A Battle of Wills

Introduce Marion:

Sweet & stubborn

Walks are a battle to prove who is in control

Matthew 26:37–39 ESV

37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Fights, quarrels, lust, hate, envy, pride, and sin are words that stain this portion of James’ letter like inkblots. In stark contrast with the closing words of chapter 3, “peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness,” chapter 4 opens with “fights and quarrels.” James confronted this despicable behavior with valor. Furthermore he gave clear advice on how to quell the storms that are so detrimental to spiritual growth and maturity. A believer must turn hatred into humility, judgment into justice, and boasting into belief.

A. Turn hatred into humility (4:1–6)

The appearance of conflict among the followers of Jesus stirred James to intense indignation. The severity of his tone in this section is accented by the absence of the words “my brothers,” which James used so frequently in other parts of the letter. He revealed the cause of conflict, outlined the consequences of conflict, and proposed a cure for conflict.

1. cause of conflict (4:1–2)

4:1. Characteristically, James introduced this new section with a rhetorical question, What causes fights and quarrels among you? Where do “fights” (lit., “state of war,” polemoi) and “quarrels” (lit., individual disputes or “battles,” machai) come from? James answered his own question: from your desires that battle within you. Conflict comes out of (ek) inner sensual lusts or pleasures (hēdonōn; cf. v. 3). Hedonism, the playboy philosophy that makes pleasure mankind’s chief end, still wages battles in people’s hearts.

4:2. War is the fruit of illicit wants. Lust brings about murder. Covetousness results in the frustration of not obtaining the hotly pursued desires. It all leads to the “quarrels” and “fights,” that “battle” against people, mentioned in verse 1. The last part of verse 2, You do not have, because you do not ask God, is best taken with what follows. James did not contend that the reason lust was not gratified was because people failed to ask God to fill those desires. He simply revealed the clear source of conflict deep in covetous human hearts.

2. consequence of conflict (4:3–4)

4:3. The correct way for Christians to have their legitimate needs met is by asking God. One reason a believer does not receive what he asks for is that he asks with wrong motives (lit., “evilly” or “amiss,” kakōs). The verb ask is in the middle voice, meaning, “ask for yourself.” The purpose clause that follows further clarifies, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. “Spend” could be translated “squander.” “Pleasures” is again the Greek word hēdonais (cf. v. 1). God will never provide for “hedonistic squandering”!

4:4. Instead of the customary “my brothers,” James bristled with you adulterous people. Again he asked a pointed question: Don’t you know that friendship (philia) with the world (cf. “world” in 1:27) is hatred toward God? Then he added, Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes (lit., “is constituted”) an enemy of God. The consequence is worse than ending up empty-handed; a rebellious Christian who has an illegitimate relationship with the world is at enmity with God!

3. cure for conflict (4:5–6)

4:5. This is one of the most difficult verses to translate in the entire letter. A very literal translation would be, “Or think you that vainly the Scripture says to envy yearns the spirit which was made to dwell in you, but He gives great grace.” Is the “spirit” the Holy Spirit or the human spirit? Is the spirit to be taken as the subject of the verb “yearns” or as its object? Is “envy” to be seen as “unrighteous desire” or as “righteous jealousy”? Numerous translations are possible: (a) “The Spirit who indwells you jealously yearns [for you] and He gives more grace.” (b) “He [God] yearns jealously for the Holy Spirit which indwells you and He gives more grace.” (c) “The [human] spirit which indwells you yearns to envy, but He [God] gives more grace.” The NIV favors the latter idea: Or do you think … that the spirit He caused to live in us tends toward envy, but “He gives us more grace?” (v. 6)

Not only is the translation of the sentence a problem, but also the apparent indication that it is a part of Scripture poses difficulties. James’ question, typically rhetorical, “or do you think Scripture says without reason” (kenōs, lit., “vainly”), introduces the section. The ambiguous sentence that follows is not a direct quotation of any passage in Scripture. Rather than assume that James quoted some other sacred book, or some unknown Greek translation of the Old Testament, or that he simply referred to the general sense of Scripture, it seems more reasonable to assume that he focused on the quotation in verse 6, a statement clearly taken from Proverbs 3:34: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (also quoted in 1 Peter 5:5).

4:6. Whatever questions remain unresolved about verse 5, there is no question about the clear truth of verse 6. God opposes the proud. The word “opposes,” or “resists,” is antitassetai, a military term meaning “to battle against.” To the humble, however, God gives grace. Whether a believer is called to resist his human spirit which tends toward envy or to rejoice in the Holy Spirit who jealously yearns for each believer’s edification, the call is to shun pride and to submit humbly to God’s authority. The cure for conflict is a humble spirit which is rewarded by God’s unmerited favor. James continued by showing in verses 7–12 how humility is related to peaceful justice.

Turn judgment into justice (4:7–12)

Apparently the Jewish believers to whom James wrote tended not only to conflict and jealousy but also to condemnation and judgment. Justice, not judgment, is what God requires. Upright, righteous relationships are essential to spiritual growth. Pointed advice for justice is given, the clear advantage of justice is revealed, and the divine author of justice is named.

1. advice for justice (4:7–9)

4:7. In verses 7–9a whole series of commands (10 aorist imperatives) are given which, if followed, contribute to harmony and holiness. James called for commitment (v. 7), cleansing (v. 8), and contrition (v. 9).

