James 4:1 "From whence come wars [ polemoi {pol'-em-os} = battling, strife, disputes, quarrels, war ] and fightings [ machai {makh'-ay} = of persons at variance, disputants, strife, contention conflict, a fight ] among you? come they not hence, [ enteuthen {ent-yoo'-then} = hence, from this cause or origin, from this source ] even of your lusts [ edonon {hay-don-ay'} = "to please"; sensual delight, desire, lust, pleasure] that war [ strateuomenon {strat-yoo'-o} = to battle, of the struggles of the passions within the human soul, to contend with carnal inclinations ] in your members?" [ melosin {mel'-os} = a limb or part of the body, member ]

     The Christians to whom James was writing were affected by the spirit of the world. From what James says here in opening verses of chapter 4, we can assume that there was much strife and battling among the believers of his day. This was dividing these Christians into factions.

     James doesn't waste any time in telling these individuals what the root of the problem was; "lust." "Lust," basically speaks of the "desires for pleasure" or "desire for satisfaction," or "evil desire." This is speaking of the motives behind their desires. Their desire for prestige, power, or prominence in the church was creating these conflicts.

     Many churches today have the same problem. Roy Branson in his book, "Church Split>," says that personal power and prestige is the real motive of most church trouble. He states, "a great number of men and women in our churches want the honor and prestige that go with being 'boss,'...they insist on having control of the program and affairs of the church."

     Does this sound familiar? Little has changed since James addressed this same issue. It's as though no one has ever read chapter 4!

James 4:2a "Ye lust, [ epithumeite {ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o} = to set one's heart upon, to have a desire for, long for, lust after] and have not:

     Verse 4 also tells us what it is that throws gas on their fire of "lust" they "do not have." Here's a picture of someone who is longing for power and control within a church but they can't seem to grab hold of it. It's like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. It's right there, but it's just beyond your finger tips! So they fight even harder to fulfill their lust. This verse teaches us that having a desire for something does not ensure our possessing it.

B. The Behavior That Causes Conflicts (4:2b-3)

James 4:2b "ye kill, and desire [ zeloute {dzay-lo'-o} = to be heated or to boil with; jealously, envy, spite, hatred, anger ] to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, [ polemeite {pol-em-eh'-o} = to battle, to quarrel, to wrangle with others ] yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, [ kakos {kak-oce'} = badly, amiss, with bad intent, ask with wrong motives ] that ye may consume it [ dapanesete {dap-an-ah'-o} = spend, waste what you receive, consume by extravagance, luxurious indulgence ] upon your lusts." [ edonais {hay-don-ay'} = pleasure, gratification, sensual pleasure ]

     In the remainder of verse 2 and in verse 3, we continue to see the believers' sinful actions. They will stop at nothing to obtain their selfish desires. James probably uses the terms "kill," "fight" and "war" to describe their zeal in which they pursued their desires, but these words could also be literal.

     The reason why James uses strong words here is to stress the seriousness of their acts. But all the zeal in the world still doesn't give them what they want, "yet ye have not, because ye ask not." James uses the Greek middle voice when he says, "to ask," indicating that they are asking for themselves. He wasn't saying that they should pray for their selfish desires, but was pointing out the fact that they were being selfish and not seeking the Lord's direction.

     He goes into more detail in verse 3, saying that even when they do pray God doesn't give them what they ask for because of their wrong motives. Instead of seeking God's will, they were trying to tell God what He was supposed to be doing for them. Warren Wiersbe sums up these two verses well when he says:

     "Selfish desires are dangerous things. They lead to wrong actions, and they even lead to wrong praying. When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong. It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man's will done in heaven, but to get God's will done on earth"

Church fights, wars, and discord are outward signs of an inward spiritual problem. What empowered the early Church toward growth? They worked to keep the __________. (see Ephesians 4.3-6, below) Ephesians 4:3-6 "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." They understood the importance of the concept of the __________ over personal desires. (see Ephesians 4:13-16, below) Ephesians 4:13-16 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." They sought to be in __________. (see Philippians 2:2-4, below) Philippians 2:2-4 "Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." It is an old saying that "we have two dogs living inside of us. The dog we feed is the dog that controls our lives". We who are believers are "freed" from the Old Sin Nature so that we can choose to either follow it or follow _________. (See Romans 6.12-16, below) Romans 6:12-16 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

