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James 4
Haystack bible commentary"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."
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==james 4:1-3:
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From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. |
Its not that God cannot intervene to release His provisions without prayer, it's that He won't. It is His sovereign decree that has established prayer as the bridge between the spiritual world--where His word is settled forever and the material world. John Wesley makes this statement: "God will do nothing but in answer to prayer."
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James identifies the source of conflict as internal, selfish desires, described as "fleshly passions" opposing God's will. Unmet worldly desires lead to frustration and anger, resulting in quarreling and fighting because people are not seeking what they need from God. The passage also addresses praying without receiving because of "wrong motives," seeking only personal pleasure. Such prayers are not answered as they don't align with God's will.
+The passage encourages believers to examine their motives as the source of conflicts. It prompts aligning prayer with God's will and praying with right motives, seeking God's glory. Resolving external conflict involves confronting internal sin like pride through humility.
+The passage encourages believers to examine their motives as the source of conflicts. It prompts aligning prayer with God's will and praying with right motives, seeking God's glory. Resolving external conflict involves confronting internal sin like pride through humility.
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According to James 4:3, a wrong motive when praying is asking so that you may "spend what you get on your pleasures". The passage describes this as asking "amiss" or with "evil intentions". This motivation is directly connected to the "evil desires at war within you" that cause quarrels and conflict. The wrong motive is an attitude of prayer that focuses entirely on self-indulgence and worldly gratification, rather than on God's will and kingdom.
Specific examples of this wrong motive include: Praying for worldly things just for selfish gain. This is seen in the context of desiring possessions and wealth to promote one's own status, rather than to serve others or glorify God. Trying to use God to satisfy your own cravings. James states that prayer should not be treated like a transaction where God is a "genie" who exists to grant your personal "wish list". Focusing on personal comfort over God's purpose. A prayer for an easier life, for example, can be an example of a wrong motive if the goal is solely self-centered pleasure. Seeking pleasures that are worldly and sinful. This could include asking for material possessions or even vindictive harm against someone who has wronged you, as revenge. In contrast, prayers offered with the right motive seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). As one commentator noted, "The purpose of prayer is that we get a hold of God, not of the answer". |
A primary right motive for prayer is that the answer may bring glory to God, rather than personal pleasure. This changes the focus from "what can God do for me?" to "what can God do through me for his honor?".
Hezekiah's prayer for deliverance from the Assyrians is a classic example; he prayed not only to be saved but "so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God" (2 Kings 19:19). Jesus taught his followers to seek God's kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). The Lord's Prayer serves as a template for this, prioritizing God's name and kingdom. As Jesus modeled in the Garden of Gethsemane, people are to surrender their own desires and pray, "not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). This requires humbly submitting to God's authority and trusting that his plan is best. Because the church is the visible representation of God's kingdom, it is right to pray for its preservation and growth. A heart for God's kingdom naturally leads to praying for the conversion of the lost and the defeat of the devil's work. Prayer should be a means of building an intimate, two-way relationship with God, not just a way to get needs met. A right motive for prayer involves pouring out your heart with complete honesty and humbling yourself before God. A right motive recognizes that prayer is not just talking at God but talking with him, requiring us to listen for his guidance. Praying for the needs of others is an act of fellowship with Christ, who constantly intercedes for believers. For specific needs with the right perspective While James warns against praying for selfish pleasures, it is still right to bring personal needs to God, but with a surrendered heart. Praying for wisdom: People are told to ask God for wisdom, which he gives generously (James 1:5). Jesus instructed his disciples to pray to overcome temptation, knowing that prayer strengthens faith and courage. Hebrews 4:16 encourages believers to approach God's throne with confidence to "obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need". |
==james 4:4:
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You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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"Worldliness is “that system of values, in any given age, which has at its center our fallen human perspective, which displaces God and his truth from the world, and which makes sin look normal and righteousness seem strange. It thus gives great plausibility to what is morally wrong and, for that reason, makes what is wrong seem normal.” David F. Wells, Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998),
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 Mike Ratliff
I pray that you have seen very clearly my brethren that when the Word of God addresses self-righteousness that what is really being examined is a form of pride. What is the opposite of pride? It is, of course, humility. The proud may believe that they are prosperous in God’s economy, but, in fact, they are spiritually blind and, in our Lord’s own words from Revelation 3:17, “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
Those who are truly self-righteous are spiritually blind yet they do not perceive that this is so. Their blindness is deep and humility is something to which they give lip service. These people do not have a true self-knowledge nor do they have a correct knowledge of God. The humble, on the other hand, are those who have had a true revelation of God and then have meditated or contemplated themselves in that light. Humility, then, is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. If we take that definition then look at our Lord’s assessment of the Church at Laodicea we see a people much like most professing Christians in our time. --Mike Ratliff; Possessing The Treasure; A Biblical Example of Self-Righteousness 9.27.23 |
 David Feddes
Spiritual adulterers would rather fit in and be approved by the world than please God. Spiritual adulterers find their greatest pleasure in the world’s entertainment, the world’s success, and the world’s enjoyments. They live by the world’s standards. The underlying reason is that their love and desire is focused on the world rather than on God.
