Глава IV

The Apostle's denunciation of sinful lusts in the readers of the epistle (1-3). Excessive love and attachment to the world are incompatible with true service to God (4-10). The crime of condemnation and slander (11–13). The inappropriateness and fatality of self-confidence in human affairs and enterprises (14–17). James 4:1. Where do you get hostility and strife? Is it not from here, from your lusts that war in your members? In complete contrast to heavenly wisdom and its fruits - righteousness and peace (James 3:17-18), St. The Apostle sternly and with strong excitement of the spirit now denounces in the readers the dominion of earthly, carnal wisdom, the first signs of which are fights or enmities (πόλεμοι) and quarrels or strife (μάχαι) among them. “Wars” and “battles” (this is the literal meaning of the Greek terms taken by the Apostle to depict the moral state of readers) here undoubtedly have a figurative meaning: it is by no means possible to see here (together with Lange) wars and battles of the Jews against the Romans, since the letter of the Apostle James was written before the fatal war for the Jews with the Romans (66–70 AD). As the further speech of the Apostle shows (James 4:2–3 and further, James 4:13–17 and James 5:1–6), the subject of his reproof is mainly clashes based on self-interest and generally immoderate attachment to the world and its benefits. Having placed in the first half of Art. 1st question: where do clashes, enmity and strife come from among readers of this kind, the Apostle in the second half of the verse gives an answer about the reason or source of hostile clashes, pointing out - in the same question form - the same truth that he expressed in James 1:14-15 - that the root of internal discord in a person is his lusts, passion for pleasures - ηδοναί, sinful lusts that have bodily members as the organ of their manifestation. People “invent pleasures for themselves, some seek a luxurious table, which Paul condemns, saying that such people “serve not the Lord, but their own belly” (Rom. 16:18), others want to acquire estates; others - rich houses; still another, which the evil one instills in them, trying to deprive them of salvation” (Blessed Theophilus). “That internal discord in a person, which St. speaks about here. Apostle, it is best to imagine it as a purely internal enmity between flesh and spirit, sweets and mind. This is the cause of external clashes. The flesh is drawn to the earth, the spirit to the sky; there is a struggle between them, which often ends sadly for the spirit, and from here arise external clashes over earthly interests and profit” (Bishop George). James 4:2. You desire, but you do not have; you kill and envy - and cannot achieve; you bicker and fight, and you do not have because you do not ask. James 4:3. You ask and do not receive, because you ask not for good, but to use it for your lusts. A clear picture is given of the chaotic mutual struggle in the society of the readers of the message. Their desires and aspirations, which usually do not have a moral character, are not satisfied. That is why their passions inflame even more and encourage them to sharp, violent actions of jealousy and murder, “murder and envy, bickering, unkind deeds, which is why they do not achieve what they strive for. However, you need to know that this is not about carnal murder and enmity. For this is hard to hear even about thieves, much less about those who believe (albeit some) and come to the Lord. It seems that he calls those who kill their souls by such enterprises as murderers, for which they have enmity against piety” (Blessed Theophilus). A sad but inevitable consequence of the mood of Christians - unpeaceful and carnal - is the inactivity, the futility of their prayer: “if prayers for earthly blessings are not fulfilled by God, then the reason for this is no other than that the prayers in this case are evil, since the blessings are not asked for what they should be asked for: they are asked for the evil purpose of spending, expending ( δαπαναν) them to satisfy their lusts and passions” (Bishop George). This mood of the readers of the epistle testifies to an exclusive attachment to the world with oblivion of God, and therefore the Apostle further (v. 4 next) denounces the betrayal of God on the part of the readers. James 4:4. Adulterers and adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So, whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. In the sense of infidelity and betrayal of God (and not in the sense of carnal fornication), the Apostle menacingly calls the readers adulterers and adulterers or, according to the most authoritative codes (Alexandrian, Vatican and Sinaiticus), only adulterers, μοιχαλίδες. The image of expression is entirely Old Testament, and therefore especially understandable to Jewish Christian readers. The sacred writers of the Old Testament, often depicting God’s relationship with Israel under the image of a marriage between a husband and wife (Ps. 44; Jer. 1:2; Hos. 1, etc.), call the people’s unfaithfulness to God, their deviation to other gods, adultery, and the Jews who are unfaithful to the True God – adulterers (Is. 73:27; Hos. 1:2, 4 etc.). This image of presentation and expression also passed into the New Testament (Matthew 12:39; 2 Cor. 11, etc.). “Transferred from the Old Testament to the New, even more appropriate in the New Testament, due to the grace-filled unity of every Christian soul with Christ, the image of husband and wife should here also be given the name μοιχαλίδες” (Bishop George). Treason to God consists in a special love for the world, friendship with the world (ή φιλία τον κόσμου), which is shown by readers. “World” here refers to all material life, as the mother of corruption, the one who partakes of it immediately becomes an enemy of God. For, with zeal for the useless, he treats divine objects with carelessness and contempt, which is the attitude we allow towards people who are hateful and hostile to us. Since there are two subjects that people are concerned with, God and the world, and each of these two subjects is treated with love or hatred, then as soon as we become strongly attached to one, we will obviously appear negligent about the other. So, whoever cleaves to Divine objects is called a friend of God, and whoever has