Presumptuous Mankind

September 3rd, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

James’s tone in v. 13 is pointed and prophetic as he regards the audacious attitude of his audience as falling short of the Christian standard for godliness. In spite of their faith in Christ, their self-centered attitude had caused them to become practical atheists—folks who say they believe in God but who live as if He does not exist. Setting their sights on getting rich, these presumptuously made their plans as to when they would go, where they would go, and what they would do without leaving any room for God to direct their paths (cf. Ps. 37:3-6; Prov. 3:5-6). To be sure, it was not that James was against Christians making future plans or earning a living by working hard for their money, he just wanted them to trust God for such, not themselves.

What James rails against is the attitude that living one’s life without God is the way Christians should live day to day—that they make their own choices, pave their own paths, and determine their own futures. This attitude may exist in worldly unbelievers, but it has no place with Christians. God’s people are to make their plans with God in mind and hold them loosely.

It is absolutely absurd for anyone to think that they can direct their own paths. After all, James says that all of us are like “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” In short, man is frail and fleeting, here one minute, gone the next. We are prone to illness in the prime of life or an accidental death through no fault of our own. No wonder Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Life is but a “breath” (Job 7:7; cf. Ps. 39:5). Jesus likewise warned, saying that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15), a truth He illustrated with a parable about a rich man who, like those in James’ audience, made presumptuous plans for acquiring more. Yet he was prevented from accomplishing his goals due to an untimely death (Luke 12:16-20).

It is important to note that James did not rebuke capitalism, hard work, and planning for the future. He simply urged the qualifying phrase, “If the Lord wills,” to counter presumptuous, self-serving plans. This was not only customary for Paul (Acts 18:21; Rom. 1:10; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7) but for Jesus as well who prayed for God’s will over His own (Luke 22:42). Though one will not find this qualifying phrase attached to every plan of Jesus or the apostles in the NT, it is clear that they functioned daily under this guideline and did nothing without God’s leading.

Summing up the sins of his audience in v. 16, James accused them of boasting of things for which they had no control. This, James says, is “evil” (Gr. ponēros). The JB Phillips translation captures this well, saying, “You get a certain pride in yourself in planning your future with such confidence.” Since none of us can chart our own future with absolute certainty, it is sinful to arrogantly assume control over one’s life. To be sure, charting our future is wise, but to believe that we are in control of our lives is to disregard the God who gives and sustains life itself. Plans should therefore be made and bathed in prayer, saying, “Only if it is Your will, O Lord.”

Food For Thought
Presumptuous plans are simply inconsistent with our Christian worldview, for when we proclaim our autonomy and independence from God, we make ourselves a god. In the Christian worldview, there is a sovereign and almighty God who gives life, sustains life, directs paths, protects, intervenes, listens, and ultimately decides our fate. We must consult and submit to Him.