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You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

You adulteresses. The Greek (μοιχαλίς moichalis) rendered adulteresses are often used to signify those who are faithless towards God and are generally applied to those who abandon God for idols, Hos. 3:1; Isa. 57:3, 7; Ezek. 16, 23. James is not one to hold anything back just as he had done at 2:20, where he called his readers, who said that they had faith but had no works that should result from that faith claim, “O foolish man.” In his standard denunciation style, James called out his readers once more with the charge, “adulteresses!” Scripture refers to those who abandon God as “an adulterer,” i.e., spiritual adultery. (Isa. 57:3; Matt. 12:39) Conversely, Paul said of the Christian congregation, “I betrothed you [Christians] to one husband so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” (2 Cor. 11:2) Therefore, James’ admonition to these ones makes it all too clear that they are no longer spiritually pure and clean in the eyes of God.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Christians should be very cautious as to whom they have as a friend. A friend (φιλία philia) is defined as an intimate relationship or bond with another. Christians would not have a close friend whose habits God would detest, whose thinking and worldview are contrary to God’s Word. If we as humans were exacting about people we would have as an intimate friend, would this not also be the case with our sovereign Creator of the heavens, earth, and humanity. The apostle John wrote of “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16) The spirit of this world is like a poisonous gas, which is next to impossible to escape, as it is in the air of humanity that is alienated from God. This contaminated air proceeds from the ruler of the world, Satan. If we breathe it in regularly, we will begin to adopt their goals, beliefs, attitude, thinking, speech, conduct, and worldview. This spirit controls the world without them ever knowing; it is demonic and separate from God. Satan controls humanity by catering to the fallen flesh, our human weaknesses, resulting in enmity toward God. The world’s way of thinking and resultant conduct is in opposition to the Holy Spirit. – 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

Many Christians have believed that they can be friends with the above person and not be affected by their worldly personality, thinking that they will win him over to the faith. As Edward D. Andrews has written elsewhere, ‘if a dirty glove and a clean glove come into contact, dirt comes off on the clean glove, and the clean glove does not make the dirty glove cleaner.’ How then can we win one over to the faith? We do so by keeping a controlled distance. We will study the Bible with one from the world. We will invite them to the meetings. We will ask them to Christian gatherings. After they have turned toward the truth, taking steps in that direction, we will invite them to places that we would go as Christians. Once they regularly attend meetings, study the Bible, and move toward abandoning bad habits, we will bond with them more intimately. However, we never do worldly things to attract ones from the world, ever.[1]

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Continuing his point, James writes, “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” These ones reject God because his standards and values would get in the way of the self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking lifestyle. They know that choosing God is also choosing to obey him, choosing to live by his Word. Those of the world have a devotion, especially to a life of debauchery, to wrong desires, seeking happiness as a way of life by feeding their fallen flesh. (I John 2:3-6) When we choose to follow God, it is the whole heart, whole soul, whole mind, and whole strength. (Mark 12:30) Not only can we not walk on both sides of this choice, but also there is no walking on the line or even seeing how close we can get to the line without going over to the other side. Jesus said in prayer to his Father, “they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14) If we are to be no part of the world indeed, we must make sacrifices for his part, never lacking or wavering in our loyalty to Christ.

[1] There was actually a minister, who felt that it would be okay to go to bars, to drink and evangelize. There are young ones who have started heavy metal Christian bands (oxymoron), believing they can reach young ones by using the things of the world. Andrews wrote elsewhere that this merely makes Christians ‘nine parts world and one part Christian.’