C. The Effects Of Conflict (4:4-5)

James 4:4 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know [ oidate {oy'-da} = to know by reflection, consider, perceive ] ye not that the friendship [ philia {fil-ee'-ah} = affection, fondness, love, friendship ] of the world [ kosmou {kos'-mos} = the world order, its culture or values or morals ] is enmity [ echthra {ekh'-thrah} = hostility, enmity, opposition ] with God? whosoever therefore will [ boulethe {boo'-lom-ahee} = used of the "will" electing or choosing between two things; desire, wish, want ] be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

     In verse 2 and now here, James continues to talk about the effects that "lust" was having on these believers. In verse 2 , their fighting and quarreling impacted their relationship with each other. Now here in verse 4, we see that their "lust" was having an impact on their relationship with God. First James says they are unfaithful, "You adulteresses." Their selfish desires has lead to spiritual adultery. Adultery has been used throughout the Bible as a metaphor to describe spiritual adultery or unfaithfulness to God. The Jewish Christian understood this because the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea used it when rebuking Judah and Israel for their unfaithfulness (Jer.3:1-5; Ezek.23; Hosea 1-2).

     As believers we are the "bride of Christ" (Rev.21:2, 9; 22:17). According to the ancient Hebrews the betrothal of a couple was a covenant (Ezek.16:8). The families of the bride and groom met, with some witnesses. The young man would give the young woman either a gold ring, or some article of value, or a simple document in which he promised to marry her. Then after a short speech he would leave until the time that the actual wedding came. If the bride was found to be unfaithful, then he would have to give a bill of divorcement to break off the wedding (Matt.1:19).

     Likewise, even though we have not yet attended our wedding feast, we can be unfaithful when we don't remain devoted to the Lord. Not only are we committing spiritual adultery by being unfaithful, but we also become an "enemy of God." Being a friend with the world is adopting the world view (i.e., it's cultural philosophy) and living by it, thus we are literally at war with God ("hostility toward God"). I like what Tommy Higle said about this verse:

     "As Christians we must make a choice to live by the world view or by the 'Word view.' Not to choose the 'Word view' is to automatically make ourselves the enemies of God."

     The sad truth is that most people who are leading the charge against other Christians think that they are God's generals. We need to stop giving orders, and start obeying them.

James 4:5 "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, [ kenos {ken-oce'} = in vain, to no purpose, unmeaning ] The spirit [ pneuma {pnyoo'-mah} = a current of air, breath (blast) or a breeze; a human spirit (the rational soul), or (divine) God as with the Holy Spirit ] that dwelleth in us lusteth [ epipothei {ep-ee-poth-eh'-o} = to have a strong bent, to long or yearn jealously over ] to envy."

     In verse 5 James reference to the "spirit" is our "Old Sin Nature" that "lusteth to envy." James basically here is saying that the "spirit of lust and envy" that dwells in each of us as part of our "Old Sin Nature" is the cause of our unfaithfulness to God. It is this spirit that is constantly pushing us to be friends with the world and blowing us away from God.

D. God's Grace And Conflicts (4:6)

James 4:6 "But he giveth [ didosin {did'-o-mee} = to give, grant, send, suggests that God gives continuously & freely ] more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth [ antitassetai {an-tee-tas'-so} = to be adverse, to range oneself against, oppose, resist ] the proud, [ uperephanois {hoop-er-ay'-fan-os} = arrogant, haughty, proud, one who claims to be superior, despising others, treating others with contempt ] but giveth grace unto the humble." [ tapeinois {tap-i-nos'} = used in a good sense; in lowly spirit, humble ]

     In verse 6, James tells us how we can be totally loyal to God even when faced with the enticements this world offers. First of all, God "giveth more grace." God knows the evils influences that are on every side of the believer and our tendency to sin. We could never make it on our own, so God intervenes. James tells us that we have an endless source of grace. The more we are assailed by the weakness of our own nature and the temptations from the world, the more God's grace flows towards us. God's requirement for more grace, is that we humble ourselves before Him. The repenting sinner has God's assurance that no offense is too great for God's forgiveness:

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Jonathan Edwards once said:

"Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility."

IX. The Ten Commandments Of Resolving Christian Conflicts: 4:7-12

A. Submit Yourself To God (4:7a)

James 4:7a "Submit [ upotagete {hoop-ot-as'-so} = obey, be subject, subject one's self, subordinated, to yield or arrange oneself under someone in authority ] yourselves therefore to God."

