THE ORIGIN OF CONFLICT

JAMES 4:1–8

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

(James 4:1).

It has been suggested that James is following roughly the order of teaching from the Sermon on the Mount in this section of his epistle. James 3:17 seems to refer to the Beatitudes. Then, following Jesus’ discussion, James takes up the issue of our murderous hearts in 4:1–3 (Matt. 5:21–27), the sin of spiritual adultery in 4:4–6 (Matt. 5:28–32), and false speech in 4:11–12 (Matt. 5:33–37). (Also compare James 4:13–17 with Matt. 6:25–34.) Whether this is a valid suggestion or not, James does seem to deal with some of the same themes, which of course are also the themes of the Ten Commandments.

Recall that James has been discussing the awful power of the tongue. He has told us that the tongue is motivated by our inner inclinations. If we have true wisdom, our tongue will show it, and true wisdom comes from God and His Word. False wisdom comes from the pit, is characterized by envy and bitterness, and will also show up on our tongues, lighting evil fires.

Here in 4:1–3, James shows those fires, the outer acts that flow from our evil hearts through our tongues and into social life. Quarrels and fights come from our covetous and envious hearts. We in the church “kill” one another with our tongues as we cut down those we envy. Indeed, on a larger scale, wars and real murder also arise from this same source. If we were submissive to God, and sought true wisdom, we would get what we want, because we would want the right things. As it is, God ignores our false prayers and praise because what we want is evil.

Then James moves back to the subject of our inner motivation, which controls our tongue. We are spiritual adulterers, fornicating with the world instead of being the faithful bride of Christ. Verse 5 may be read to say that our spirits are jealous and sinful, and therefore reject God. Or it may be a reference to Genesis 6:3, where the sons of God committed spiritual adultery with the daughters of men, and God’s Spirit jealously strove to keep them from doing so. Either way, the theme is God’s jealousy of His bride, and our adultery from Him. The cure for such adultery is to submit humbly to our Husband (vv. 6–7).

CORAM DEO

1 Timothy 1–3

Think back over quarrels you have observed in the church. Can you see where personal ambition, pride, and even envy and bitterness were at the roots of these? Now apply this to your own life. Do you see conflicts in your own life that are related to your own ambition and pride? Apply verses 6–7 in your prayer today.

For further study: Jer. 3:11–15 • Hosea 11:1–11 • Job 22:21–26

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