To all such people, the Bible says in James 4:4, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” Those are strong words. God doesn’t just mildly suggest that worldliness might be a bit of a weakness in the way you relate to God. He says worldliness makes you an adulterer and a prostitute! The Lord doesn’t say that if you’re worldly, you don’t love God quite as much as you should; he says you hate God and are his enemy. Getting cozy with the world is a fatal friendship. It’s fatal to the way you relate to God, and it’s fatal for your eternal soul. --David Feddes; Seduced By The World |
This verse teaches that a close relationship with the "world"—its values, desires, and systems that are contrary to God's will—puts one in opposition to God, establishing a state of spiritual "enmity" or hostility. The metaphor of "adulteresses" highlights the unfaithfulness of those who are divided in their loyalty, breaking their sacred commitment to God for the sake of worldly approval and gratification.
>Adulterous people: This term refers to those who have a divided loyalty between God and the world, similar to an unfaithful spouse.
>Friendship with the world: This describes aligning oneself with the values, beliefs, and behaviors that are opposed to God's way.
>Enmity: This means hostility, opposition, or being an adversary.
>No Neutral Ground: The verse clearly establishes that there is no middle ground between God and the world's system of values. A choice must be made.
>Divine Jealousy: The context that follows (James 4:5) suggests that God "jealously longs" for the devotion and faithfulness of those to whom He has given His Spirit, similar to the rightful jealousy of a husband for his wife's loyalty.
>Call to Humility: The verse is part of a larger exhortation in James 4 to be humble before God and to avoid the pride and self-centeredness that characterize the world.
>Adulterous people: This term refers to those who have a divided loyalty between God and the world, similar to an unfaithful spouse.
>Friendship with the world: This describes aligning oneself with the values, beliefs, and behaviors that are opposed to God's way.
>Enmity: This means hostility, opposition, or being an adversary.
>No Neutral Ground: The verse clearly establishes that there is no middle ground between God and the world's system of values. A choice must be made.
>Divine Jealousy: The context that follows (James 4:5) suggests that God "jealously longs" for the devotion and faithfulness of those to whom He has given His Spirit, similar to the rightful jealousy of a husband for his wife's loyalty.
>Call to Humility: The verse is part of a larger exhortation in James 4 to be humble before God and to avoid the pride and self-centeredness that characterize the world.
Billy Holland
Observing the trend of the churches today as they strive to be “seeker friendly,” we see that the chief means by which the church seeks to accomplish this end is to embrace the world. Does the world love rock music? The church will give them rock music. Does the world love sports? The church will create Christian sports leagues and build ball fields and a sports complex. Does the world love entertainment? The church will install big screens, professional lighting and sound systems, and put on a show. Does the world love its celebrities? The church will build a personality of cult around its gifted speakers, singers, and entertainers.
Of course, those Christians who embrace all the things of the world, declare they are doing so in a quest to be “relevant.” After all, they reason, how will they reach a lost world if they do not appeal to the desires of the world? The problem with this way of thinking is that having drawn worldly people into the church, the seekers find no significant difference inside the church. The church merely presents them with a “cleaned up” version of what they had outside. The church has all the same values of comfort, ease, pleasure, and entertainment; they are presenting a religion that satisfies the soul of man, instead of leading people to the radical change of focus that they need. Mankind apart from Christ is by nature a consumer. He lives to satisfy his natural appetites. This became the state of all men when Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden. Adam failed to subdue and rule over the beasts (and by extension the beast nature). Adam submitted to the rule of the serpent. Consequently, the curse on the serpent became mankind’s curse. --Billy Holland
Of course, those Christians who embrace all the things of the world, declare they are doing so in a quest to be “relevant.” After all, they reason, how will they reach a lost world if they do not appeal to the desires of the world? The problem with this way of thinking is that having drawn worldly people into the church, the seekers find no significant difference inside the church. The church merely presents them with a “cleaned up” version of what they had outside. The church has all the same values of comfort, ease, pleasure, and entertainment; they are presenting a religion that satisfies the soul of man, instead of leading people to the radical change of focus that they need. Mankind apart from Christ is by nature a consumer. He lives to satisfy his natural appetites. This became the state of all men when Adam transgressed in the Garden of Eden. Adam failed to subdue and rule over the beasts (and by extension the beast nature). Adam submitted to the rule of the serpent. Consequently, the curse on the serpent became mankind’s curse. --Billy Holland
The full verse reads: "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (NIV). The warning comes after a discussion about the conflicts that arise from selfish and worldly desires (James 4:1–3). James accuses his audience of being unfaithful because they have embraced worldly values instead of God's ways, which leads to spiritual disloyalty and internal conflict.
