James 4:13–17

4:13 James signals the beginning of a new discourse unit with a formulaic imperative (“Come now”) and a shift in topic. As earlier in the letter (2:18–20), James here employs a diatribe style by introducing an imaginary interlocutor—or, in this case, interlocutors—who represent an erroneous view he wishes to correct. The words of the interlocutors themselves are tellingly nonspecific (“Today or tomorrow . . . such and such a town . . .”), further demonstrating that this is not an actual quote from real people but a representative error placed in the mouths of typical opponents.

The interlocutors state that they plan to go on a journey, spend a year at their destination, and make money in business or trade. As this quote is immediately followed by a rebuke in verse 14, some interpreters have wrongly concluded that James was attacking profit-making or business in general. As we will see below, James is criticizing not the making of a profit but the godless presumption of thinking that one’s life, future, plans, and success rest in one’s own hands. The Bible teaches that greed is wrong but that working honestly and making a profit is commendable.¹ Barring deception or collusion, selling items at a profit is a market signal that one is providing a desired product in an efficient manner. The apostle Paul encourages his congregations to work hard, make an honest profit, and thus have something to share with others (Eph. 4:28).

4:14–15 The issue with the interlocutors is not their desire to make money, nor even their plans. The problem, James tells us, is the arrogant godlessness underlying their words and plans. They forget that they are creatures of dust, as short-lived as the summer grass (Ps. 103:15). In fact, James points out, they do not even know what will happen tomorrow (James 4:14). One is reminded of Jesus’ reminder to his disciples that they could not add a single moment to their lives (Matt. 6:27).

James tells his interlocutors that their lives are a “mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” The Greek term translated “mist” (atmis) can refer to smoke from a fire (LXX Gen. 19:28; Lev. 16:13) or to vapor, such as morning fog or steam rising from a pot (BDAG). The metaphor is clear: just as the morning fog is visible but then quickly dissipates, so are the lives of humans. The brevity and contingency of human life, especially in contrast to God’s eternality and aseity,² is a common motif in the OT (Pss. 39:5; 102:3; 144:4; Job 7:7).

In light of human creatureliness, there is only one proper course of action: humble and genuine acknowledgment of one’s dependence on the Creator God in all of one’s endeavors. James suggests a method of expressing this humble dependence, but if these words are used as a thoughtless formula (much like ending prayers “in Jesus’ name” without understanding what that expression means), then the letter’s teaching is not being truly obeyed. The “Jacobean condition”³ (“if the Lord wills”) in verse 15 need not always be expressed orally, but the phrase contains timeless truths that should always be found in the attitude of God’s people.

4:16–17 After providing corrective theological teaching concerning human contingency and transience, James circles back to a final rebuke. He censures the presumptive planners for their evil “boasting” and “arrogance” (v. 16). Although some might describe their plans as expressions of healthy self-confidence, James labels them for what they are: apart from humbly accepting one’s place as a contingent creature before an all-powerful Creator, planning is presumptuous, boastful, and implicitly atheistic.

In verse 17 James cites a proverb that bears a variety of applications: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” Within the immediate context, the “right thing” is clearly to acknowledge how brief and unpredictable life is from our limited perspective. In light of that truth, we should live in humility.