What is the context?
God’s grace to the humble leads to a series of direct calls: submit to God, resist the devil, draw near, cleanse the hands and purify the heart. The turn involves both outward conduct and the desires beneath it.
To resist is to stand against or oppose. The command belongs with submission to God, rather than confidence in an independent spiritual power of one’s own.
The mourning concerns the sin and divided loyalty James has exposed. It calls for taking that failure seriously, rather than treating it lightly. Humbling oneself before the Lord leaves the lifting up to Him.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Calvin and Wesley both understand this as a call to repentance, humble dependence and resistance to evil. Calvin explicitly connects sorrow with turning from sin, while Wesley connects drawing near with prayer; the passage does not make permanent misery the goal of Christian life.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Philippians 2:5–11 calls believers to the mind of Christ and describes His humility, obedience and exaltation. This is a useful parallel in direction: life before God is not a competition to lift oneself above others. Jesus’ unique exaltation as Lord is not a promise that every humble person receives His place, but His self-giving life supplies the pattern for His people.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.