The person James just pictured was guilty of a sin of omission. He failed to acknowledge the place God occupies in life. In concluding this discussion of conflicts, James reminded his readers to put into practice what they knew. They should avoid presumption and self-confidence, and they should submit themselves humbly to God. Failure to do this is sin.
"They cannot take refuge in the plea that they have done nothing positively wrong; as Scripture makes abundantly clear, sins of omissionare as real and serious as sins of commission."174
Note that the verse that concludes each section of James' epistle, each chapter, is a proverbial statement. It summarizes James' point in the preceding section and states it in a pithy way that is easy to remember.
