James Lesson 7: Faith Tested by Reaction to Selfish Strife (4:1-12)

Posted on February 24, 2005 by waynem

James:Tests of a Living Faith Faith

Tested by Reaction to Selfish Strife (4:1-12)

By Steve Budd

South Suburban Evangelical Free Church

Section Summary

Continuing, habitual friendship with the world is grounded in human wisdom, and is evidence of unbelief. Such ungodly friendship results in personal conflict with others, with ourselves, and with God.

Outline

I. The Conflicts (1-6)

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives a greater grace Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

With Others (1a):   James says that there are conflicts with others (“among you” means the assembly of professing believers). As in modern churches, there are unbelievers in the midst of believers, and they are not always immediately evident. Those who profess faith may not necessarily be true believers (c.f. Matthew 7:21-23). “Quarrels” are prolonged and disputing wars, while “conflicts” are specific fights and battles. It is critical that churches ensure that those in leadership are true believers, otherwise, quarrels and conflicts will result. When leaders are put in place because of their natural talents or popularity, without regard to Scriptural qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, Acts 20:19-35), a church can expect to be rife with conflict.

With Self (1b-3):   James shows that our internal conflicts are the result of:

  • UNCONTROLLED DESIRES: “Your members” does not refer to church members, but to our physical bodies (the flesh). James is saying that the source of quarrels and conflicts in churches is our individual pleasures (lusts) that fight against our spirits. This war produces unquenchable internal guilt. James may appear to be overly harsh when he says, “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder”, but Jesus didn’t make a distinction between hate and murder, thus James is perfectly justified in making this statement. There is a modern example of this principle. Let’s say a woman discovers she is pregnant, and that this pregnancy, if carried to full term, will destroy all the financial and personal plans she has made for herself. She decides to have an abortion. James is literally correct; “We do not have, so we commit murder!!”
  • UNFULFILLED DESIRES: All conflicts (marital, family, job, national) are the result of unsatisfied personal lust and envy. That is a sweeping statement, but if you think about the root cause of every conflict throughout history, it is correct. The source of quarrels and conflicts is unfulfilled desires.
  • SELFISH DESIRES: “You” and “your” is used 13 times in vv. 1-3. We don’t get what we ask for because we ask with wrong motives, so that we can satisfy our selfish desires. Perhaps we could transform our lives by asking for WISDOM (c.f. 1:5).

With God (4-6):   James is crystal clear with his contrast in vv. 4-6. You are either a friend of the world or a friend of God. If you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God. Not many would be so bold as to declare themselves enemies of God, but in showing their affections for the things of this world, they have deliberately chosen to be such. “Wishes” (boulomia) means choosing one thing or another, not just wanting it to be fulfilled. “Makes himself” indicates a conscience intent. A friend of the world chooses to be an enemy of God.!! Verse 5 is a difficult verse, apparently directed at a disregard for Scripture. MacArthur explains it as follows:

“James seems to be saying that unbelievers, who are in a permanent state of spiritual conflict with God, not only are His enemies but also reflect that hostility by not trusting or obeying His Word. They refuse to acknowledge their natural enmity with and separation from the sovereign God.” John MacArthur

One who is an enemy of God is characterized by pride. God is opposed (a military term indicating a readiness in full battle array) to the proud. Thus we see that every quarrel and every conflict is a result of worldly desires. These worldly desires lead to conflicts with others, with self, and with God.

II. The Commandments (7-12)

Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not speak against one another, brethren He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

These verses contain eleven commandments. The verbs are in the aorist imperative, which means they demand a response from the hearer. There is a striking parallel to these commandments and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). If we remember that James’ audience is professing Christians (some true believers, some not), we see that this is an evangelistic passage, much like the Beatitudes. These things that follow are characteristic of true Christians; you can’t be a Christian if these things aren’t true about you.

  • Submit therefore to God – This is not obedience, but submission. Submission is a voluntary surrender of the will, which leads to obedience. Do we desire to do God’s will from the heart (Romans 6:17-18)?
  • Resist the devil – This is how we defeat the Devil; we aren’t to talk to him or “bind” him. We are to follow the prescribed method laid out by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18. It is a practice that takes discipline, but one that works, whether we are fighting the world, the flesh, or the Devil. Is it our desire to stand against the works of Satan?
  • Draw near to God – One can only do this on God’s terms; in penitence, brokenness, and humility. Do we attempt to draw near to God with our lip service (Isaiah 29:13)?
  • Cleanse your hands – Do we submit to God’s divine catharsis? It is interesting that James uses the term “sinners”. He is likely addressing professing believers in particular, not the audience of true believers.
  • Purify your hearts – Linked to the previous command, one’s hands can only do what they are told to do by one’s heart. These two commands are Hebrew parallelisms (the same principle stated in different ways).
  • Be miserable – Poor in spirit, wretched and miserable in one’s sinful circumstances.
  • Mourn – Over sin. Does one’s sin cause one to mourn?
  • Weep – Outward manifestation of being miserable and mourning.
  • Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom – One’s unredeemed state is not a laughing matter. This is what true repentance looks like. (Lamentations 5:15-16)
  • Humble yourselves – Akin to being meek.
  • Do not speak against one another – This is mindless, thoughtless, careless, critical, derogatory speech directed against others, and is a violation of humility (meekness). Speaking in this way to others is caused by incorrect thinking:
  1. …. About others (“brethren”)
  2. …. About the Law (the expression of how to love others)
  3. …. About God (a slanderer places himself above God)
  4. …. About oneself (slanderers have an exaggerated view of their own importance)

Have you passed the test (not perfectly, of course)? If so, God has wrought a wonderful work of salvation in your life. If not, follow these commandments from the heart and find peace with God.

Next Lesson: James 4:13-17 Faith Tested by Responding to the Will of God

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About waynem

As a Minnesota based photographer and artist I have been greatly influenced by the Upper Midwest. I focus my skills and energies on portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, architectural and fine art work. My best work comes from images first painted in my mind. I mull over a prospective image for weeks or months, seeing it from different angles and perspectives, then finally deciding what to capture. The result is images that deeply touch people's emotions and powerfully evoke memories and dreams. My images are used commercially by companies and organizations ranging from Financial Services firms, mom and pop Ice Cream shops and The Basilica of St Mary to communicate their shared vision and values. Book and magazine publishers have featured my images on their covers. My photographs also grace and enhance the decor of many fine homes.
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