The Hero's Journey Chapter 4 Summary

To fully understand James chapter four, it is important to understand who the author James was. According to Kenneth Mackenzie, D.D. “James must have been of authority in the infant Church. He is the presiding officer at the momentous council in Jerusalem (Acts 15)… [Paul] admits the evident leadership of James in Gal. 2:12.” (Mackenzie, 1939. Pg. 340). James was also the half-brother of Jesus and was a leader in the early church. As an apostle he helped build the church after Jesus’ departure. In the beginning of his general epistle, James clarifies that his intended audience is church members throughout the twelve tribes of Israel. Due to his role as one of the leaders and the audience being believer, it is clear that the book of James was intended for believers as commands that would help
(James 4:5, NKJV). This verse is challenging to grasp fully because it is unclear whether the “Spirit” is human spirit or the Holy Spirit. The context of the chapter seems to suggest that the human spirit is the jealous spirit in 4:5. Earlier in the chapter James lambasts the audience for quarreling over earthly things suggesting that they are jealous of one another. Immediately following 4:5 James tells the audience to resist the devil and the God’s grace allows those to fight the temptation suggesting again that the spirit to which he is referring is the Human Spirit of jealousness or envy. According to J. William Johnston, Associate Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminar, “James 4:5 introduces a direct quotation of Proverbs 3:34 that appears in verse 6. This interpretation in turn clarifies the referent of πνεύμα as the human spirit” (Johnston, 2013, pg. 344). By tying it to a specific Old Testament text, Johnston helps to clarify the exact spirit James is referring