Pastor’s Notes James 4:17

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

(James 4:17)

In James 4:17 the sin of omission is clearly in view: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Though failing to do as we ought is sin, the proceeding verses set the context for this statement of truth. To fail to seek God’s will for impending decisions is sin.

God is good to keep the future a secret. James tells his readers that even though they cannot know the future, they should deal with it honestly. They are told not to presume on a future which they cannot control, or makes plans regarding the future without taking God into consideration.  They are also told not to postpone until the future those things God has commanded to be done now. 

In v13 of Chapter 4 James writes about Christians who sensed an opportunity to make more money in another city. They then, without regard to God’s will in the matter, decided to up and move there in pursuit of financial advantage. Now let me say there is nothing wrong with making a profit in business, but for Christians to make decisions without regard to God’s will is wrong.

The reality is that we have no idea of what will happen tomorrow, our lives are fragile and transitory. Like morning fog in comparison to eternity, we are here for a short time and then are gone. Life is short. Eternity is long. We had best make decisions in life based upon God’s will. I am sure there are many sins of omission, things we should have done but left undone for us to consider as sins. However we should also know, failing to seek God’s will for decisions in our lives is knowing to do good and doing it not.