The use of the term "adulterous people" is metaphorical. In the Old Testament, God's covenant with Israel was often compared to a marriage. When Israel turned to idolatry and worldly ways, it was called adultery. By using this language, James reminds his readers of the intimate and exclusive devotion that is owed to God. In this context, "the world" does not refer to the physical planet or the people on it. Instead, it symbolizes the corrupt system of values, beliefs, and behaviors that are opposed to God. This worldly system prioritizes selfish ambition, material wealth, and self-pleasure over God's will.
James presents a clear and stark choice, stating that friendship with the world and friendship with God are mutually exclusive. It is impossible to be fully committed to both. To align with the world's standards is to place oneself in opposition to God, making one his enemy. This concept echoes Jesus' teaching that "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). The verse is a forceful call for believers to examine their loyalties. It challenges them to consider whether their affections, ambitions, and daily choices demonstrate love for God or for the worldly system. The passage serves as a sobering reminder that there is no neutral ground in the spiritual life.
The use of the term "adulterous people" is metaphorical. In the Old Testament, God's covenant with Israel was often compared to a marriage. When Israel turned to idolatry and worldly ways, it was called adultery. By using this language, James reminds his readers of the intimate and exclusive devotion that is owed to God. In this context, "the world" does not refer to the physical planet or the people on it. Instead, it symbolizes the corrupt system of values, beliefs, and behaviors that are opposed to God. This worldly system prioritizes selfish ambition, material wealth, and self-pleasure over God's will.
James presents a clear and stark choice, stating that friendship with the world and friendship with God are mutually exclusive. It is impossible to be fully committed to both. To align with the world's standards is to place oneself in opposition to God, making one his enemy. This concept echoes Jesus' teaching that "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). The verse is a forceful call for believers to examine their loyalties. It challenges them to consider whether their affections, ambitions, and daily choices demonstrate love for God or for the worldly system. The passage serves as a sobering reminder that there is no neutral ground in the spiritual life.
==james 4:5:
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Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
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 Frances Chan
The Bible says in James 4:5, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us.” Do you believe that you have a heavenly Father who “yearns jealously” for you? He created Adam and Eve to walk with Him in the garden, and He created us to not only walk with Him but in Him. He yearns jealously for this.
--Francis Chan; Relevant Magazine: Francis Chan on Why God Longs for Church Unity 12.16.22 |
James 4:5 is a challenging verse within the Bible, and there are varying interpretations, but it most commonly refers to God's holy jealousy for His people, emphasizing that He desires their complete devotion and is hostile to worldliness. It encourages believers to understand that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble, countering the destructive pride and envy that comes from worldly relationships.
In the surrounding verses (James 4:1-4), James is addressing internal conflicts and arguments among believers and warns that seeking friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God. The Phrase "The Spirit Who Dwells in Us"can be interpreted in two main ways:
1) God's Holy Spirit: Some translations refer to the Holy Spirit whom God has placed within believers, desiring them for Himself alone.
2) Human Spirit: Other interpretations suggest it refers to the human spirit, prone to envy and lust, which the unregenerate person tends to.
The more widely accepted view is that James is highlighting God's passionate, or holy, jealousy for the complete devotion of His people, just as a spouse desires fidelity in a marriage. The older interpretation suggests it refers to the human spirit's innate tendency towards envy and the pursuit of selfish desires, which leads to conflict.
Whether referring to God's desire for His Spirit or our own fallen spirits, James 4:5 is a prompt to examine our hearts and relationships. It calls for humility and a rejection of worldly pride and envy, understanding that God's grace is given to the humble, not the proud.
