James 4 - Boasting About Tomorrow

As we continue our series on James, this section could be summed up in two points: don’t slander and don’t brag. Both of these come from a human sense of pride which James warns against over and over again. He continues to address matters of the inner person, which is the person that God sees.

First, what is slander? In short, it is making a false statement about another person. That is something that is rampant in our culture today. James says when you slander someone, you are judging them and putting yourself above that person. Judging from a place of superiority is never good.

Then there is boasting or bragging about things you are going to do in the future. Here, James is speaking to the wealthy class in the church. Those people could afford to pick up and move to another city to get a business advantage. James warns against boasting about this, because life is short, like a mist that evaporates. He encourages the reader to be humble by allowing God’s will in future plans.