Friendship with the World Is Hostility toward God

Note from today’s Bible reading: James 4-5

We generally recognize friendship as being a good thing. Yet James described a certain type of friendship that was anything but good. He wrote, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

James used some pretty strong language by referring to these brethren as “adulteresses.” By using that term, he was reminding them (and us) of the commitment Christians make to be faithful to God. This verse is not condemning being friendly to those around us; rather, it is condemning the mentality that tries to please the world around us more than we try to please the Lord.

We can actually make ourselves “an enemy of God” by accepting and embracing the sinful ways of the world. The world (in general) is opposed to God. We need to consider which side we are on.

So remember that friendship with the world is hostility toward God. We must put pleasing Him ahead of everything else. When we forget that He must come first in everything we do, we will inevitably find ourselves doing those things that are contrary to His will, just like the world does.