Like a magnet, the call for commitment has both positive and negative poles: submit … to God and resist the devil. “Submit” is a military term “to be subordinated” or “to render obedience.” “Resist” (antistēte) means “take a stand against.” Take a stand against the devil, and he will flee.

4:8. On the other hand draw near to God and He will come near in response. To draw near to God, however, demands His cleansing. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Both “wash” and “purify” are verbs that refer to ceremonial cleansing, a figure that spoke eloquently to Jewish converts. The need for cleansing is clear from the way James addressed his readers, “you sinners” and “you double-minded” (dipsychoi; cf. 1:8).

4:9. Recognition of the tremendous need for cleansing allows no room for merriment. Grieve(lit., “be afflicted”), mourn, and wailwas James’ candid advice. Exchange merriment for mourning and gaiety for gloom(lit., “a downcast look, lowered eyes”). A contrite spirit of confession is essential for God’s cleansing.

2. advantage of justice (4:10–11)

4:10. The key is humility. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up. The way up is down. The lowly one becomes the lifted one. There is a marked advantage to humility—eventually it brings honor.

4:11. To slanderand judge one another is totally incongruous to the humble spirit God desires. Furthermore, to judge another is actually a judgment of God’s Lawitself. His Law is a mandate over all people. No one dares assume a haughty position over the Law. The slanderer is sentenced by the Law; the self-styled judge is jeopardized by the Law; only the humble person is honored. True justice is rendered when a believer subjects himself to God in humility and obedience.

3. author of justice (4:12)

4:12. Only One is above the Law. He alone has the right to modify or overrule it. God is the one Lawgiver and Judge. “Lawgiver” is a compound noun used only here in the New Testament (nomothetēs, from nomos, “law,” and tithēmi, “to set, place, constitute, or lay down”). God not only authored the Law; He also administrates the Law. He serves as both the executive and judicial branches of the divine government. God is King; He institutes and declares His Law. God is Judge; He upholds and enforces His Law. He is the One who is able to save and destroy. There is one Author of the Law, one Judge over the Law, and but one Savior from the Law’s condemnation. This reminder of a truth well known by James’ Jewish readers was also a rebuke to their haughty attitudes and judgmental actions. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? is another of James’ typical penetrating rhetorical questions. A humble attitude and just actions are essential for spiritual growth. James then went on to show how these qualities of life militate against empty boasting.

Turn boasting into belief (4:13–17)

In addition to conflict and a judgmental spirit among the brethren, bragging was also apparently prevalent. James gave an example of a boastful statement, struck a condemnatory sentence on such boasting, and offered a practical solution for boasting.

1. statement of boasting (4:13)

4:13. James’ attack was direct. Now listen is literally, “Go now.” It is the same construction found in 5:1, a colloquial phrase used only by James in the New Testament. The interjection both goads the reader and gains his undivided attention. The offender attacked by James is a fairly typical businessman who makes his plans apart from God. He is self-assertive in his travel plans: we will go to this or that city;self-confident in his time schedule, spend a year there; and self-centered in his trade relationships, carry on business and make money. “Carry on business” is from a compound verb (emporeusometha, from en, “in,” and poreuomai, “to go”) from which the English word “emporium” has come. It is related to the noun (emporos) which could be translated “merchant,” “trader,” “drummer,” or “one who goes in and gets the trade.” A vivid picture of the Jewish merchant James tried to correct is a go-getter salesman out drumming up business for the bottom-line objective: “Make money!”

2. sentence on boasting (4:14)

4:14. To the selfish hustlers James simply stated, Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. Man’s plans are always tentative. His plans are not his own. Time is not his own. In fact, life is not his own. James then fired another of his famous questions: What is your life?The answer is a mist (“vapor, a puff of steam”). Believers need this godly perspective on their earthly sojourn. Among other things, it blasts boasting right out of the selfish, proud quagmire from which it emerged.

3. solution for boasting (4:15–17)

4:15. The key to avoiding boasting is to maintain a godly perspective. Instead of making big plans on the human plane, one must expand his view to include God in the picture. In place of vain boasting one should say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. These are not so much words to be used like some charm but a realistic attitude that affects all of one’s being and behavior.

4:16. To make sure his readers understood, James reiterated that to boast and brag … is evil. Self-centered bragging must be replaced by God-honoring trust. The cure for boasting is belief.

4:17. It is likely that chapter 4‘s concluding sentence, Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins, is related not only to the matter of boasting but also to all the advice given thus far in the epistle. “Then” (lit., “therefore,” oun) supports this contention. James’ readers could not plead ignorance. The letter abounds with exhortations to do good. To fail to comply is clearly sin.

To attain spiritual maturity a believer must do the good he now knows. He must stand confidently on God’s Word even in trials and temptations. He must compassionately serve his brethren without prejudicial favoritism but with practical faith. He must speak carefully with a controlled tongue and wise, cultivated thought. He must submit in contrition to his all-powerful Father, Law-giver, and Judge with a humble spirit, just action, and a trusting heart. He must be what God wants him to be, do what God wants him to do, speak as God wants him to speak, and sense what God wants him to sense.

James 4:7 ESV

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.