James 4:6

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the Scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

He giveth more grace ... The unity of the triune godhead makes it futile to inquire whether God or the Holy Spirit is the subject here. Anything that the Spirit of God does to bless men may also appropriately be said to be what God does.

The Scripture saith ... Here indeed is a formula for introducing a Scriptural passage, and there followed a quotation from Proverbs 3:34. As Punchard noted, "Peter used the same quotation (1 Peter 5:5); and it seems to have been a common saying, a maxim of the wise that had become, as it were, a law of life."[19]

God resisteth the proud ... There is no greater deterrent to righteousness than pride. Through pride, Satan fell; pride leads the list of the seven deadly sins; pride cankers and destroys human personality; pride incurs the enmity of God himself. As Barclay said:

Pride does not know its own need, cherishes its own independence, and does not recognize its own sin. It shuts itself off from God; its real terror is that it is a thing of the heart.[20]

Grace to the humble ... New Testament teaching on humility is all-pervasive. The parable Jesus spoke regarding the publican and the Pharisee at prayer (Luke 18:9-14) is a good example.

[19] Ibid.

[20] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 105.