In the surrounding verses (James 4:1-4), James is addressing internal conflicts and arguments among believers and warns that seeking friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God. The Phrase "The Spirit Who Dwells in Us"can be interpreted in two main ways:
1) God's Holy Spirit: Some translations refer to the Holy Spirit whom God has placed within believers, desiring them for Himself alone.
2) Human Spirit: Other interpretations suggest it refers to the human spirit, prone to envy and lust, which the unregenerate person tends to.
The more widely accepted view is that James is highlighting God's passionate, or holy, jealousy for the complete devotion of His people, just as a spouse desires fidelity in a marriage. The older interpretation suggests it refers to the human spirit's innate tendency towards envy and the pursuit of selfish desires, which leads to conflict.
Whether referring to God's desire for His Spirit or our own fallen spirits, James 4:5 is a prompt to examine our hearts and relationships. It calls for humility and a rejection of worldly pride and envy, understanding that God's grace is given to the humble, not the proud.
==james 4:6:
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But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
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“Humility functions in the fear of the Lord. Such fear makes God large in our eyes. We are completely and continually dependent upon Him. We exist by Him and for Him. We live through Him. In Him we live and move and have our being. The greater the presence of humility in our hearts, the greater we will see ourselves as debtors to grace and the more in awe of God we will be. James tells us that God 'gives more grace,' asserting that 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble' (4:6). Humility is a conduit of grace. — Stanley Gale; Vine Ripened Life |
Steve Gallagher
"James said, "God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6). The person who struggles with such a protective nature must learn to put his trust in God and understand that being humiliated (which is the worst-case scenario and rarely happens) is not something horrible, but something God will use for His own good." --Steve Gallagher; At The Idol of Sexual Idolatry
This verse emphasizes God's favor towards those who humble themselves before Him, while also highlighting His opposition to pride. It implies that while we may face challenges and even sin, God's grace is available to those who acknowledge their need for Him and seek Him with humility.
-----"But he gives more grace": This part of the verse highlights God's abundant grace, suggesting that even when we fall short, His grace is readily available to us.
-----"Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud'": This refers to Proverbs 3:34, which is quoted in the original Greek. It emphasizes God's active resistance towards those who are arrogant and self-reliant.
-----"'...but gives grace to the humble.'": This reinforces the idea that God's favor is directed towards those who recognize their dependence on Him and approach Him with humility.
-----Essentially, James 4:6 encourages believers to embrace humility and seek God's grace, while also warning against pride and self-reliance.
-----"But he gives more grace": This part of the verse highlights God's abundant grace, suggesting that even when we fall short, His grace is readily available to us.
-----"Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud'": This refers to Proverbs 3:34, which is quoted in the original Greek. It emphasizes God's active resistance towards those who are arrogant and self-reliant.
-----"'...but gives grace to the humble.'": This reinforces the idea that God's favor is directed towards those who recognize their dependence on Him and approach Him with humility.
-----Essentially, James 4:6 encourages believers to embrace humility and seek God's grace, while also warning against pride and self-reliance.
==james 4:7:
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Submit yourselves therefore to God. resist the devil, and he will flee from you”
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"It is not only that sin consists in doing evil, but in not doing the good that we know." —H. A. Ironside (1876-1951) |
The most important thing is to submit to God–and that means submitting to the temptation He has allowed. Jesus submitted to being tempted in the wilderness because He knew His Father had a hand in it. Knowing this gave Him resolve and comfort that He was not alone in the battlefield. Many give up, grow discouraged and depressed. They don’t realize that the very reason they are being tempted is because they are making progress.
