James 4:8 (KJV)

Passage

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Nearby Context

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "draw", "nigh", "cleanse", "hands", "sinners", and "purify". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "draw" and "nigh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Submit yourselves therefore to God Resist the..." into verse 9's "Be afflicted and mourn and weep let...", so "draw" and "nigh" 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 "draw" and "nigh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.