What Does “Doing Good” Entail In James 4:17?

In James 4:17 it says that we are to do good and failure to do so is a sin. Can you explain what the phrase “do good” entails?

I think that a misunderstanding of this question could bring a lot of people into unnecessary guilt and bondage. One of the phenomena of our modern age is that we are presented with nonstop, unbelievably huge and complex needs and problems all over the world. Every day, we hear about a natural disaster, a war where people are being killed and civilians are being harmed, an injustice that’s been done, human trafficking, slave labor, and so on. We hear about it all the time. And we can feel overwhelmed by feeling that we have a personal responsibility to do good, to work towards a solution in every one of these areas.

I hope I’m not being hard hearted when I say this, but on a very practical and basic level, that’s impossible. It would be impossible for us to do something good to meet every need in the world. Here’s the difference between the world the way it is now and the way it was 30 or 40 years ago. Back then, we just didn’t know about those global needs. We had to focus on the needs that were right in front of us. I believe those are the needs that James is talking about.

If there is a need right in front of you, and you have the power to do good for that person, but you fail to do it, then that’s a sin. Again, I’m not talking about a need on the other side of the world. I’m talking about a need that just came to you in real live, not on social media. Forget about all that. Think about the needs that are right in front of you. In fact, I would even say that sometimes people can be interested in needs on the other side of the world, while they ignore the needs that are right in front of them. Friends, that should not be so. It can actually be a diversion. It can be a deflection to be worried about something halfway around the world, and not to care about what’s going on in your own home, your own street, your own neighborhood, your own church, and the people that you experience in real life every day. I think the circle James is talking about really concerns the needs that come into our immediate presence.