Wars and Fightings – James 4
‘From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?’ — James 4:1
Christians can be responsible for very ugly behaviour. Proof of this is seen in James 4:1-6. Here we read of wars, fightings, killings, lusts, envy, and pride. These verses are a rebuke to such worldly and spiritual unfaithful behaviour. As children of God, we should be much different.
How do we not descend to such unspiritual behaviour?
- Admit our own selfishness and sinfulness (v.1-6).
- Submit to God and resist the devil (v.7).
- Draw close to God and cleanse our hands and hearts (v.8).
- Mourn and weep over sin (v.9).
- Humble ourselves in the Lord’s sight (v.10).
- Stop speaking evil of and judging one another (v.11-12).
- Stop boasting about what we will do and acknowledge the Lord in all our plans (v.13-17).
These are very convicting verses. They show that the root issue of much conflict and division is our own prideful heart. They also show that we cannot take repentance over sin lightly.
May God help us to see our sin and pride for what it is. May we see how much damage it causes. And may we repent of all the selfish desires and destructive behaviour it causes.