Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 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." — James 4:8 (ASV)

The series of imperatives continues with the command to “come near to God.” In setting their hearts on pleasure, James’s readers had drifted away from God. Though still his people, they had become estranged from him. But the assurance that God will welcome them back accompanies the command to return. God jealously yearns for their devotion (v.5). The call to “wash your hands” is a command to make one’s conduct pure. Similarly, the call to “purify your hearts” insists on purity of thoughts and motives. The eager quest for pleasure (vv.1–5) had resulted in sins of heart and hand. So James bluntly addresses them as “you sinners,” a strong term, showing the extent of their involvement in worldly attitudes and actions. The designation “double-minded” is used somewhat differently than in 1:8. Here it describes the attempt of the readers to love God and the pleasures of the world at the same time.