The Sin of Omission.
OMISSIONS IN TODAY CHRISTIANITY
The statement from James 4:17, “To him who knows to do what is good and does not do it, to him it is sin,” refers to sins of omission. These are not actions we actively perform, but rather the failure to do what we know is right and good. In the context of James chapter 4, this concept highlights several specific omissions.
A. Omissions in James 4
James identifies several failures or omissions among his audience, stemming from selfish desires and a worldly mindset.
1. Failing to Ask God for What’s Needed: The text points out that people “do not have because you do not ask God” (v. 2). They fail to seek God’s provision and guidance, instead resorting to conflict and selfish schemes to get what they want.
2. Failing to Pray with Right Motives: When they do ask, their prayers go unanswered because they “ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (v. 3). They omit the humility and godly intention required for prayer.
3. Failing to Humble Oneself Before God: The core problem James identifies is pride. They are described as “adulterous people” who seek friendship with the world, which is “enmity against God” (v. 4). This is a failure to submit to God’s authority and embrace a humble, dependent relationship with Him.
4. Failing to Refrain from Judging Others: They are quick to judge and slander one another, an omission of the love and grace that should characterize a believer’s interactions. James asks, “who are you to judge your neighbor?” (v. 12), because this act usurps God’s role as the sole Lawgiver and Judge.
5. Failing to Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty: In their business plans and boasts about the future, they omit a crucial truth: “You do not know what tomorrow will bring” (v. 14). This is a failure to acknowledge God’s control and instead rely on their own arrogant, self-confident wisdom.
B . Exhortations in James 4 💪
Throughout the chapter, James provides a series of strong exhortations, or encouragements, for his readers to correct their behavior and align their lives with God’s will.
1. Submit and Resist: A primary call is to “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (v. 7). This is the remedy for their pride and worldliness.
2.Draw Near to God: He urges them to actively seek a closer relationship with God, promising, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (v. 8). This counters their self-sufficiency and worldly focus.
3.Repent and Purify: James calls for a deep, genuine repentance, telling them to “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (v. 8). He even uses graphic imagery, saying to “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom” (v. 9), emphasizing the seriousness of their sin.
4.Humble Yourselves: He repeatedly exhorts them to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (v. 10). Humility is presented as the solution to pride and the key to receiving God’s grace.
5. Speak and Live Wisely: Finally, he exhorts them to stop slandering and judging each other and to make their future plans with a humble dependence on God, saying, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'” (v. 15). This encourages a life lived in constant awareness of God’s sovereignty.
CONCL..
1. ARE YOU AN OMISSION BELIEVER IN ANY OF THESE FIVE WAYS?
~ DO YOU FAIL.. To ask God for your needs… To pray with right motives.. To humble yourself before God… To refrain from judging others… To acknowledge God’s sovereignty daily in your life?
2. Will you apply these encouraging exhortations? Take some prayerful time to listen to the Lord with these truths open before you and God.
God wants you to receive His Grace not to be His enemy. But you have a choice to repent, to submit, to humble yourself, to draw near to God, to want to be cleanse by God.
- Do you want to come to the Lord for salvation?
Rom. 3:23 All have sinned. You are the sinner who break God’s laws.
Romans 6:23. The penalty of sin is death in hell. You are the guilty condemned sinner deserving to burn in hell for your sins. - Rom. 5:8. Christ loved and died for sinners. You are the undeserving sinner Jesus died to rescue from hell by His grace alone.
- Rom. 10:9-10. You can confess your need of God’s Son to be your savior. This is your only chance to go to heaven one day and to be freed from sin, guilt and darkness. Come to the Savior right now. Make no delay.
