Double Drawing

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4: 8-10)

Sometimes it is good to look beyond all the arguing about all the intimate details in the salvation experience, such as occurs between Arminians and Calvinists, as it relates to such verses as the above. In other words, let us just encourage each other to draw near to the Lord in view of the promised blessing thereby (draw near to you). If we desire to know God, to enjoy God, let us then draw near to him in our hearts and minds knowing that he has promised to draw close to us. 

Christians, those who know God and who have experienced his presence in conversion, and in times of praise and prayer, nevertheless experience times when they and the Lord seem so far apart, times when they cannot sense or feel the "presence" of the Lord. To them the words of the apostle James are appropriate. The Christian needs to "come to the Lord" in his thoughts and prayers. 

"God is not far from anyone of us" said the Apostle (Acts 17: 27) to lost Pagans, who knew not the one true God and the way of salvation through Christ. The Christian should know this and therefore should not rely upon his feelings in ascertaining whether the Lord is still "with" him. What all need, whether saved or lost, is to realize this truth. Sometimes God is only a prayer away. Sometimes the things that are blocking the way to God need to be removed. 

Now think just a minute about how profound an experience it is for us to come to God, to truly know and realize his presence and Spirit. To use a vernacular expression, it just "blows my mind." Said Adam Clarke in his commentary on James 4: 8 - "The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, I think, but seldom noted."

Doctrinal Thoughts

I do believe the words of our text applies foremost to those who are lost in sin, or to the unconverted. Why? Well, look at the description of those being addressed: the filthy handed, sinners, the impure in heart, the double minded. 

What is commanded and desired by God is the cleansing of the sinner, the purifying of his heart, thus it is applicable to the unsaved and filthy. The words describe salvation or conversion, of becoming pure and holy.

Conversion first involves being humbled in conviction of sin and there is a call in these words to be "afflicted," and to "weep and mourn." 

Conviction is described as being afflicted in soul, as laughter turned into mourning over one's sin and lost condition. Conversion, on the other hand is described as being purified, cleansed of moral filth. It is described as a being made holy, of having one's sorrow in conviction turned into the laughter of conversion. As conviction humbled the sinner, or brought him down, so conversion "lifts up" his soul and spirit.  

In a nutshell, the command is "Be convicted, repent, and be converted and saved." Let us understand that the apostles and the inspired writers had no reluctance addressing lost sinners in this manner. 

Their belief that salvation was by grace and by the power of God did not keep them from addressing sinners in the fashion of James. So too should it be with us.

Let us be thankful that our God invites us to come to him! How sad that most ignore this gracious invitation!