"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
James 4:17
Part 3
Yesterday:
“Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good.”
Believers, we cannot use the excuse that we do not know what is right to do.
“And doeth it not.”
To know right, but to disobey! Yes, these “little omissions” are also the sins that Jesus died for. We cannot justify them. They are wrong!
Today:
Again, in the context of our verses (James 4:13-17), what we should be doing is having God rule and lead us in our lives daily. When we ignore or neglect what He wants, we sin. This is what our passage teaches.
“The particular meaning then would be, ‘that he who knows what sort of views he should take in regard to the future, and how he should form his plans in view of the uncertainty of life, and still does not do it, but goes on recklessly, forming his plans… and confident of success, is guilty of sin against God.’ Still, the proposition will admit of a more general application. It is universally true that if a man knows what is right, and does not do it, he is guilty of sin”[1] (Barnes).
“To him, it is sin.”
Two thoughts here seem to stand out in our verse (v. 17). First is the general principle of knowledge to do good and sinning by not doing it. The Puritan preacher Cotton Mather lived by this principle, “that the ability to do good, in any case, imposes an obligation to do it.”[2] How many times does God allow us the option to do right, and yet we do nothing with it? In that omission, we sin.
The second thought, whenever God is left out of the equation, it is a sin against Him. He is our Creator. No one deserves to be in the middle of our lives like He does! How can we glorify Him if we neglect to obey Him? We need to be in the habit of obeying Him fully. Partial obedience is disobedience. Note the simple way this commentator states this,
“… knowledge without practice is imputed to a man as great and presumptuous sin” [3] (JFB).
“We are prone to make plans without reference to God’s will. Life is so transient and brief that if we are to make the most of it, we should ask the divine Spirit to choose for and guide us. Our one endeavor must be to discover God’s will and do it. If we are not constantly saying, ‘If the Lord will,’ the sentiment it expresses should always be uppermost with us. ‘Thy will be done’ in me as in heaven!”[4] (Meyer).
“Dear Lord, have your will and way in me every day!”
Quote: Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (John 13:17).
[1] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[2] Barnes, ibid.
[3] Jamison, Fausset, and Brown. Jamison-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary, the electronic version in eSword. Italics mine.
[4] F.B. Meyer. Through the Bible Day by Day, the electronic version in eSword.