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NASB | James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 4:3 You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires. |
Subject: Is James 4:3 completely true? |
Bible Note: Dear biblenovice, You wrote, "By stating that there are more than two possible answers to the dilemna I presented, you are asserting that the scriptures are in error on the omission side, by leaving out numerous other possible reasons for the same outcome!" (sic) No, the fault was in your logic and your exegesis of the passage in James. You wrote, "...aren't you stating that the scriptures are NOT error-free, by reason of omission?" (sic) No. You wrote, "How many reasons for NOT receiving what we ASK for were cited in the context of the scripture referenced, which was James 4:3?" (sic) Just the one reason. However, we have more than just this passage from which to learn about prayer. other reasons include: unrepentant about sin (Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 1:15); being an ungodly husband (1 Peter 3:7); asking for that which is contrary to His will (1 John 5:14); lacking humility (Isaiah 57:15; 1 Peter 5:5); being fleshly minded (Philippians 3:19); etc. You wrote, "The very next verse (James 4:4) completely abandons the subject at hand..." (sic) James is a wisdom book, not a typical epistle. As such it is a compilation of proverbs for the Christian life. You wrote, "If you ask someone to pass the potatoes at the dinner table, are you praying to that person, or just making a simple request?" (sic) Prayer is the ordained means by which we communicate with God. You wrote, "Phillipians 4:19 states that God will supply all our need! Do you think people need heaters or defrosters in the winter? Would YOU do without them, claiming that you did not need them?..." (sic) In every particular circumstance, our reactions manifests who we are (Matthew 15:16-20). Your approach to interpretation of a passage is colored by your experience. Until you learn to start with a sound perspective of the Scriptures, you will continue to have the cart before the horse. Scripture is the ultimate authority by which we see all things... including our experience. Any other approach is specious at best, yielding confusion and bitterness. If you have been saved for 36 years, why still a "biblenovice?" In Him, Doc |