James 4:4-5

Christ is the bridegroom, and the church is the bride. Marriage is an intimate relationship. We tend to think of the physical when we think of marital intimacy, but we find the greatest intimacy in marriage in the unity of mind and spirit. Not all marriages achieve this unity, but the best ones do.

James is accusing some of the young Christians of committing spiritual adultery. He tells them that friendship with the world means enmity with God. He makes it even clearer when he says that if you choose to be a friend of the world you become an enemy to God. James is not talking about normal friendship. He is talking about a friendship that divides your loyalties. Your first loyalty belongs to your mate. If your friend is seeking to undermine your relationship with your spouse, that friend is the enemy of your marriage. James is not writing about ordinary friendships he is writing about divided loyalties and misguided priorities. If your friendship with the world has a higher priority than your relationship with God, then you are committing spiritual adultery.

James tells us that God is jealous on behalf of the Holy Spirit that lives within us. Some people find the idea that God can be jealous troublesome. They have known only ungodly jealousy that was unfounded and irrational. God’s jealousy is a righteous jealousy. He has a right as our savior to expect us to place him in the number one spot of all of our relationships. He should not have to accept that we only think of him, and only speak to him when we need something. He has a right to be offended that we care more about the world’s opinion than we care about his opinion. He has a right to be jealous of the time we spend in worldly pursuits compared to the little time we spend with him.

Is our friendship with the world an adulterous relationship? Is our relationship with God one of intimacy, or only a marriage of convenience?