My friend, who originally used the thirty-two ping-pong balls years ago, recently pointed out to me the command to draw near to God in James 4:8.  He mentioned that the Christian must be consciously in pursuit of God and God will respond by drawing near.  James is actually teaching the same truths about the Christian life as Paul, and not, as some erroneously believe, contradicting Paul with a works-righteousness doctrine.  James is giving us the characteristics of a true, living, saving faith, and such a faith will always be impelling us to draw near to God.

The context of the passage is interesting.  He begins chapter four by criticizing their personal quarrels and love of the world. Then he comments that God has given us a Spirit who, as He lives in us, “envies intensely.”  We are reminded that God is a jealous God, jealous of His own glory and jealous of us in the sense that he abhors our spiritual whoring after other gods.  Thus the Holy Spirit places that very envy of God within us to motivate us to abhor sin and spiritual adultery.  James then says “but he gives us more grace” and affirms that he opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.  We are saved by grace, but we are given on-going, everyday grace to live the Christian life and a Spirit that impels us away from sin and toward God.  James is saying the same thing as Paul in Phil. 2:12-13.  He continues by telling us to submit to God, to resist the devil who will then flee from us, and to come near to God and expect that God will come near to us.  We should wash our hands, purify our hearts, grieve over our sin, humble ourselves before God, and speak well of our brothers.

The dilemma of the thirty-two ping-pong balls is answered thus in a two-sided way.  It is impossible to keep all the commands of God, yet that is what we must do to please God.  The dilemma, likened to the futile attempt to hold thirty-two ping-pong balls under the water at once, is answered on the one hand by the imputation of the perfect obedience of Christ by faith which results in our being declared righteous.  It is answered on the other hand, personally, by a growth in obedience and righteousness that the Bible tells us is never complete in this life but shall be in eternity.  This duality of the Christian life is so very important to understand to avoid frustration or religious error.  We find in Scripture guides and directions which, as we place ourselves under the ministry of the word, become a part of our conscious nature as we pursue the Christian life.  In this way, we ever live in hope, joy, righteousness before God, and ever-developing maturation as a child of the kingdom!