William Henry Green Files
Satan cannot by any means harm the feeblest of God's saints, who stand up against him in the name of the Lord. If he have on the armor with which divine grace has furnished him and use aright the weapons with which he is supplied, and in humble dependence on his Lord abides in his post, he is invincible, and the boastful foe, who came upon him ready to swallow him up, shall be driven back in shame and confusion. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). --William Henry Green; The Book of Job Unfolded; 1874
Jonathan McAnulty Files
The Bible very much places the responsibility for whether we succumb to the wiles of the devil on the individual. Unlike a conspiracy in which the victims are helpless against the machinations of the one seeking to control them, Christians are commanded to resist the devil (cf. James 4:7b), not by searching the world for evidence of his manipulative hand, but by learning to say no to temptation and practicing self-control. The weapons of our warfare are love, righteousness and humility, and for those who are in Christ, there is a guaranteed victory when we use the same, for whether or not the whole world conspires against us to bring us down, Christ will save our souls and on the last day raise us up to eternal life. -Jonathan McAnulty
==james 4:8:
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8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
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"This must be understood consistently with the perfection of God's immensity and omnipresence: the saints draw near to God when they present their bodies in his sanctuary; when they tread in his courts, and attend his ordinances...they draw near to him when they come to the throne of his grace, for grace and mercy to help them; when they draw near to him in prayer with true hearts, and lift them up with their hands to God; when in the exercise of faith and hope they enter within the vail, and come up even to his seat, and lay hold on him as their covenant God and Father; and he draws near to them by granting them his gracious presence, by communicating his love to them, by applying the blessings of his grace, by helping them in times of need and distress, and by protecting them from their enemies; the contrary to which is expressed by standing afar off from them. Now this is not to be understood as if men could first draw near to God, before he draws near to them; for as God first loves, so he first moves; he takes the first step, and, in conversion, turns and draws men to himself; though this does not respect first conversion, but after acts in consequence of it; nor is it to be considered as a condition of the grace and favor of God, in drawing near to his people, but is expressive of what is their duty, and an encouragement to it" --John Gills Commentary
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James 4:10:
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." |
Humility is oftentimes misunderstood by many. I have come to realize that, it is first of all, a vital state of a man's heart that reflects in everything he or she does. Not always does it have to do with ways of dressing and talking, but more the condition of the human spirit of a person that is established by the Love-effect of the Spirit, and the Holy commandment, to think of oneself not too highly outside the Word-Description of Christian personality.. Believe if we can properly check our hearts, its desires and lusts that do not much up to the Righteousness of God, the Lord will not but elevate us were we ought to be, not just because we belong there, but we more because we please Him in all things, for He hath said "If ye abide in me and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask whatsoever ye will and it shall be done(produced) unto you". Humility is a Godly conditioning of the human spirit by the Word of God, through the energy of the Spirit, to produce works of love in faith.
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James 4:9-10:
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
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James 4:11:
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. |
Considering a sensorious spirit, James 4:11, you do not act as a fellow servant to him that you judge, or as one that is under the same law with him, but as the giver of the law, and the judge whose province it is to pass sentence under it. --Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits.
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Stanley Gale Files
“In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” James tells us how to avoid sabotaging that noble goal. “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers” (Jas. 4:11).
Speaking evil can be toxic to a relationship, introducing a pollutant that can poison the waters and be difficult to clean up, and even once cleaned up can leave traces that might never be purged. We might think in terms of slander or berating another.
James describes this evil-speak as emanating from someone who has assumed the position of a judge. Jesus also addressed the matter in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). --Stan Gale; Aquila Report
Speaking evil can be toxic to a relationship, introducing a pollutant that can poison the waters and be difficult to clean up, and even once cleaned up can leave traces that might never be purged. We might think in terms of slander or berating another.
James describes this evil-speak as emanating from someone who has assumed the position of a judge. Jesus also addressed the matter in the Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matt. 7:1). --Stan Gale; Aquila Report
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James 4:12:
"There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" |
Jonathon Edwards compared a sinner without God's grace to a spider with no more than a fragile web keeping him from falling into the fire of hell. Man, by judging God's law, plays at being holier than God. God, the divine lawgiver and judge, is able to save or destroy, and so James concludes with a not-so-subtle question, "Who art thou that judgest another?"
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James 4:13:
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: |
Look at this man and you’ll find out what was wrong with him. He left God out of his plans altogether. He’s not consulting with God. He’s not seeking the will of God. He’s like so many here in this auditorium this morning. Your worship life is one thing, your business life is another thing. You’ve divided your life into the secular and the sacred. And so you come to church and worship, and then you plan your life as if there were no God. And the biggest fool is not the man who says there is no God; the biggest fool is the man who says there is a God and then doesn’t live like it. --Adrian Rogers
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James 4:14-16:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
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James 4:17:
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. |
James 4:17 and 1 John 3:21 tell us that if our conscience warns us that we are sinning then we are in sin. Surveys indicate that almost every Christian who practices masturbation and a majority of non-Christians feel guilty over their actions. Counselors try to convince individuals that masturbation is not sin since that is their opinion, but John 16:8 says the Holy Spirit convicts of sin. Is the Holy Spirit tell our consciouses that masturbation is sin?
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