War is a fact of life. In spite of treaties, world peace organiztions, and the treat of nuclear bombs, nations still are having wars with one another. Not only are there wars between nations, but there are wars of one kind or another on almost every level of life.
James discussed this important theme of war in James 4:1 - 12. He explained that there were three wars going on in the world - at war with one another, at war with ourselves and at war with God. He also told us how these wars could be stopped.
At war with one another (James 4:1, 11, 12)
James said: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another" (James 4:1, 11, 12, NKJV)?
James was talking about Christians at war with one another. Surely brethren should live together in love and harmony, yet often they do not. David, the psalmist said: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1)!
It is, therefore, God's will that Christians should not be at war with one another. But we see a lot of problems, fights, quarrels among brethren in the Bible. Lot caused a quarrel with his uncle Abraham (Gen. 13). Absalom created war for his father David (2 Sam. 13 - 18). Even the disciples created problems for the Lord when they argued over who was the greatest in the Kingdom (Luke 9:46 - 48).
When you examine some of the early Churches, you discover that they had their share of disagreements. The members of the Corinthian Church were competing with one another in the public meetings, and even suing one another in court (1 Cor. 6:1 - 8; 14:23 - 40). The Galatians believers were "biting and devouring" one another (Gal. 5:15). Paul had to admonish the Ephesians to cultivate spiritual unity (Eph. 4:1 - 16).
James mentioned several different kinds of disagreements among believers:
1. Class wars (James 2:1 - 9)
Here is the age-long rivalry between the rich and the poor. The rich man gets the attention, the poor man is ignored. The rich man is honored, the poor man is disgraced. How tragic it is when local Churches get their values confused and cater to the rich while they ignore, or even reject, the poor. If fellowship in a Church depends on such external things as clothing and economic status, then the Church is out of the will of God.
2. Employment wars (James 5:1 - 6)
Again, it is the rich man who has the power to control and hurt the poor man. Laborers do not get their wages, or they do not get their fair wages - less than adequate for the work they are doing.
3. Church fights (James 1:19, 20; 3:13 - 18)
Apparently, the believers James wrote to were at war with one another over positions in the Church, many of them wanting to be teachers and leaders. When they studied the Word, the result was not edification, but strife and arguments. Each person thought that his ideas were the only right ideas and his ways the only right ways. Selfich ambition ruled their meetings, not spiritual submission.
4. Personal wars (James 4:11, 12)
Christians were speaking evil of one another and judging one another, but are to speak "the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15). They are not to speak evil in a spirit of rivalry and criticism. If the truth about a brother is harmful, then we should cover it in love and not to repeat it (1 Peter 4:8). If he has sinned, we should go to him personally and try to win him back (Matt. 18:15 - 19; Gal. 6:1, 2).
James was not forbidding us to use discrimination or even to evaluate people. Christians need to have discernment (Phil. 1:9, 10), but they must not act like God in passing judgment.
At war with ourselves (James 4:1 - 3)
James said: "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in you members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. you ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasure" (James 4:1 - 3).
The war in the heart is helping to cause the wars in the Church (read James 3:14, 16)!
The essence of sin is selfishness. Eve disobeyed God because she wanted to eat of the tree and become wise like God. Abraham lied about his wife because he selfishly wanted to save his own life (Gen 12:10 - 20). Achan caused defeat to Israel because he selfishly took some forbidden loot from the ruins of Jericho (Josh. 7). Isaiah said: "We have turned, every one, to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6).
Often we veil our religious quarrels under the disguise of "spirituality." We are like Miriam and Aaron who complained about Moses' wife, but who really were envious Moses' authority (Num. 12). Or we imitate James and John who asked for special thrones in the Kingdom, when what we really want is recognition today (Mark 10:35 - 45). In both chastening and division among God's people, Miriam's sin halted the progress of Israel for a whole week!
Selfish desires are dangerous things. Firstly, they lead to wrong action - "You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war" (James 4:2). Secondly, they even lead to wrong praying - "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3).
When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong. It has well been said that the purpose of praying is not to get man's will done in heaven, but to get God's will done on earth!
"Thou shalt not covet" is the last of God's Ten Commandments, but its violation can make us break all of the other nine! Covetousness can make a person murder, tell lies, dishonor his parents, commit adultery, and in one way or another violate all of God's moral law. Selfish living and selfish praying always lead to war. If there is war on the inside, there will ultimately be war on the outside.
People who are at war with themselves because of selfish desires are always unhappy people. They never enjoy life. Instead of being thankfull for the blessings they do have, they complain about the blessings they do not have. They cannot get along with other people because they are always envying others for what they have and do. They are always looking for that "magic something" that will change their lives, when the real problem is within their own hearts.
Sometimes we use prayer as a cloak to hide our true desires. "But I prayed about it!" can be one of the biggest excuses a Christian can use. Instead of seeking God's will, we tell God what He is supposed to do; and we get angry at Him if He does not obey. This anger at God eventually spills over and we get angry at God's people. Many Church split have been caused by Christians who take out their frustrations with God on the members of the Church. Many a Church or family problem would be solved if people would only look into their own heart and see the battle ragging there.
At war with God (James 4:4 - 10)
James said: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously'? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit 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. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:4 - 10).
