For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and, If we shall live, we will do this or that.
αντι του λεγειν υμας εαν ο κυριος θεληση και ζησωμεν και ποιησωμεν τουτο η εκεινο
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Having interrupted the discourse halfway with this comparison, he returns to it again and continues. This is its connection: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend one year there, trade, and make profit.’ Yet you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills and we live, we shall do this or that.’”
Since Saint James has shown above that those Christians are foolish who say that they will go to such and such a city and trade, relying on their own powers, he here advises what they ought to say.
Instead of saying, "Today or tomorrow we will go into that city, spend one year there, trade, and make gain," they should say, "If the Lord wills, and we live, we shall do this or that."
This is how the meaning of all these phrases is constructed. The expression, "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It appears for a little while and then vanishes," has an intermediate meaning, according to Theophylact and Oecumenius.
Thus, my Christian brethren, you ought to speak. First lay the will of God as the foundation and say, "If the Lord wills." Then speak of the deed you intend to do.
For without the will and providence of God, man can neither begin nor complete any good deed.
Therefore Isaiah also said: "Shall the axe boast apart from him who cuts with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself apart from him who draws it?" (Isa 10:15).
In agreement with Isaiah, the book of Job also says: "Does the papyrus grow without water, or does the reed flourish without drink? While it is still on its root, shall it not be cut down? Before watering, does not every plant wither? So shall be the end of all who forget the Lord" (Job 8:11-13).
With these words divine Scripture condemns those people who think they can attain something good without the divine will and help.
Therefore the brother of God here condemns those who abandon God’s help and boast in their arrogance, saying: "But now you boast in your proud pretensions."
He rightly called them proud, because according to Saint Theophylact and Oecumenius, the proud man is named from being "in wandering" or "in derangement," which means living in delusion. Pride is occupation with things that do not exist.
Deluded and occupied with what does not exist are those Christians who place their affairs and undertakings not on the will and power of God, but on their own strength and understanding.
In their foolishness they do not hear Solomon, who says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes" (Prov 3:7). Nor do they hear the Apostle Paul, who casts down such arrogance and boasting.
He rebukes those who think they possess all knowledge and right understanding, saying: "If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know" (1 Cor 8:2).
Therefore the divine James says next that every such boast is evil and wicked. He added "such boasting," because there is also good boasting.
Of this the prophetess Hannah said: "Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows the Lord, and does judgment and righteousness in the midst of the earth" (1 Kgs 2:10).
Paul also said: "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord" (1 Cor 1:31).
So too the Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews: "And this we shall do, if God permits" (Heb 6:3). To the Romans he writes: "If by any means I may at last be prospered by the will of God" (Rom 1:10).
Concerning Apollos he wrote to the Corinthians that he had asked him to come to Corinth, but it was not God’s will for him to come: "and it was certainly not his will" (1 Cor 16:12).
In every case, the Apostle always seeks first the will of God in every deed and undertaking. All Christians must imitate him in every deed they do, and in every word they wish to say.
It is also fitting to speak thus: "If it is God’s will, I shall do this deed. If God wills, I shall say this word."
Many, through levity and self-conceit, take upon themselves a right of judgment over others that does not belong to them. Still more often, self-assured people prematurely appoint themselves to various kinds of undertakings.
Yet not only our deeds, but our very life does not depend on us. It can be taken from us as quickly as a light vapor passes, appearing for a moment and vanishing. “My life is a breath,” says the prophet Job (Job 7:7).
The Wise One spoke in the same way: our life will pass like the trace of a cloud and be scattered like mist driven away by the rays of the sun (Wis 2:4).
If life itself is so swiftly passing, is it not plain from this that all earthly things, by which the rich are puffed up, are vanity? Is it not clear how grossly mistaken they are, and how senselessly they fall into self-conceit?
They know and recognize that this is evil. In general, they know the will of God, yet act contrary to it.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 15 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS