The Causes and Cures of Conflict in a Christian Community:

A Case Study of James 3 and 4. 

I.  Introduction.

A.  Aim of paper.

In Chapters 3 and 4 of his epistle, James deals with a conflict in a Christian community.  The aim of this paper is to look at what this conflict was and how James deals with it to see if what he says has any relevance in dealing with conflict in Christian communities today.

B.  How James handles conflict.

My reason for choosing these two chapters to study the subject of conflict management is that James’ approach in dealing with this particular conflict is unique from the rest of the New Testament.  In the rest of the New Testament, conflict is dealt with through reconciliation (cp. Mat. 5:23ff) and agreement (cp. Phil. 4:2).  James, on the other hand, deals with conflict by identifying its fundamental causes and then by showing his readers how to correct them. 

C.  Outline.

My outline will cover four topics: (1) the conflict James is addressing; (2) the causes of this conflict; (3) the cures for this conflict; and (4) how James can help us deal with conflict in Christian communities today.

II.  The conflict James is addressing.

A.  The structure of James 3 & 4.

The first topic we will cover is the conflict James is addressing.  We need to begin this topic by tying Chapters 3 and 4 together.  Although we usually disjoin these two chapters, and the various elements within them, their content and structure tie them together.  In Chapter 3, James writes about a conflict that was created by bad speech (vss. 1-12) and by bad thinking (3:13-18).  In Chapter 4:1-12, he tells his readers where this conflict came from and how to stop it.  The question in 4:1, “πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν,” assumes the previously mentioned conflict in Chapter 3.  If Chapter 3 is not tied to Chapter 4, we would be left wondering what conflict James is referring to in Chapter 4.  Structurally Chapter 3 lays out what the conflict is and Chapter 4 lays out what the causes and cures for it are. 

B.  James 3: The Conflict.

What is the conflict that James is writing about in these two chapters?  James does not give a detailed account of this conflict.  Rather, he only touches on the major issues involved.  The reason for this is because the community he was writing to already knew what the conflict was about.  Therefore, James’ main concern is not to tell them what they already knew, but to tell them how to overcome their clash.  We can, however, deduce what the conflict was about by studying both the causes that James identifies for it and the cures that he tells this Christian community they must follow to fix it. 

1)  Some wanted to be teacher.

It appears that there were certain persons in this community who wanted to be teachers.  This is seen in three words that James uses: διδάσκαλος, σοφὸς, and ἐπιστήμων. 

a)  Διδάσκαλος.

The first word is διδάσκαλος, which is the usual New Testament word for teacher (3:1) (BDAG διδάσκαλος). 

b)  σοφὸς.

The second word is σοφὸς (3:13).  Although σοφὸς is generally translated “wisdom,” it can also mean “teacher” (WPTN James 3:13).  In rabbinic circles, σοφὸς became a technical term used to describe a scribe or ordained rabbi who was trained in the Torah (TDNT 7:505, Ropes 244).  In this context James probably uses σοφος to mean teacher because of the presence of the third word that James uses, which is ἐπιστήμων (3:13) (cp. Martin 128). 

c)  ἐπιστήμων.

Ἐπιστήμων refers to one who is an expert in any field (BAGD ἐπιστήμων 1).  In the Old Testament, when σοφὸς and ἐπιστήμων are found together, they refer to one who has a correct understanding of God (Deut. 1:13, 4:6).  In James Chapter 3, we get the idea that James is referring to persons who are thinking, at least in their own minds, that they are expert teachers regarding the things of God. 

d)  Teachers denied.

The context suggests that these persons are not teachers yet.  In 3:1, James tells the community that not many of them should become teachers, inferring that some in the congregation wanted to be teachers but were not.  The context also suggests that their desire to become teachers was denied (4:2).

It seems as though when these would-be teachers were denied, they responded with a barrage of negative responses.  They became vindictive (3:9f), bitter (3:14), jealous (3:14), and belligerent (3:16).  These responses appear to have thrown the community into turmoil and conflict.  For whatever reason, the community did not handle this well and James stepped in to help.

III.   the causes of this conflict. 

The second topic we will cover is the causes of this conflict.  Broadly speaking, the cause of all conflict is sin (cp. Gen. 3).  James mentions that these Christians were guilty of three sins that caused this conflict:  an undisciplined tongue, unspiritual wisdom, and unrestrained passions.