Lesson 7 – James Chapter 4:1-7a
In chapter 3 we covered two important issues within our Christian walk, taming the tongue and seeking out godly wisdom. Both of these are necessary for us to pursue a holy lifestyle, and yes, living in holiness is possible for us, in fact God commands us to do so.
I Peter 1:15
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,”
In chapter 4 we will see that there were carnal or fleshly divisions and disagreements among the believers. We will also find that the basic cause for this was a result of disobedience. It’s so sad when believers find themselves at odds with each other instead of having a sense of unity.
Psalm 133:1
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
James 4:1
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?”
…Where do wars and fights come from among you?
James is saying, “What’s going on with you guys, why are you fighting?
From the Message; “Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from?”
James knew that at times the church was at war within itself. Let’s remember back in chapter 3 verse 15, where James highlights the basic reason for why this happening. This is where he talks about the battle that ensues comes from the earthly, sensual, and demonic. In other words, from the world’s influence, our very own flesh, and satan.
Paul points this out to us as well:
Eph. 2:1-3
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
The unsaved person (who is dead in trespasses and sins) is the one who lives in the world and their flesh, and is controlled by the devil (the prince of the power of the air). It’s our flesh that wars against each one of us, this is also known as indwelling sin, something we’ll fight against until we’re glorified.
Paul describes the situation for us:
Rom. 7:20
“Now if I do what I “will” not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
James says to us, “Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” Other translations use the word “lust,” which also indicates the sensual passions. These desires are at work in the members of the body, and they excite the flesh and create all kinds of problems within us. The body itself is not sinful, but it is our fallen nature that is in control.
Desires for pleasure… the translated word for pleasure is hēdonē (hay-don-ay’) it is the root word which “hedonist” and “hedonism” come from. In the NewTestament the word is always used in a negative and ungodly sense. Hedonism is the uncontrolled personal desire to fulfill every passion that promises some kind of sensual satisfaction and enjoyment. Perhaps you know some people that fall into the category of Hedonism.
People of the world say, “Well that sounds good, where do I sign up?”
So, in thinking about personal desires:
• Why is it important that we look closely at the desires that well up inside us?
II Peter 2:10
“He (God) is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority.”
“These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.” (NLT)
I think we’re starting to get a good picture of what James is presenting… the fighting, the wars, the sensual motivations that are coming about are coming from people who are not being led by the Spirit.
Rom. 8:5-7
“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” (NLT)
Gal. 5:17
“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” (NLT)
The Holy Spirit may use the body to glorify God, and the flesh might use the body to serve sin. We always have a choice in the matter. When we give our life to Christ, we receive a new nature within us, we’ve talked about this before.
Even though we have a new nature the old nature still hangs around and isn’t reformed at all. Thus, we have a battle on our hands, James calls it “war.” This takes place in believers and unbelievers alike.
James 4:2
“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.”
John MacArthur: “The verb to lust refers to having a desire or longing of any kind, but the context makes it clear that the desire mentioned here is inordinate, misdirected, and sinful. James does not mention a specific object of desire, doubtless because the particular object does not matter as far as his point here is concerned. When any strong sinful lust is not gratified, the worldly person is prone to lash out in angry frustration, sometimes even committing murder. Even the Pharisees, who lusted for the personal satisfaction of having a reputation for virtue and holiness, murdered the Savior who unmasked their hypocrisy.”
We see the word murder and we think this is very extreme.
In this context it can include murderous hatred, extremely destructive behavior, and even suicide. James says, You murder and covet and cannot obtain… he’s describing the person who is very much living outside any kind of relationship with God.
When people have such fierce desires in their heart, but cannot obtain it, they end up coveting… then they fight and war. All the conflicts we see going on around us, the marital problems, conflicts at work, even national and world conflicts can be the result of unsatisfied personal lust and envying.
John gives us some godly advice:
I John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
• What happens to us when we are sidetracked by the things of the world?
Yet you do not have because you do not ask… this is about the “worldly ones,” the unbelievers, but it can also mean believers as well. Do unbelievers ask God for things? Sure they do, but they ask for all the wrong things.
• What should an unbeliever be asking God?
They should be asking for forgiveness and coming to a place of repentance. Unbelievers have a tendency to ask God for sinful things that bring them pleasure. Or many don’t ask God for any kind of help because of their pride, they think that they’re totally self-sufficient. In their mind they can accomplish anything through their own wisdom, power, and persistence.
James 4:3
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
“And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” (NLT)
The reasons here are simple, they ask for only themselves (a self-centeredness) and what will make them feel good. These people could care less about living a life that gives glory to God, or even to be within the will of God. It’s all about me, myself, and I. Why? Because they don’t trust God, they only trust in themselves.
James 4:4
“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.”
We all know what adultery is, James is using this term metaphorically in a way that his Jewish readers would clearly understand. This went out to men and women alike. He’s not talking about the sexual, but the spiritual here.
Jer. 3:8
“Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also.”
The interesting thing is, nowhere in Scripture can you find the terms adulterer or adulteress figuratively used of the Gentiles. The reason is, only Israel had a covenant relationship with God to be unfaithful to, just as husbands and wives have a covenant relationship in marriage. On the other hand, Gentiles could be spiritual fornicators, but not adulterers. The way I see it, it’s all just as bad.
This verse isn’t talking about God’s attitude toward people, but a person’s attitude toward God. There is such a vast difference between God and the “world,” that it’s almost blasphemous to even mention them in the same sentence.
The problem for the believer is, when we move toward the direction of the world, we have a tendency to alienate ourselves from God… and that’s never a good thing.
The world’s view of “sin” is considered as something acceptable and even pleasurable. Just look at the world we live in today, the morals that this country used to stand for no longer exist. I won’t give you any examples of this because that would just become depressing for us.
Ultimately, the whole world has lost its moral compass and its awareness of sin… and with that, sin has become habitual, just as in the days of Noah.
Makes himself an enemy of God…
God looks at the world system and sees all the violence, crime, and corruption. Those who want to be liked by the world and be part of the world, will always be at odds with God.
Rom. 5:8,10
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Before we give our life to Christ, we are all considered enemies of God. After all, those who belong to the world are children of satan.
James 4:5
“Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?””
“What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy?” (NLT)
“And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “He’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what He gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find.” (The Message)
This is being directed to the believer because the Spirit doesn’t dwell in unbelievers. This is a tough verse to decipher, but I like how Pastor Jon Courson breaks it down:
“Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?” (King James)
“Lusteth to envy” means “guards jealously.” In other words, the Spirit of God that dwells within us wants the very best for us. When we talk about grieving the Holy Spirit, we must understand the Spirit is grieved not because we’ve hurt Him, but because… seeing what’s ahead for us if we continue on the same path we’re on… He hurts for us.
If you’re a dad, you can understand this… Your sixteen-year-old daughter can’t stop talking about him. So finally a week or two later, he shows up on his Harley in black leathers, a marijuana joint hanging out of his mouth, a swastika tattooed on his arm. A patch over his eye, a flask of whiskey in his pocket, a Playboy bunny on his shirt, saying, “I like your daughter.”
Although your daughter says, “Isn’t he dreamy?” you know he’s nothing but a nightmare… and that she’ll be hurt badly if she gets on his Harley and goes down the road of life with him.
That’s how the Holy Spirit feels when He sees us getting on the back of some Harley we think is dreamy. He’s not mad at us, not disappointed in us, not hurt by us, but jealous for us as a dad is for his daughter.”
Personally, I take comfort in knowing that the God I serve is jealous for me. This tells me that the Holy Spirit who dwells in me will not stop working in me. He does this by convicting my heart whenever I go off the path that He has set before me.
Exodus 34:14
“For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
James 4:6
“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 3:34 (James is quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament).
“Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.”
God doesn’t give His grace to His proud and ungodly enemies.
I Peter 5:5b (repeats the same verse)
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
The fact is, God wants us to be humble, and satan wants us to be proud. There is a difference between the kind of pride that God hates and the pride that is acceptable.
Proverbs 8:13
“All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.” (NLT)
And then there’s the kind of pride we can feel about a job well done:
Galatians 6:4
“Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.” (NLT)
Or there’s the kind of pride we express over the accomplishment of loved ones:
II Corinthians 7:4
“I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy despite all our troubles.”
The kind of pride that stems from self-righteousness or conceit is sin, and God hates it because it is an obstacle for us in seeking Him.
Psalm 10:3-4
“For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; he blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord… The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”
This kind of arrogant pride is just the opposite of the spirit of humility that God seeks in us:
Matt. 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their utter spiritual bankruptcy and their inability to come to God aside from His divine grace. The proud, on the other hand, are so blinded by their pride that they think they have no need of God or, worse, that God should accept them as they are because they deserve His acceptance.
Can God’s children get prideful? Of course, they can. Many of us have been raised in a society that totally encouraged us to be proud. It’s okay to be proud, but we need to be aware that God is the source of “all” our abilities… Jesus said, “You can do nothing apart from Me,” in John 15:5.
Warren Wiersbe; “Satan is the author of “do-it-yourself” spiritual enterprises. He enjoys inflating the ego and encouraging the believer to do it his own way.”
II Cor. 10:18
“For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”
What we say about ourselves means nothing in God’s work. It is what God says about us that makes all the difference. But when pride gets the best of us, then there is grace for us.
But He gives more grace… (NASB) says “greater grace.” God wants us to depend on His grace, while satan wants us to depend only on ourselves.
Rom. 5:20
“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (NLT)
This greater grace, this more abundant grace is reserved for all those who belong to God and desire a close personal relationship with Him.
God resists the proud or God is opposed to the proud…
Resist and opposed carry the same meaning in the Greek, it was used as a military term depicting a full army ready for battle. This means that God is in His full battle gear waring against the proud. God will always fight the prideful because they are not on His side.
The word proud in this context isn’t good, it means to be disdainfully and arrogantly supposing oneself to be above all others. I’m sure you’ve seen this, and when you do see it, it’s not very attractive.
This kind of pride shows a contempt for all other people, nothing less than a defiant sinner. This person is an enemy of God and has no part of God’s grace.
On the other hand, our Scripture says, God gives grace to the humble…
Where would any of us be without God’s grace? Those who submit to divine wisdom will receive grace from God when they repent and ask Christ into their heart.
John MacArthur: “The first and foundational Beatitude is “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” that is, the humble, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). Just as pride is the root of all sin, so humility is the root of all righteousness, it is only when the things of the world are no longer admired and sought, when self-concern is replaced with concern for God’s glory, that God’s Spirit can work His sovereign and gracious will in a heart, changing it from being an enemy to being a friend.”
Scottish minister Robert Murry M’Cheyne said; “If grace were at any time an obligation of God, it would cease to be grace.”
Randy Alcorn: “Deliberately and unceasingly, the tide of God’s grace brings us wave after wave of God’s goodness. The next wave crashes onto the beach before the previous wave is diminished. God’s grace is constant, but it isn’t stationary. It keeps moving toward us day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. It’s always there when we need it… and there’s never a moment we don’t.”
Charles Spurgeon: “Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace.”
The fact that God’s grace is so abundant to us, should cause us all to drop to our knees in total humility, that the God of all creation would prove His love to us through His Son and bless us with grace upon grace is so amazing.
James 4:7a
“So humble yourselves before God.”
I don’t think I need to say anything more!