     In verses 7 through 12, James gives us ten commands (in the Greek imperative mood) that will resolve conflicts. First, he tells is to "submit..to God." The word "submit" comes from a military word which means "to yield," or "arrange oneself under." We are to "place ourselves under the complete and absolute command of God and stay there (imperative mood of the 2nd aorist passive tense). To do this means we must accept God's will for our lives instead of chasing after our own desires."

James 4:7b "Resist [ antistete {anth-is'-tay-mee} = military word which refers to taking one's position in battle against someone (a defensive position); to set one's self against, to withstand, oppose, resist ] the devil, and he will flee from you."

     The second command that James gives us is to "resist the devil." This is the opposite of submitting. To "resist" means to take a stand against the demonic forces, and influences that this world offers. It's when we don't resist his temptations that we get caught up chasing our selfish desires. William MacDonald says that in order for us to resist the devil we must close our ears and hearts to the devil's suggestions and temptations. And by using the Scriptures as the Sword of the Spirit to repel him.

     When we resist the devil this way we have God's promise that Satan will flee from us. We must always stand firm against Satan's standards and lies.

James 4:8a "Draw nigh [ eggisate {eng-id'-zo} = to draw or come near, to approach ] to God , and he will draw nigh to you.

     The third command that we are given is to "draw nigh to God." This means that we must exercise our will to go to God. God makes himself available to us and makes the means of our approach to Him available too, which is faith (Rev.3:20). We must make a willful effort to get close to God. To do this means we must know His will and desires, which means we need to study His Word (II Tim.2:15). Spiros Zodhiates draws our attention to another fact about this verse:

     "Notice that resisting the devil and drawing nigh unto God follow each other. The farther we drive the devil away, the closer we approach God."

J Vernon McGee says the reason why the devil flees is because:

     "he doesn't like God's company...A wolf never attacks a sheep as long as he is with the rest of the sheep and with the shepherd. And the closer the sheep is to the shepherd, the safer he is."

     And like the last verse, James gives us a promise that when we do draw close to God he will draw close to us also.

James 4:8b "Cleanse [ katharisate {kath-ar-id'-zo} = to free from the defilement of sin and from faults, to purify from wickedness, cleanse, purge, purify (to abstain in the future from wrong doing), to cleanse from dirt in a ritual sense ] your hands, [ cheiras {khire} = hands, through or by someone or someone's activity (i.e., the work of their hands) ] ye sinners;"

     The forth command we are given is to "cleanse your hands." James here is probably using a word picture of the priests of Israel washing their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle or Temple (Ex.30:19-21; Lev.16:4; Mark 7:3). The word "cleanse" carries the idea here of confessing our sins so that we will be forgiven by God (I John 1:9).

     Confession is recognizing and acknowledging our sin to God (God already knows what we have done). It's not just the mere acknowledging of the sin, but it also includes the idea of repenting from that sin. When we go before God's throne in repentance then our hearts will be right, and we will not be seeking to fulfill our own selfish desires.

James 4:8c "and purify your hearts, [ kardias {kar-dee'-ah} = the heart, the seat of feeling - impulse- affection- and desire, used here of the will and character ] ye double minded." [ dipsuchoi {dip'-soo-khos} = two-spirited (vacillating in opinion or purpose), inconstant, fickle, divided interests ]

     The fifth command is to "purify your hearts." The reason why these Christians were having conflicts was because their hearts were not in the right place. James calls them "double-minded" which means they are "doubled-souled." This is when part of your soul says in church, "praise God brother," but when we leave church the other part of our souls says, "I'm going to live as I want."

     So a double minded person desires the things of this world and the things of God. As a result they are inconsistent or divided to whom they will follow. James is telling them that they need to get their hearts right with God (thus being single-hearted or souled), by totally being devoted to Him.

James 4:9a "Be afflicted, " [ talaiporesate {tal-ahee-po-reh'-o} = realize one's own misery, recognize how heavily laden we are with sin, to recognize the burden of sin and be sorry for it ]

     The sixth command in which Christians are given is to "be afflicted." In the English this sounds horrible, and many Christians work hard to be miserable. But this term carries the idea of recognizing and repenting for your sins. When our selfish desires start to get in our way, they should weight us down with burden until we confess them. When we see other Christians who are causing conflicts in the church, we need to pray that God would make them miserable with their sin!

