James 4:15 (GNV)

Passage

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.

Nearby Context

James 4:13 Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morowe we will goe into such a citie, and continue there a yeere, and bye and sell, and get gaine,

James 4:14 (And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe to morowe. For what is your life? It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a litle time, and afterward vanisheth away)

James 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.

James 4:16 But now ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.

James 4:17 Therefore, to him that knoweth how to doe well, and doeth it not, to him it is sinne.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ought", "lord", and "liue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ought" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe..." into verse 16's "But now ye reioyce in your boastings...", so "ought" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ought" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.