Living Out Our Faith Submissively - James 4:8

Introduction

Here we are once again in our study of James 4.

We started with a new paragraph last week as we considered verse 7. If you recall, we noted that after a lengthy warning about our flesh and its lust, the Holy Spirit moves to some action items we need to take if we are to overcome our flesh. In fact, each of these verses in this section begins with action verbs. And each one of them is a command from God designed to help us in our battle with the flesh.

Last week, we started with two such commands.

James 4:7 KJV 1900

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Our battle with our flesh must begin with total surrender to God. That is the essence of the word “submit.” We must arrange ourselves under His control, power, and will.

Equally important is the second command. We are to “resist the devil.” Interestingly, submitting to God and resisting the Devil go hand in hand. As we arrange ourselves under God’s authority, God utilizes His power against Satan, causing him to flee. Thus, if you want Satan to hightail it our your life, you must submit to God. There is no other way.

Now, this evening, we come to verse 9, which says.

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Again, this verse is a continuation of verse 7. If you resist Satan by fleeing from him, you must run towards God.

Let’s take a few minutes this evening and dive deep into this verse.

Run Towards God

The significant part of this first command is that He lovingly comes toward us as we move toward Him. The words “draw nigh” simply mean just that. It is when we take proactive steps in God’s direction by drawing near Him. Obviously, if we move in His direction, we are closing the gap between Him and us.

The freedom of a believer to approach the Sovereign Majesty of the Universe is a beautiful and incredible privilege. Stop and consider it for just a moment. The Creator and Lord of all things who is Elohim, Jehovah, the Almighty God, the Most High, is ready to receive us at a moment’s notice. We can approach Him by taking Him all our cares, concerns, and problems. The door to His presence is always wide open.

Now, think about this. God’s door is not just wide open; He strongly urges and encourages us to come to Him. He desires us to run to Him for His help and comfort. He, the Holy Spirit, God, is saying to us, “Draw nigh to me.”

This is very important to the subject at hand. Remember, the first few verses of this chapter addressed our problem in overcoming our flesh and its lusts. We cannot do it. The urges to sin and fulfill our lusts are powerful. It is the reason why we need God. God knows and understands this. So, He lovingly has made it so we can “boldly” come before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and find His help in our times of need.

Hebrews 4:15–16 KJV 1900

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Looking back to our text this evening.

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The phrase “draw nigh” is a strong imperative or requirement. As soon as temptation strikes, run to God. Draw nigh to Him. Temptations are often sudden and quite fierce. The flesh is weak. However, our God is mighty and strong. Therefore, we must run to Him in those moments.

Again, what are we to do.

Submit to God. Resist the Devil. Draw nigh to God.

Drawing nigh to God is somewhat different than submitting to Him. It means we are to get as close as possible to God. We get right up next to Him, initiating conversation with Him as we share our struggles. How do we do this?

We Run to God Through Scripture

This is where reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing Scripture are so vitally important. Consider some of these verses.

Psalm 119:9–11 KJV 1900

9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. 11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.

Psalm 119:52 KJV 1900

52 I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; And have comforted myself.

Psalm 119:93 KJV 1900

93 I will never forget thy precepts: For with them thou hast quickened me.

Psalm 119:105 KJV 1900

105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.

Psalm 37:31 KJV 1900

31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

Psalm 40:8 KJV 1900

8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: Yea, thy law is within my heart.

In addition to God’s Word,

We Run to God Through Prayer

As I already mentioned, the God of the Universe leaves His door open for His children and urges them to take advantage of it. We are to ask God for strength and power, mercy and grace.

Matthew 6:13 KJV 1900

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 26:41 KJV 1900

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Ephesians 6:18 KJV 1900

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Philippians 4:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Our encouragement then is to focus on God and God alone. Run to Him for your protection. In doing so, God promises that He “will draw nigh to you.”

Psalm 28:7 KJV 1900

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.

Psalm 73:28 KJV 1900

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all thy works.

We must consider two important conditions required as we come into His presence.

Look again at our verse.

His Presence Demands We Do Two Very Important Things

Yes, He invites us to come near Him; however, in doing so, we must do these two things.

Cleanse Your Hands

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

The word “cleanse” means to make clean. In the Bible, it is related to cleansing physical stains and dirt or any form of disease such as leprosy. However, in a moral sense, it relates to cleansing the defilement of sin. It is sometimes translated into English as “cleanse” or “purge.”

2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV 1900

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Hebrews 9:14 KJV 1900

14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Just as working outside in the dirt cause you to be dirty. Sin causes contamination. Sinners sin, and sin contaminates. God is holy and can have nothing to with sin. Therefore, we are required to be holy even as He is holy. Thus, our hands must be cleansed of sin before we approach Him drawing near Him. God will not respond to a believer who has not repented sin and asked for His forgiveness.

