A Friend Of The World

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

There is a reason why James called sinners, “adulterers and adulteresses”. God said, “I am married unto you” (Jeremiah 3:14). All sin is done to God and against God. Righteousness is love expressed towards God. Unrighteousness is a lewd expression in offense of God. Sinning is literally cheating on our Lord.

The following furthers the idea of sin as adultery.

“know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” Vines Expository Dictionary explains that “friendship” has the, “idea of loving as well as being loved". Friendship of the world is loving the world. If you love the world it will respond. Love reciprocated tends to grow. A growing love will eventually grow into a bond of unity, a singularity, a marriage. A willful reprobate divorces God and marries the unrighteous.

You can’t do both. You can’t love God and love sin. You can’t love the devil and love righteousness. It’s one or the other.

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.” (1 Corinthians 10:21)

Righteousness is more than a doing (verb), it is a state of being (noun). Here’s the difference. A sinner, even the devil himself can do righteousness. But a righteous person can do nothing else. Righteousness is a by-product of their being. Righteous acts flow naturally from the righteous person, without thought, intent, or motive other than loving our fellow man. The righteous deeds of the unrighteous person is done so by design and for personal benefit.

The advantage the temporal and carnal world has over the spirit world is that it can be seen, felt, tasted, and heard. The temporal world is right here and is right now. The world loves and rewards what is most like itself. The physical presence of the world and the instant gratification it offers is the biggest stumbling block for the Christian can face. It is in the world that our senses are touched. This satisfies the rational mind and is given as proof that the world is right and the righteousness of our Lord is wrong. Things of this world are of man’s design so he can alter them to suit his today needs, lusts, and desires. What man doesn’t understand is that the devil has sway over this world. The devil has tempted the lust inside of you, and you, unwittingly have permitted your lust to color your perception and perspective of truth and reality.

The things of the spirit might not be experienced in a physical, tactile sense. This is why we must hold fast the gifts of the spirit so dearly. We must be reminded of these things and meditate on them continuously. The body must be fed to be able to not only survive, but to thrive as well. The same holds true for our spirit.

Man, experiences things such as love, faith, and belief as emotions. Emotions have degrees of strength and viability. Emotions can flare, wane, alter, falter, diminish, grow and shoot off in all directions like freshly popped popcorn. But God can’t and doesn’t respond like that. There are no degrees of God. God is perfect which means He is complete. God can’t increase or decrease. You Can’t alter God or affect Him in degrees. Love, faith, and belief affect and alter the human condition. Not so for God because He is perfect, complete, unchangeable and immutable.

I’m not implying that God is stoic. But there are no degrees of God. Emotions vary in strength, intensity and purpose and affect people in like kind. Not so with God.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

There are two phrases in James 4:4 that if given only a quick glance could be mistaken as being identical. 

These phrases are, “friendship of the world is enmity with God?” and followed up with, “friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Enmity comes from the Greek, “Echthra”. It is the state of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

The opposition to God doesn’t necessarily mean an all-out afront and disdain for God. In fact, opposition to God can be subtle and in part and not in totality. It can manifest itself as being against a specific principle, precept, or doctrine of Christianity. The debate over homosexuality is a good example. A Christian, who otherwise is consistent with God can be in direct opposition to Him on this issue.

When we allow certain sins for our self or ignore specific aspects of our religion, we think we know better than God. The Bible isn’t a buffet. We can’t pick and choose the sins and righteousness we like best. Anything not in line with God is in direct opposition to God.

“For such and so great is the disagreement between the world and God, that as much as any one inclines to the world, so much he alienates himself from God.” (John Calvin)

Enemy comes from the Greek, “Echthros”. This is hostility and hatred. Thayer’s Expository Dictionary states that this hatred is, “used of men as at enmity with God by their sin”.

Love of the world is opposite of love of the Lord. Love of the world is hatred towards God.

“How strange it is that people professing Christianity can suppose that with a worldly spirit, worldly companions, and their lives governed by worldly maxims, they can be in the favor of God, or ever get to the kingdom of heaven! When the world gets into the Church, the Church becomes a painted sepulchre; its spiritual vitality being extinct.” (Adam Clarke)

We must ask ourselves if we conform to this world and suit up to live friction free? What is our object for living, our purpose and goal in life? Are we trying to satisfy our spirit and inner self with worldly things and accomplishments?

Albert Barnes asks are, “worldly interests the great object of living, and everything else subordinate to that?”

God is an all or nothing proposition. Sin usually offers instant gratification. The gratification of righteousness is righteousness itself. The reward for righteousness is more righteousness and the realization that the Lord id my portion.

The sinner lives with one principle that guides him all through life. It is the principle of pleasure and pain. They seek the pleasure while avoiding the pain. And the sinner finds many ways to justify them self. How does God know? I never get in trouble! God doesn’t care!

 “And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?” (Job 22:13)

“He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.” (Psalm 10:6)

“Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.” (Psalm 94:7)

The sinner justifies himself because punishment for sin is almost never forthcoming, at least not in this present time of worldly affairs, while the pleasure of sin almost always is instant. In the sinner’s world all is fine because he experiences no retribution for his sin. Struggles with morals and ethics do not exist because the sinner is not a principled person. He knows to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. That’s it.

A friend of the world is the enemy of God. He can’t be anything else.

Bill Hitchcock