Spiritual Adultery in the Church

August 19th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 4:4 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.

Although James called his readers “beloved brethren” (1:16, 19; 2:5), in 4:2 he accused them of murder. Now in 4:4 he calls them “adulteresses.” Why? Because of their penchant to stray from God—their “friendship with the world.” “Friendship” in Greek is philia, a term for love closely associated with agape (volitional love). But philia speaks of affectionate love, like that of a family or friend; hence, “friendship.” But in this case, the philia, or friendship, is with the “world” (Gk. kosmos). Now the “world” spoken of here is not about the earth; rather, it refers to the evil system that stands contrary to the work of God. Jesus speaks of the “world” throughout the Gospels as that wicked system that stands in contrast to God’s kingdom.

So, one who is in “friendship with the world” is one who stands opposed to God in their actions. They may say they love God, but their actions prove otherwise. Like a husband who tells his wife he loves her but who has other women he is intimate with, so it is with those who call themselves Christians but who love the evil world system. This is why James calls them “adulteresses” in v. 4. Notably, God only calls people “adulterers” when they claim to be in a covenant relationship with Him through faith. In contrast, God never calls the unsaved person an adulterer. Why? Because they are not in a covenant relationship with Him. Only the professed Christian who befriends the world is an adulteress—an enemy of God inside the church.

This spiritual adultery committed by professed believers is not new to the NT. The OT prophets railed against Israel for spiritual adultery because their relationship with Yahweh was like a marriage (Isa. 54:5-6): “But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me, O house of Israel,’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 3:20; cf. Isa. 57:3; Ez. 16:38; 23:45). In fact, the prophet Hosea’s entire ministry to Israel was meant to illustrate their adultery toward God. Hosea thus married a woman, Gomer, who would prostitute herself to other men, Gomer representing adulterous Israel who continually chased after other gods (Hosea 2:5-7). Jesus used this metaphor for the covenant relationship between God and Israel by calling all who rejected Him “a wicked and adulterous generation” (Matt. 12:39; 16:4). Likewise, James’ audience, by seeking friendship with the world, was, in effect, in the throngs of spiritual adultery.

James’ harsh words reveal that at least some in the church were acting unfaithfully to Christ. They were imitators of the world in their propensity to show partiality (2:1-13), using slanderous tongues (3:1-12), harboring “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition” (3:13-18), and living for their own destructive pleasures (4:1-2). In short, they were living for themselves, not God. They thus looked like the evil world from which they had been saved. Their propensity to engage in that which God hates made them spiritual adulteresses and thus enemies of God, not Christians.

Food For Thought
Love of the world can be found in many churches today, especially the ones that have as their goal to be mega-churches. These places are full of competition resulting in quarrels and conflicts. Politics and social justice are huge issues in these kinds of churches. In addition, people play politics in these churches, seeking to flatter the rich and entertain the famous. There is little to no Bible teaching and never any discipline for sinners. People come in the front doors in droves while the orthodox trickle out the back. What they leave behind are spiritual (and physical) adulterers, back-biting, toxic people attending church for their own selfish ambitions. Swindoll says, “A heart beating to the rhythm of the world leads to anger with God and opposition to His words and works (4:4). These conditions lead to quarreling and fighting among believers.”