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John 3:16 and James 4:4 - An Understanding

Discussions concerning the New Testament

John 3:16 and James 4:4 - An Understanding

Postby wmfinck » Fri Oct 22, 2010 3:47 pm

The following notes are an excerpt from the program I have prepared for tomorrow night's Yahweh's Covenant People program on Talkshoe.

Here now, because we have just discussed some things from James, and really do not have the time left tonight to start one of the other books, I will do a comparison of James 4:4 and John 3:16. Many think that these two statements conflict with one another. They do not. Rather, it is often our own lack of understanding which is the source of such conflicts.

John 3:16, in the King James Version states: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

James 4:4 states: “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.

The word world in these passages, is κόσμος, or society as we shall see shortly, on each occasion. But what society does Christ love, and what society does James despise? The society which Christ loves must be that which is described in John 1:10, which I must read: “He was in the Society, and the Society came to be through Him, yet the Society knew Him not.” And the society which Christ needed to save is also described by John at 1 John 5:19 where it says: “We know that we are from of Yahweh and the whole Society lies in the power of the Evil One.” That is the world that James disdained, and which we should keep ourselves apart from.

The following passages reveal why the society had become corrupt:

John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
John 14:30: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
John 16:11: ”Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-8: “ 6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

This corruption of the society, the “world”, began in the garden of Eden with Adam, Eve and the Serpent, as Paul explains in Romans Chapter 8, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and elsewhere. If the society had not become corrupt, Christ would not have had to save it in the first place! Hence we see that there is really no conflict between John 3:16 and James 4:4.
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