The root cause of every war, internal and external, is rebellion against God. At the beginning of creation, you behold perfect harmony; but sin came into the world, and this led to conflict. Sin is lawlessness (1 John 3:4), and lawlessness is rebellion against God.
How does a believer declare war against God? By being friendly with God's enemies. James names three enemies that we must not fraternize with if we want to be a peace with God - the world, the flesh and the Devil. Let us briefly consider each of the three enemies:
1. The world (James 4:4)
By the "world," James means, of course, human society apart from God. The whole system of things in this society of ours is anti-Christ and anti-God. Abraham was the friend of God (James 2:23). Lot was the friend of the world. Lot ended up in a war, and abraham had to rescue him (Gen. 14).
A Christian gets involved with the world gradually and never suddenly. First, there is "the friendship of the world" (James 4:4). This results in being "spotted" by the world (James 1:27) so that areas of our lives meet with the approval of the world. Friendship leads to loving the world (1 John 2:15 - 17), and this makes it easy to conform to the world (Rom. 12:2). The sad result is being condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). Our souls will be saved, "yet as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:11 - 15).
Friendship with the world is compared to adultery. The believer is "married to Christ" (Rom. 7:4) and ought to be faithful to Him. The Jewish Christians who read the Epistle to the Romans would understand this picture of "spiritual adultery" because the prophets Ezekiel (Ezek. 23), Jeremiah (Jer. 3:1 - 5), and Hosea (Hosea 1, 2) used it when rebuked Judah for her sins. By adopting the sinful ways of the other nations, and by worshiping their gods, the nation of Judah committed adultery against God.
The world is the enemy of God, and whoever wills to be a friend of the world cannot be the friend of God.
2. The flesh (James 4:1)
"The flesh" is the old nature (or the "old man" - Rom. 6:6) that we inherited from Adam that is prone to sin. the flesh is not the body. The body is not sinful but neutrl. The Spirit may use the body to glorify God, or the flesh may use the body to serve sin. When a sinner yields to Christ, he receives a new nature within, but the old nature is neither removed nor reformed. For this reason, there is a battle within - "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do no do the things that you wish" (Gal 5:17). This is what James terms, "... your lusts that war in your members" (James 4:1, KJV).
Living for the flesh means grieving the Spirit of God who lives in us (Eph. 4:30). Just as the world is enemy of God the Father, so the flesh is the enemy of God the Holy Spirit. There is a holy, loving jealousy that a husband and wife have over each other, and rightly so. The Spirit within jealously guards our relationship to God, and the Spirit is grieved when we sin against God's love. That is why James said: "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously" (James 4:5).
Living to please the old nature means to declare war against God - "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). To allow the flesh to control the mind is to lose the blessing of fellowship with God. Abraham had a spiritual mind; he walked with God and enjoyed peace. On the other hand, Lot had a carnal mind; he disobeyed God and experienced war - "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Rom 8:6).
3. The Devil (James 4:6, 7)
The world is in conflict with the Father; the flesh fights against the Holy Spirit; and the Devil opposes the Son of God. Pride is Satan's great sin, and it is one of his chief weapons in his warfare against Christian and Christ. God wants us to be humble; Satan wants us to be proud. Satan deceived Eve and she believed him when he said, "You will be like God" (Gen. 3:5). Therefore, a new Christian must not be put into places of spiritual leadership - "... not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6).
God wants us to depend on His grace, while the Devil wants us to depend on ourselves. Satan enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it his own way. In spite of Jesus' warning about Satan's plans, Peter fell into the snare, pulled out his sword, and tried to accomplish God's will in his own way. What a mess he made of things!
One of the problems in our Churches today is that we have too many celebrities and not enough servants. Christian workers are promised so much that there is very little place left for God's glory. Man has nothing to be proud of in himself. In us nothing good dwells (Rom. 7:18); but when we trust Christ, He puts that "good thing" in us that makes us His children (2 Tim. 1:6, 14).
God's remedies
Christ has delivered us from the world, the flesh and the Devil. But they still attack us. James give us three instructions to follow if we would enjoy peace instead of war - submit to God, draw near to God, and humble ourselves before God.
1. Submit to God (James 4:7)
Unconditional surrender to God is the only way to complete victory. If there is any area of the life kept back from God, there will always be battles. This explains why uncommitted Christians cannot live with themselves or with other people. The way to resist the Davel is to submit to God.
2. Draw near to God (James 4:8)
How do we do that? By confessing our sins and asking for His cleansing. God graciously draws near to us when we deal with the sin in our lives that keeps Him at a distance. He will not share us with anyone else; He must have complete control.
3. Humble ourselves before God (James 4:9, 10)
It is possible to submit ourselves outwardly and yet not be humbled inwardly. God hates the sin of pride (Prov. 6:16, 17). He will chasten the proud believer until he is humbled.
David, the psalmist said: "A broken and a contrite heart - These, O God, You will not dispise" (Ps. 51:17).
Conclusion
If we obey these three instruction, then God will draw near, cleanse us, and forgive us; and the wars will cease! We will not be at war with God, so we will not be at war with ourselves. This means we will not be at war with others.
Isaiah said: "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isaiah 32:17).
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