James 4:9b "and mourn, [ penthesate {pen-theh'-o} = to grieve or mourn outwardly (as in lamenting for the dead), here it is used to show the outside world that we are penitent (sorry for our sins) ]

     The seventh command that Christians are given is to "mourn." It's not enough just to recognize our sins, but it should cause us to grieve and mourn. When grief gets a hold of a repentant heart, it cannot be hid from the world.

James 4:9c "and weep: [ klausate {klah'-yo} = to weep, to shed tears, wail aloud, tears in the eyes a sign that a man is broken to pieces because of sin ] let your laughter [ gelos {ghel'-oce} = laughter or rejoicing at sin ] be turned to mourning, [ penthos {pen'-thos} = grief, mourning, sorrow, sadness ] and your joy [ chara {khar-ah'} = delight, gladness, joy of sinful desires ] to heaviness."[ katepheian {kat-ay'-fi-ah} = downcast in look (having a "long face"), sadness, heaviness (in the presence of sin, our facial expressions should show outwardly) ]

     The eighth commandment is for the Christian to "weep." Christians should not be able to "laugh at sins, but sins should bring them to tears." Tears are indications of true repentance in the heart, they are a sign that a man is broken to pieces because of sin. The things that caused us to laugh before we became Christians ought to cause us to weep now after repentance and regeneration.

     Our selfish desires which cause conflicts among other Christians are nothing to laugh about, and there is nothing funny about how our sins affect others.

James 4:10 "Humble [ tapeinothete {tap-i-no'-o} = to be humbled, allow yourselves to be humbled, to recognize your spiritual littleness and unworthiness in the sight of God ] yourselves in the sight [ enopion {en-o'-pee-on} = before, in the presence (sight) of ] of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." [ upsosei {hoop-so'-o} = to elevate, exalt, lift up; generally to raise to a condition of prosperity, dignity, honor ]

     The ninth commandment for Christians is to "humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord." In order for someone to be humbled they need to be removed from their mountain top of pride so that God can lift them up to the place where He wants them. "Humbleness is recognizing your unworthiness in the sight of God." Jonathon Edwards spoke of humility and its relationship to Christ:

     "Humility doth primarily and chiefly consist in a sense of our meanness as compared with God, or as sense of the infinite distance there is between God our ourselves .... We are not truly humble unless we have a sense of our own nothingness as compared with God."

James 4:11 "Speak not evil [ katalaleite {kat-al-al-eh'-o} = to slander, speak against (evil of), to blab out, to criminate, thoughtless talk, mean careless talk ] one of another, brethren. [ adelphoi {ad-el-fos'} = of the same womb, a brother, one of equal rank and dignity, a member of the Christian community ] He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth [ krinon {kree'-no} = condemn, of those who judge severely (unfairly) - finding fault with this or that in others, think ] his brother, speaketh evil of the law, [ nomou {nom'-os} = God's will for the individual - the law of liberty and love (as opposed to legalism) ] and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law , thou art not a doer [ poietes {poy-ay-tace'} = a doer, performer, one who obeys or fulfils the law ] of the law, but a judge." [ krites {kree-tace'} = a judge, a magistrate ]

James 4:12 "There is one lawgiver, who is able to save [ sosai {sode'-zo} = Savior from the Law's condemnation, deliver ] and to destroy: [ apolesai {ap-ol'-loo-mee} = to destroy fully, to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to, ruin ] who art thou that judgest [ krinon {kree'-no} = condemn, of those who judge severely (unfairly) - finding fault with this or that in others, think ] another?"

     In verses 11 and 12, James gives us the tenth command "speak not evil one of another." This in not referring to the occasional slip of the tongue, but a habitual slipping or constant criticizing and judging. Openly criticizing others sets us up as having a authoritative attitude towards other Christians. Thus we become the judge or lawmaker of others for our own selfish pleasure.

     James commands us to "stop, right now, from doing this!" Only God is the judge of hearts and attitudes of other believers, and only God makes the laws, not sinful man. Warren Wiersbe says if we obey these commands that James has given us, then "God will draw near, cleanse us, and forgive us; and the wars will cease!"

X. Losing Our Focus: 4:13-17

A. The Sin Of Presumption (4:13)

James 4:13 "Go [ age {ag'-eh} = come, come now ] to now, ye that say To day, or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: [ kerdesomen {ker-dah'-ee-no} = to make gain, profit, the desire of gain, the love of gain ]

     In this next section of Scripture, James addresses the issue of leaving God out of our plans. These business men in their pride did not want to acknowledge that God had any part in their plans for the future.

