James 4:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If you desire instruction also from Scripture, then listen: "The Lord resists the proud."

If He resists the proud, and we usually resist enemies, then the proud must undoubtedly be counted among the enemies. Scripture does not command us what is impossible in vain, without reason, or out of envy.

Rather, it strongly desires that grace should dwell in us through its exhortations. Therefore, if you are obedient to Scripture, humble yourselves before God and receive grace through being exalted by Him.

Pride is malice swollen to the extreme, but it differs from conceit. Pride exalts itself over those subject to it, while conceit exalts itself over what does not exist at all.

Modesty also differs from humility. Modesty, or humility directly opposed to pride, is a great good.

Give me openly manifest and constant continence, free from these and all other such vices and moral defects. I fear for it, because I fear pride. For this great good, I fear the growth of presumption. The more it has within itself something pleasing to itself, the more I fear lest, by pleasing itself, it become displeasing to Him who resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

How is the proud man recognized, and by what is he healed? He is recognized by his pursuit of preference. He is healed if he believes the judgment of the One who said, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

After pride comes abasement, and after abasement comes glorification. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Measuring all things justly, He repays opposites with opposites.

Pride is hateful both to God and to men, but the Lord exalts those who love humility.

Some of them teach that marriage is corruption from the devil, and that they themselves must imitate the Lord, who did not marry and had no possessions. They boast that they have supposedly grasped a deeper meaning of the Gospel inaccessible to the rest. Scripture says to them, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

After this, in His mercy He granted the Christian the gift of repentance, manifested through fasting, vigil, abundant prayers, and abstinence from the world. Thus he might endure humiliations, hate all bodily pleasures, and love weeping more than laughter.

God resists the proud because in the beginning He resisted their first leader. Therefore consider what it is to have God as one’s opponent, and the original rebel as one’s accomplice.

You would like to know what is meant by the words of James, Archbishop of Jerusalem: "Or do you think that Scripture speaks in vain: unto envy" (Jas 4:5)?

Divine Scripture speaks against envy not inopportunely, but very opportunely and with a special purpose. Every holy saying against every passion, and especially against destructive envy, customarily places the strongest weapon upon us.

It is said: "The Spirit yearns," whom God has caused to dwell in us (Jas 4:5). What does the Spirit of God desire, value above all, and love, except the unity, concord, and mutual love of the brethren?

Love is born of humble-mindedness and reverence. Envy and bitter hatred come from contempt and conceit.

Behold, one man is invited to grace because of his love for humility, while another is appointed to punishment because of the sin of pride. Therefore let each one uproot within himself the swelling of arrogance, if it has increased in anyone, lest the weapon of heavenly justice turn against him.

God punishes perjurers, insatiable lovers of pleasure, and other sinners who neglect His commandments. Yet it is written that He especially resists the proud.

Those deserve the heaviest punishment who do not doubt their own virtue. Confident in their self-sufficiency for salvation, they reject the help of divine grace.

By contrast, He gives grace to the humble. Those who recognize that they are sick with sin and beg to be healed receive healing gifts according to the measure of their desire.

It should be noted that blessed James cites this saying about the proud and the humble according to the ancient translation of the Proverbs of Solomon, that is, the Septuagint. Peter also cites the same passage in his epistle (see 1 Pet 5:5).

The Latin translation goes back to the Hebrew text and reads thus: "If He laughs at scoffers, then He gives grace to the humble" (Prov 3:34).

We cannot even imagine the pride in which the demons stand before God. We cannot understand with what hatred they regard God. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Why is it not said that God resists fornicators, or the envious, or any others, but specifically the proud? Because this is a demonic quality. The proud man already becomes, as it were, akin to a demon.

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In almost all the sacred writers of the Old Testament there are thoughts and expressions equivalent to the Apostle’s words (Ps 17:28; Prov 3:34; Prov 29:23; Isa 2:12; Isa 66:2; 1 Sam 2:4; Lk 1:51). In explaining the reason for this relation of God to the proud and the humble, all interpreters point out that pride is the beginning and source of every evil (Sir 10:15). Humility, by removing every manifestation of man’s self-directed activity, opens free access to the action of grace. Grace is therefore poured out more abundantly the less opposition it encounters from man.

As for the meaning of the saying itself, "He loves the spirit to jealousy," the most correct translation of the whole saying seems to be this: "God loves, even to jealousy, the spirit that dwells in us."

This means the human spirit, which He breathed into man (Gen 2:7). Yet He gives it greater grace if this human spirit itself strongly strives toward Him and not toward the world.

"Therefore it is said: God resists the proud," and so on. That is, the human spirit is the image and likeness of the divine Spirit, or of God. Therefore God loves it even in its fallen condition.

Because of this love He also determined to save it through Christ. Yet the fallen human spirit can strive either toward God or toward the world.

Compare Prov 3:34.

Returning to his thought about the beginning of evil in evil desires, the Apostle calls to mind the saying of Scripture that people, even from antediluvian times, constantly think about evil (see Gen 6:6).

The expression of the Slavonic text of verse 5, "the spirit desires to envy," is closer to the true meaning than the words of the Russian translation. Yet in the Russian translation the final words, "dwelling in us," are closer to the true meaning.

Having spoken of mankind's inclination toward sin, the Apostle does not want to leave Christians with the thought of powerlessness in doing good. Therefore he speaks next of divine grace being given to help us.

But if people, despite the great multitude of divine gifts, namely creation and regeneration, resist God, then He too will stand against them. On the other hand, He gives grace to the humble (cf. Jn 1:17).