What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James begins by asking us a seemingly simple question: what causes fights and quarrels? He answers it with a fundamentally deep reason: it is because of the inner war we all share. It is the spirit vs.the flesh. The spirit is the part of us that wants to please God and the flesh is the part that wants to please ourselves. In Greek, the word Sarx is the word James is using for flesh. This means the physical body as a functioning entity.
Our sin nature is part of us. It was inherited through Original Sin. The sin works through the flesh, desires to oppose God and and seeks sinful gratification. Paul talks about how it manifests in the Acts of the Flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). For those who decide that they’d rather operate in the flesh, there is a result (Romans 8:13).
But there is a way to overcome our sinful nature. First, we must acknowledge our sin. This isn’t the standard “I am a sinner” mantra we as Christians take up. We must understand the specific sin. This takes a willingness to find it, a desire to identify exactly how sin operates in our life, and a willingness to extract it. The only way to truly destroy it is to walk in the spirit. First, we must repent and call for salvation (Acts 2:38). This is where the indwelling of the Holy Spirit happens (Ephesians 1:13). Then we must accept our new life in Christ. This is about understanding your past but not being a slave to it. Taking off the old clothes, putting on the new ones. Lastly, we must starve the sin (Colossians 3:5). Cut off the byways to it. Cut it off so it doesn’t have a place to live inside you.
Next, James visits two points. First, he says that “you do not have because you do not ask.” Often, we don’t let God into the issue. We keep him at arm’s length and try to handle things on our own. This is a reason we don’t get what we want.
Second, he says we don’t get what we want because we ask with wrong motives. This is a big one. We have to look at our prayer life and ask ourselves if the prayers we issue to God are for His kingdom or for our own personal comfort. James’ contention is this: if we are after our personal comfort we will always have a life in conflict, we will not get what we desire, and we will grow to resent God.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?
He uses the same language God used against the embattled Israelites. Covetness (selfishness) is the same as Idolatry. Remember, he is speaking to converted Jews. They would understand the breaking fo the covenant.
Friendship with the world defies God’s will. We cannot have friendship with the world (the system that opposes God) and have an authentic relationship with God. This is evident is what God did for us. When we believed, the Holy Spirit came to live inside us. He guides us, but also convicts us. If we ignore Him (grieve, quench him), then we do not allow the spirit to reveal himself. It hinders our Godly lifestyle. And that is the part that God yearns for us to be guided by.
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
The solution to this inner war is submission. The Holy Spirit convicts, but also grants us the grace to serve God. He tells us that we must resist pride. Why? Because grace comes to the humble. If we want to experience God’s grace, we cannot experience it in the space of Pride. Pride, simply put, is when you don’t need any help. Humility is when we realize we can’t do it ourselves.
So how to we solve this inner war? Here’s James’ solution.
1. Submit to God. We must realize his grace and humble up, surrender to Him. Trust Him. Follow Him. We will receive the benefits of a follower then. But our journey must be authentic. 2.Resist the Devil and he will flee: The word James is using for Resist isn’t passive. It means Stand and Against. That implies activity. This fight is about active resistance. Against the deception, lies and intimidation the devil flings our way. If you think of how a lion chases a pack, he never goes after the strongest, but the weakest, the slowest, the one separated from he pack. As you become stronger you can resist. 3.Draw near to God and he will draw near to you: This is a promise. How do we draw near? through worship, through prayer, through relationship, and through changing your life to fit His will. Our active response to God ignited the relationship. 4.Cleanse your hands: As we draw near, there’ll be sorrow for our past life and sins. There will be shame. 5.Purify your hearts: You can’t be double-minded. You can’t love the world and have an authentic relationship with God. You must choose the true path. 6.Grieve mourn, wail: Humility is the key. Authenticity is the only way.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Katalalia is the Greek word James uses for slander. It refers to groups of people, meeting privately, fo the purpose of destroying others. We do this is a variety of ways in our life. But here’s the bigger point: the way we speak about others is an outward expression of our heart. This breaks the Royal Law. It takes away judgment from God. We have no authority to do that. When we are operating in humility, judgment is impossible.
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
We cannot make plans away from the constant hand of God. Yet in our culture, we do this all the time. We make plans for our weeks, months, even years. We do it with vacations, retirement, all sorts of things without consulting God. Our life is fragile. Pride is the foundation of planning without God.
17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Genuine faith is proven by action. The uncertainty of life should not propel us toward fear, but toward action. If we do not do what is right (verified by the Holy Spirit), then it is wrong; it affects our fellowship.