     The Jews were great business men during this time period, and had great opportunities in business. This was the age of the founding of cities; so the founders were looking for citizens to fill their cities, and would offer free citizenship to these Jewish merchants to get their business and money. So James gives us a picture of a couple of business men looking at a map, and pointing to a location and planning to go there for a year or so to make their fortune.

     While it is necessary to make plans for our future, it is wrong if we don't include God in them. It takes careful planning to make a business work, as these business men were doing, but we must not take it for granted that there will be a "tomorrow" or a "next year" unless God permits it to happen. If God is going to be at the center of our life, then He needs to be in the center of our plans also.

James 4:14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. [ aurion {ow'-ree-on} = tomorrow, the next day ] For what is your life? It is even [ gar {gar} = as, because, for indeed, no doubt, therefore, yet ] a vapour, [ atmis {at-mece'} = mist, an exhalation, vapor, smoke ] that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

     James tells us here in verse 14 that we cannot be sure, or know with certainty what tomorrow will bring to our lives, and to the lives of others. However, we can "know" with certainty that man's plans are always tentative. Our plans are not our own, our time is not our own, and our life is not our own.

Job 14:5 "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass."

Proverbs 27:1 "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

     This means that we should take full advantage of today and the opportunities that God gives us. "Salvation today! Not tomorrow!" Putting off until tomorrow has robbed the world of Christian deeds, and the Church of spiritual gifts. Life is to short to waste it away fighting over things that won't matter in eternity. We need to make the most of each day, and gets our eyes back on God. We also need to learn that there is no need to worry about tomorrow, since we are not sure what it will bring.

Matthew 6:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

James 4:15 "For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, [ thelese {thel'-o} = to be resolved or determined, to purpose ] we shall live, and do this, or that."

     James now tells us what our attitudes should be when it comes to planning for our futures in light of not knowing what the morning will bring.

     We need to recognize the sovereignty of God in our lives, and live and speak in the realization that our destinies are in God's control. God's sovereignty permeates all areas of our lives:

1. God created all things according to His own good pleasure (Rev.4:11b);

2. God is sovereign in all the elements of creation (Job 12:15; 28:25-26; Psa.135:7; 8:3);

3. God is sovereign over all nations (Job 12:23-25; Isa.40:17-18);

4. God is sovereign over the life of man (Job7:1; 14:5; Acts 17:25); and

5. God is sovereign in salvation (1 Thess.1:4; Col.3:12; 1 Pet.2:9; 2 Pet.1:10; Rom.8:33).

     When we learn this truth, that God is absolutely sovereign in "all" areas of our life, then we will not fail to include God's will in our plans. It's when we make plans or boast of our own intentions, that we have forgotten who God is and who we are. We replace the great "I AM" with "ME!" Job reminds us that God's purposes or plans are beyond us:

Job 42:2-3 "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not."

James 4:16 "But now ye rejoice in your boastings:[ alazoneiais {al-ad-zon-i'-a} = braggadocio, self-confidence, boasting, pride, presumptuous speech ] all such rejoicing is evil." [ ponera {pon-ay-ros'} = in a physical sense: to work hard, to experience pain, toilsome, painful, grievous; in a ethical sense: evil, wicked, bad, useless, good-for-nothing ]

     In verse 16, James describes the merchants as they boast in what they are going to do and accomplish. The basis of their boasting was pride in themselves. Therefore their boasting was evil because it left God out of it. Boasting about success only serves to puff up the one who is blowing the hardest.

James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, [ kalon {kal-os'} = morally good, noble, praiseworthy, it is right, proper, becoming, worthy ] and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

     James sums up the chapter and points out that we can also sin by not doing what's right. When we know to do the right thing and we don't do it, then we have sinned. The Puritans used to talk about this as the "sins of ommission." This means if you hold back in your service to the Lord, then you are sinning. When the opportunities to do good come our way, we are responsible for doing it. If we know what is right, we are obligated to live up to that. Failure to do so is sin against God, our neighbors, and ourselves. The only response that we can make to this teaching without sinning is to get humble and run to God.

     If you have not already done so, please consider trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. For more information on Salvation Click Here to view "How can I get to Heaven?"

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