodies OR by the power of the Holy Spirit we can nail our old sin nature to the cross and present our members to God as instruments for righteousness , holy and acceptable unto God - for we are not under law but under grace.
What does 4:1-10 mean?
4:1-10 Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that war in the members. Wordly and fleshly lusts are distempers, which will not allow content or satisfaction. Sinful desires and affections stop prayer, and the working of our desires toward God.
Who said "He shall flee worsted as he did from Christ"?
He shall flee worsted as he did from Christ. Matthew Poole's Commentary. Submit yourselves therefore to God; viz. voluntarily and freely, and that not only in a way of obedience to all his commands, but (which is chiefly meant here) in a way of humility, and sense of your weakness, and emptiness, and need of his grace.
What does "submit yourselves" mean?
Submit yourselves (ὑποτάγητε) Rev., be subject. The verb means to place or arrange under; as resist (James 4:6) is to array against. God sets himself in array against the proud; therefore, array yourselves under God, that ye may withstand the devil.
What happens if we yield to temptation?
If we yield to temptations, the devil will continually follow us; but if we put on the whole armour of God, and stand out against him, he will leave us. Let sinners then submit to God, and seek his grace and favour; resisting the devil. All sin must be wept over; here, in godly sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery.
How to give grace to the humble?
God will give more grace to the humble, because they see their need of it, pray for it are thankful for it, and such shall have it. Submit to God, ver. 7. Submit your understanding to the truth of God; submit your wills to the will of his precept, the will of his providence.
How to resist the devil?
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you - While you yield to God in all things, you are to yield to the devil in none. You are to resist and oppose him in whatever way he may approach you, whether by allurements, by flattering promises, by the fascinations of the world, by temptation, or by threats. See 1 Peter 5:9.
Is a man an enemy of God?
A man may have a large portion in things of this life, and yet be kept in the love of God; but he who sets his heart upon the world, who will conform to it rather than lose its friendship, is an enemy to God. So that any one who resolves at all events to be upon friendly terms with the world, must be the enemy of God.