2 Timothy 2:21 KJV 1900

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

I find it interesting that God speaks of our hands. Our hands and the use of our hands indicate what others see. It is the outside of us. Our hands are part of this physical body. Consequently, the sense is that we need to clean up our act. Stop acting like the world and according to the desires of our flesh. Instead, be obedient to God outwardly.

However, it goes deeper than that. Outward actions are the result of our hearts. This thought brings us to the following statement.

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Purify Your Heart

Here we have a different word than the word “cleanse.” This word, “purify,” is used in a more ceremonial sense.

John 11:55 KJV 1900

55 And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.

In the OT, God provided Israel a way in which they could return to cleanness or purity. Each purification required a cleansing agent such as water, blood, or fire. We find an example of this in Numbers 31:23

Numbers 31:23 KJV 1900

23 Every thing that may abide the fire, ye shall make it go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.

Water was the most common purifying agent. It often is used in the Scripture to symbolize cleansing. God’s people used water for daily cleansing such as washing their clothes and bathing. It was also used in certain situations that created physical uncleanness in a person. Animal blood from animal sacrifices was used for spiritual things such as cleansing the altar of sacrifice and in the holy place.

Leviticus 16:14–19 KJV 1900

14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. 15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: 16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

When we come to the New Testament, we see water and blood associated with purification. In our text, we are instructed to clean our hands and purify our hearts. We use water to wash our hands. However, it takes something far different to purify our hearts. We need something spiritual that is way beyond our capabilities. It is only the blood sacrifice of Christ that can genuinely purity our hearts. His blood cleanses us from sin.

1 John 1:7 KJV 1900

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Note again our text.

James 4:8 KJV 1900

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

As sinners, we need cleansing. Again, I submit to you the idea of water. In the New Testament, water is often associated with God’s Word.

Ephesians 5:25–27 KJV 1900

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

However, for the heart, we read, “purify your hearts, YE DOUBLE MINDED.” Belief in the finished work of Christ purifies the soul. It is the only way. But why the term “double-minded?” It is a term of loyalty. We must not be divided in our commitment to Christ.

Remember the context. The first section of this chapter dealt with the flesh. In that conversation, the Holy Spirit noted how friendship with the world is enmity with God. Anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God. Now, we see the Holy Spirit demanding purification of the heart concerning loyalty. In other words, you cannot be divided between God and the world. Remember what Christ taught us in Matthew 6:24

Matthew 6:24 KJV 1900

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

And did He not stay that we must-

Luke 9:23 KJV 1900

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

I also recall Him saying-

Luke 9:62 KJV 1900

62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

There is no place for divided loyalty in a believer’s life. God always demands total allegiance or nothing. Double-minded people seek to follow God only when it is convenient. All other times, they live for what the world offers them. Such people cannot draw near to God. Their hearts are not pure. In fact, such people are the ones who create confusion. Others see their life and are confused by their loyalties. Others then question their salvation and belief in God as their personal Savior. There is a real possibility that they have not truly experienced purification of the heart by the blood of Christ.

What then is the answer? Every person, especially those who claim to be followers of Christ, must purify their heart, turning it completely and totally over to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the only heart God accepts and allows to draw near to Him.

In the end, it all boils down to this. Draw near to God, and, in turn, God will draw near to you. However, the only way to get close to God is to have clean hands and a pure heart. Such purification comes only through the Lord Jesus Christ. He willingly sacrificed Himself so we could be pure before God. His blood is the purifying element.

Hebrews 9:22 KJV 1900

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Romans 3:25 KJV 1900

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Those who choose to submit to God’s authority and resist the Devil by placing their faith in Christ’s blood as the purifying element of their sin are those who can Draw near to God. That is the bottom line. I hope you have done that. If not, I encourage you to repent of your sin, turn away from its lifestyle, and draw near to God by accepting the finished work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you do, God will draw near to you.

Conclusion

Here is one last additional thought, and we are done. As believers, our responsibility is to maintain daily fellowship and communion with God. How do we do that? We do it by keeping our hands clean and our hearts pure. It requires the everyday washing of water through God’s Word. In other words, you must spend a devoted time each day reading, studying, meditating, and memorizing the Word of God. It is essential.

Earlier, I mentioned who those two things are avenues of running to Him. We must run to Him each day. Additionally, we must devote time each day to prayer. The believer who is constantly reading God’s Word and going to Him continually in prayer as they submit to obedience to Him is the believer to whom God is always near. Then, when temptations, trials, and tests come (which they inevitably will), He is near to us, ready to help us in our need.