James 4:8

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

Draw nigh to God ... The exact equivalent of this expression, "Let us draw near," as used in Hebrews 10:22ff, has a marked application to conversion, faith, repentance and baptism, all three being specifically referred to. See full comment on that passage in my Commentary on Hebrews, pp. 229-232. It is of special importance that Hebrews was also written to Christians and yet contains this very pronounced paragraph on the conversion of alien sinners; and there is no good reason for supposing that James did not do the same thing here.

DRAWING NEAR TO GOD

Who is there among men who would not like to draw near to God? Even the privilege of drawing near to some great man, such as a president, a prince or a king excites and challenges men, and how much greater is the privilege of drawing near to the Almighty God himself!

Only God has the right to prescribe the terms upon which men may approach him, and these are outlined in Hebrews 10:22ff, where faith, repentance and baptism are laid out as preconditions of drawing near to God "in Christ."

The wonderful benefits of drawing near to God are beyond all calculation:

1. It provides safety. The only true safety is in nearness to God. "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Psalms 119:117).

2. It gives unspeakable joy. Joy is the keynote of the New Testament. For those who have been "made nigh in the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13), there is joy unspeakable and full of glory.

3. It provides strength against temptation. When a great storm moves through a forest, the branches farthest from the trunks of the trees are the first to fall. If men would succeed against temptation, let them remain near the Lord, as did John, and not follow afar off, as did Peter.

4. The most important blessing of all is that God "will draw near" to them who draw near him. This is in keeping with God's law as seen in the whole universe. The attraction for each other of bodies in space is inversely proportional to the square of the distances separating them; and there is a movement of both toward each other when that distance is reduced. God draws near to them who draw near to God. God magnifies the sacred influences that bless the souls that come to him.

There can be little doubt that James was familiar with the New Testament theology of drawing near to God; and it is not amiss, therefore, to see a reflection of it in this verse.

The last portion of this verse has a parallel in it, thus: Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; And purify your hearts, ye double-minded. The New Testament usage of "purify your hearts" is seen in this verse:

Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God which liveth and abideth (1Pet. 1:22,23).

It is clear that Peter used "purify your hearts" in the sense of being obedient to the gospel, being born again, in short, being converted; and it would be strange indeed if James used this same expression in any other sense here. We have repeatedly noted his amazing familiarity with the whole spectrum of Christian doctrine.

Cleanse your hands ... is parallel with "purify your hearts" and means exactly the same thing.