neglected God and loved the world is among the enemies of God” (Blessed Theophilus). James 4:5. Or do you think that Scripture says in vain: “The spirit that dwells in us loves with jealousy”? James 4:6. But grace gives all the more; That is why it is said: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Wanting to say even more and prove to readers the complete incompatibility of love for God with love for the world, St. The Apostle reinforces the thought he expressed (James 4:4) with a double reference to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. But the meaning of the first quotation of the Apostle seems extremely difficult and unclear to interpreters, both due to the fact that those cited in Art. 5 words as evidence of Scripture - in literal form - are not available in the entire Old Testament, and due to the difficulty of individual words and the whole expression of the first quotation. There is no doubt, however, that both verses 5 and 6 should affirm or substantiate the idea of ​​the Apostle James 4:4 about the mutually exclusive relationship of love for God and affection for the world, even if each verse did this from one specific aspect. In the Greek text, the first quote reads like this: πρός φθόνον επιποθεί τό πνεΰμα δ κατώκησεν έν ημίν: the spirit desires to envy, like moved into us. The Slavic “desires to envy” is unclear; The Russian translation conveys the idea of ​​the original closer: “loves to the point of jealousy.” This is about God, who jealously loves the spirit of man, the spirit that He himself breathed into man (Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7). The last thought is given by itself if, instead of the accepted reading κατώκησεν, inhabited, dwells, choose the reading of the most authoritative codes (Sinaiticus, Vatican, Alexandria, etc.): κατώκισεν, settled, infused (spirit into a person). There is literally no such passage in the Old Testament; the above quotation is, as it were, a summary or generalization of several Old Testament passages about God the Jealous (Ex. 6:3–7, 10:5; Deut. 5:9; Nahum. 1:1; Zech. 8:2), who created the spirit of man (Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7) and jealously demands man’s service only to God (Gen. 6:3–7). But the idea and connection of the text with the previous and subsequent ones is clear. “God, who loves the human spirit, is, as it were, jealous of the world, loves it not simply, but with jealousy or to the point of jealousy, to the point of jealous concern that the beloved is not seduced by the world and is not carried away by it. And when a loved one, turning away from the world, strives for God, then God gives him even greater grace, rewarding him with his grace as a reward for his faithfulness in self-love” (Bishop Michael). The peacefulness of many Christians mentioned by the Apostle (James 4:4) gave him a reason to talk about the jealous love of God. Further, in Art. 6, to one Old Testament quotation he adds another from Proverbs. 3 according to the reading of LXX (with the replacement of only the word Κύριος, the word θεός), - proving, in essence, the same idea that Christians, who entirely belong to God the Zealot, in their activities can be either enemies of God or His friends, why God is the first to resist ( αντιτάσσεται), and gives grace to the latter (δίδωσι χάριν). The lovers of the world or the enemies of God are called proud by the Apostle, because they do not want to know God and His blessings, they seek only worldly blessings, relying entirely on their own strength. On the contrary, those who love God, the friends of God, are called humble: their whole hope is in God; Seeking heavenly blessings, they rely only on the mercy and grace of God, having the most modest, humble concept of themselves. Therefore, God generously grants them the assistance of grace. James 4:7. Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:8. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; Cleanse your hands, you sinners; straighten your hearts, you double-minded. From the proven truth that friendship with the world is enmity against God and entails deprivation of the greatest and lasting blessings, St. The Apostle makes moralizing conclusions - instructions of a moral nature, addressed to the readers: since the greatest good lies in God and unity with Him, the Apostle advises the readers, putting aside pride, to submit to God, and at the same time resist the opposite, evil principle - the devil (ὑποτάγητε οὖν τῷ θεῷ ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ). Submission to God is such a great power (cf. Matt. 4:1–10) that the devil is easily defeated by it and takes flight (φεύ κσεται). As the devil retreats from man, God approaches him; but it is necessary that he himself actively, consciously strive to draw closer to God: “draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (v. 8a). The similarities of approaching God are external and internal: this approach is accomplished externally through cleansing the hands (καθορίσατε χείρας), i.e. through the removal of all sinful and desecrating deeds and the acquisition of purity of actions (the image is taken from the Levitical ritual cleansings, symbolizing the spiritual and moral cleansing of man, cf. Ps. 17:21; Is. 1:15–16). Another means - cleansing the heart (άγνίσατε καρδίας) - has a more internal, deeper meaning, since the heart is the source and focus of a person’s entire inner life (Matt. 15:19), and cleansing the heart is the cleansing of the whole person (Ps. 50:12, 19). The Apostle demands that sinners, defiled by various unrighteous deeds, and double-minded people, wavering between affection for God and love for the world, achieve complete purity both in external actions and in internal dispositions. James 4:9. Lament, weep and howl; Let your laughter turn into crying, and your joy into sadness. James 4:10. Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Complete moral correction of people cannot be carried out without repentance, and the Apostle convincingly calls on readers to repentant crying and mourning as an inevitable precondition for moral correction: lament, weep and weep, and so on. (v. 9). But the soul, root or basis of repentance and correction is humility, from which alone repentance and renewal of life can follow, leading a person to exaltation: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you” (v. 10), teaches the Apostle, according to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11, 18:14), “as from grain thrown into the ground, a beautiful plant grows, so from humility, from mixing oneself with dust, a wonderful tree of Christian virtues grows. This growth is accomplished with the help of God’s grace (James 4:6), which is why it is said: “and he will exalt you” (Bishop George). James 4:11. Do not curse one another, brethren: whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law; and if you judge the law, then you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. James 4:12. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who can save and destroy; and who are you who judges another? Turning now to the same persons whom the Apostle had previously called adulterers, sinners, double-minded, but with the loving address “brothers,” he warns them against the intolerable vice of slander and condemnation of one’s neighbor in the Christian environment (cf. Matthew 7:1ff.). This vice is unacceptable in Christianity simply because it is completely at odds with the Christian virtue of humility, which St. just spoke about. Apostle (James 4:10), and is especially reprehensible, as soon as it extends to a fellow spirit in Christ. But the Apostle goes further and deeper in analyzing and exposing the vice of slander and condemnation. This is a very serious crime: a Christian who slanderes and judges his brother, in essence, slanderes and judges the very law, namely the royal law of love (James 1:25, 2:8, 12): by slandering and condemning his neighbor, a Christian does not fulfill, but violates and in fact denies this most important law in Christianity; consequently, it is as if this law itself judges and condemns, as if declaring it wrong, unsuitable for life. Thus, he who rejects the law of love and judges it, as it were, becomes above the law and, so to speak, makes his own law, delighting through this, which does not belong to him, but the right of legislation and judgment that belongs to God alone. God alone, as the Supreme Lawgiver, who by His own will gave the law, and as the Judge, righteously judging according to this law, of course, stands above the law and is the only Judge, in the strict, absolute sense of the word. This exclusive right of Him is evidenced by the fact that He alone can save and destroy (v. 12, see Matt. 10:28). Man, by his very insignificance, betrays his lack of right to judge his neighbor and the law, and if he does this, he sins gravely and brings upon himself God’s condemnation (cf. Rom. 2:1, see Rom. 14:4). James 4:13. Now listen to you who say: “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and we will live there for one year, and we will trade and make a profit”; James 4:14. you who do not know what will happen tomorrow: for what is your life? steam that appears for a short time and then disappears. James 4:15. Instead of telling you: “If the Lord wills and we live, we will do this or that,” James 4:16. you, in your arrogance, are vainglorious: all such vanity is evil. Not without association with the previous one, the apostle now denounces the arrogance and vanity of people who forget the complete dependence on God of all human affairs and human life itself and the complete fragility, as if fleetingness of the latter. As an example of this kind of arrogant people, merchants are taken, whose craft, obviously, was widespread among the readers of the epistle, but at the same time was devoid of moral purity: their arrogance, frivolity and exceptional devotion to earthly profits and interests, with oblivion of the corruption and fleeting nature of earthly life in general, called the Apostle to denunciations, exhortations and warnings, the meaning of which is the same as the meaning Christ's parable about the covetous rich man (Luke 12:16–21). Pointing out (Art. 13), how unreasonably people act, reasoning as if their lives and deeds depend solely on them, and as if there is no higher will above them, which in an instant can turn all their assumptions and undertakings into nothing - the Apostle “does not destroy will, but shows that not everything depends on the person himself, but grace from above is also needed. For you can run and trade, and do everything necessary for life, but you should not attribute this to your own labors, but to God’s love for mankind” (Blessed Theophilus). In Art. 14, the apostle strongly and in the spirit of the Old Testament writers (cf. Job 8:9; Ps. 101:12, 143:4) depicts the fragility of human existence, warning readers and all Christians in general against the unreasonable judgment of merchants condemned above (v. 13). “It shows the vanity of our lives, and shames us for spending our whole lives in vanity, that all our labor is wasted on temporary evil. David says the same thing: for a man walks in a manner, but is troubled in vain (Ps. 39:7), i.e. fusses over something that does not have true existence in itself, but appears only as if in a ghost” (Blessed Theophilus). A true, reasonable and religious view of enterprises, affairs and the very life of a person always, according to Art. 15, must be based on a believing thought: “if it pleases the Lord, and we live, we will do this or that.” The above speeches of the merchants (v. 13), directly opposed to this humble devotion to the will of God, obviously sin with self-confidence, arrogance and ultimately stem from pride (v. 16). “Pride of life” (cf. 1 John 2:16) can only give rise to the absurd and dangerous thought in a person that he is the sovereign manager of his life and his actions. James 4:17. So, if anyone knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin for him. The Apostle ends his reproofs and exhortations with the general maxim that “if anyone knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin for him.” This thought about the severity and guilt of conscious sin represents a repetition of the thought of the Lord Jesus Christ, expressed more than once by Him (Luke 12:47–48; John 15:22, etc.); in the Apostle it relates most closely to the content of chapter IV, more particularly its last verses, but, due to its generality and breadth, is applicable to the entire moral teaching of the epistle. You might be interested in: