1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
Quarreling between believers is a reality. From nearly the beginning of Christianity, as evidenced in Paul’s first epistle to the church in Corinth where he addressed the subject of division and disagreements between believers[1], there has been quarrying. So, why do Christians and churches quarrel? Sadly, disagreements can begin over nearly any subject, be it about doctrine (agreeing on essential beliefs), dogma (accepting interpretation of beliefs considered absolute), tradition (established protocol), length of sermon, or even the color of the carpet. Christians often spend more time arguing and defending their positions rather than doing any evangelism. These issues in some cases have become nothing more than excuses, keeping us from doing what we were all called to do.
Some believe without a doubt what they are taught, however, for many others they need more. The pursuit of truth begins, but it can get complicated quickly. For example if you have a medical condition and you see the doctor they will give you their opinion as to the cause of your problem. If you do not like that doctor’s opinion or simply just want a second opinion you schedule a visit to a different doctor. What if that doctor has a different opinion? Which one is true? If you were planning on buying a new home and one geologist says the house will slip away in one year but a different geologist says no problem exists. Will you buy the house? Now let’s say you have a question regarding a moral or theological question and get two opinions, which one is right? The concept of Christianity has become so “watered down” today with so many opinions and teachings, which one is right, if any? You can easily see how a young Christian or an unbeliever could easily be misled. Christians should not have ‘opinions’ about Jesus and Christianity; we need to know the facts (the only book that matters at the end is the Bible). If we can’t get our ‘acts’ together between each other (applies to both individuals and churches) how can we successfully evangelize? Why would someone from the ‘outside’ even want to listen to us?
The second half of this verse uses the word ‘passions’, this is the Greek word ‘hēdonē’[2] which is the root word for hedonism, the desire to lustfully seek pleasure. The Bible clearly teaches that the desire to love oneself is essentially the opposite of everything God teaches (see 2 Timothy 3:2-4; Jude 1:16-18; 2 Peter 2:10-14, 17-21). James then continues the phrase: “at war within you.” In the Greek the phrase means “within our members,” within us, our bodies. James starts with “among you” regarding the believing Jews he is writing to, but it is true for every believer. He then narrows down the focus to “within you” referring to the source of our own lusts and passions. Since Christians are still sinners, we all can be influenced by the world. Sadly, this path leads to further corruption allowing the world greater control of our hearts. Before too long we begin to speak and judge using worldly wisdom, not God’s. Christians often insist they are right without first exploring if that is true or where that knowledge comes from. Soon nothing stops us from having our way all the time!
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
James then illustrates his point regarding our passions and lusts by using three horrific ideas to get our attention: 1) we murder (remember Jesus taught that even if we thought of sinning we were guilty, see Matthew 5:21-30); 2) we covet (the act of being envious); and 3) we cannot obtain (expressing anger from not having what you lust after).
James again reminds us that we do not have because we did not ask (see James 1:5-6). But what about having asked but you still did not receive, now what? James goes on to say that you didn’t ask correctly. Is there a right way to ask? Yes, we need to ask in alignment with God’s will. We need to ask for God’s goodness (see James 1:17), something that will bring glory and honor to Him. Christians often ask for something that would fulfill their our own sinful and selfish desires. James uses an interesting term here in verse three, ‘spend’. He is not referring to some form of heavenly currency, he is saying we can squander our life and time (remember what the prodigal son did in Jesus’ parable, see Luke 15:11-32).
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James uses the phrase: “you adulterous people” in the same way Jesus did (read Matthew 12:39; 16:4; Mark 8:38). Adultery refers to being unfaithful to your spouse. In this case James and Jesus use it to point out the unfaithfulness of people in a covenant relationship with God. Calling His own as being unfaithful., that speaking like an unbeliever, thinking like an unbeliever and seeking pleasures like an unbeliever (embracing the world and worldly ideas) makes us friends of the world and enemies of God.
I am sure everyone has seen a movie or television show where someone is brought into an interrogation room without knowing what they are there for. Before too long the person being interrogation finally realizes what they are being questioned for. It usually goes something like this: “wait, what? Murder? No way!” The person emphatically denies the allegation. James is giving us a warning, we need to heed that warning, we need to stop embracing the world so we can shout, “Me an enemy of God? No way!”
The simplest definition for the word ‘evil’ is whatever takes our eyes and mind off Jesus! It is often heard that someone accepts or votes for the “lesser of two evils.” Why should we compromise? Parents have it difficult these days as children often reply to a loving parent, “but my friend’s parents let them have it!” or “do that!” It is so easy to let the world’s wisdom in our lives. We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to illuminate those things that need to be changed in our lives and seek Him the only One that can change us!
5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
Here James uses a general quote, a distillation if you will, not a specific verse reference even though many English Bibles use quotation marks around, “He yearns jealousy over the Spirit that He has made to dwell in us.” James is not quoting, he is essentially pointing out the fact that our God is a jealous God (He doesn’t want to share us with other gods, see Ephesians 1:13 and 2:22). Pastor John MacArthur renders the verse this way: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are living proof of the veracity of the Scripture, which clearly teaches that the natural man has a spirit of envy?”[3] James is saying that God’s desire is for believers to put Him first, to look to Him for answers, not the world. Essentially everything from the subject of going through trials (James 1:2) to that of rejecting the world (James 4:4) talks about our need to remain in fellowship with God.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
God will provide whatever grace (strength and power) we need to stay in fellowship with Him, sufficient to overcome any obstacle. But if we become haughty, or become influenced by the world, God will oppose the proud. That would be anyone who arrogantly lifts himself above others, thinking they have a better theology, better ideas, or worse, by thinking God’s wisdom or truth doesn’t apply. God gave grace to the humble in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 66:2 as an example) and still does today (see Matthew 23:12). How can we start on a road to recovery? Begin by recognizing that we are sinners and then seek Him! How? Submit to God and resist the Devil.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Submit therefore to God are the words James uses to begin his conclusion about being influenced by the world. We can connect his thoughts written so far: 1) about what not to say (taming the tongue, see James 3:1-12); 2) how and what we should be saying, using the wisdom that comes from God (see James 3:13-18); 3) and to understand that wisdom and knowledge that does not come from God is from the world. James now reveals the source (or motivation) of man’s knowledge; namely we are motivated by our lusts and passions that ourselves first. Since that is the opposite of God’s wisdom, we end up being enemies of God (see James 4:4). So what is the answer? How should we respond? Submit therefore to God! These next few verses are critical for every Christian to know and understand. Remember these are not requirements for salvation, but if we love God and take our relationship with Jesus seriously we will respond appropriately.
The Greek word for ‘submit’ (‘hupotássō’)[4] is most often used as a military term. To some Christians today the word is considered a negative term. This is mainly due to either incorrect teaching or from misunderstanding the verse’s context. In simple terms submission is a requirement of order. Without submission there would be chaos and disorder (see James 3:15-16). Jesus submitted to His Father, was that a negative? Of course not! The term in a military application implies putting someone under another, however it can also mean to voluntarily submit or be willing to carry an extra burden (see Luke 2:51; Romans 13:1; Ephesians 5:21-6:9; Titus 2:9; 1 Peter 2:18). Submission is part of God’s design. Regardless of what we may think, we were once under the lordship of Satan but now we are to submit to God. With Jesus we have a new owner and landlord.
Of course if we are truly submitting to God we are resisting the devil. James goes one step further and says it outright: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The point James is making is simple: THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND! Remember what he said in verse four, friendship with the world makes us enemies of God. Paul tells us that we are following “the prince of the power of the air,” the devil, when we follow our passions and desires of the body (see Ephesians 2:1-3). The devil, one of many titles Satan is called in Scripture, when translated means false accuser or slanderer (see 1 John 3:8 and John 8:44). We no longer serve the devil (see Romans 6:16-23).
Satan even had the audacity to tempt Jesus, and how Jesus responded should be considered a model response for each of us today. Recorded in both Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13 Satan attempted to persuade Jesus three times including one where Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus. In each case Jesus replied with Scripture. After the third attempt, Satan fled. Notice how Satan knew God and God’s Word. Knowledge alone will not save us, having faith in Jesus for our salvation will. But also note that Jesus quoted Scripture. Jesus was showing us that the answers in life, the answers when in trouble including the answers when we are in temptation are all in the Bible. We all need to study the Word of God so that we will know the Word of God! God’s Word is indeed powerful (see Ephesians 6:10-17).
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James moves from submission and resistance to fellowship. Words of this verse can be found in many hymns and praise songs. In the Old Testament we found that the priests were necessary intermediaries to approach God (see Exodus 19:22; Leviticus 10:3; Ezekiel 43:9; 44:13). That practice is no longer required; each one of us can draw near to Jesus! All we have to do is seek Him (see Matthew 7:7-11; John 4:23-24; Acts 17:22-28). It is important to note that Jesus did everything for our salvation, but we needed to come to Him and accept that gift. The same is true as a believer, we still need to draw near to Him to be in fellowship with God. If God seems far away, He didn’t move, we did.
As we draw near to Him, especially in prayer, I first think about the need to seek forgiveness. Years ago I attended a “prayer seminar” taught by author Evelyn Christenson.[5] Her first point in that seminar was that when we reach out to God we shouldn’t reach with “dirty hands.” It is a good practice to seek forgiveness first, to clean those hands, so to speak. Here James is saying something similar, we can draw near to Him after being ‘cleansed’ of or sins. This would have been a familiar concept to the Jews (see Exodus 30:18-21; Leviticus 16:4), however for us today we can be made clean by what Jesus did for us on the cross (see 1 John 1:8-10) by confessing our sins, no ‘ritual’ or special ‘protocol’ needed.
Many scholars believe that James may have been referring to non-believers here when James says: “cleanse your hands, you sinners.” James is reminding us that we are still sinners and still need to seek forgiveness and purification. Our hearts are desperately wicked (remember Jeremiah 17:9), we need our hearts purified (no room for the world). King David wrote about the need to be purged and cleaned followed by a tearful request for a clean heart after acknowledging his grievous sin: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:7-10). Later the apostle John wrote, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10)
James finishes verse eight with the term ‘double-minded’ (Greek ‘dipsuchos’)[6] meaning divided in interest (see also Matthew 6:24; 12:30). Simply put we can’t be Christians and be influenced by the world or accept worldly wisdom simultaneously (see Isaiah 55:6-11). We can’t be Christians on Sunday morning and then cover up that identity during the rest of the week!
9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
If we embrace the world, our happiness is only temporary, our joy is without merit and we are only deceiving ourselves (see 1 John 1:5-10 above). James says if that is the case we need to be wretched (miserable in some translations) and be broken. We can only come to God if we realize we are sinners and have an eternal problem. Most addicts, regardless of what they are addicted to, suffer from a delusion that they don’t have a problem, and as a result will not take the first step towards recovery. Can Christians be addicted to the world? Yes, as we are still sinners. James is saying, if so, stop! We are to have a contrite heart (to mourn, see Matthew 5:4) and weep (outward indicator of your heart, see Isaiah 22:12; Mark 14:72; John 11:35; 2 Corinthians 7:10). We need to understand the seriousness of our sin. James says we need to turn our temporary laughter and earthly happiness (not the joy he mentioned in James chapter one) to gloom. We need to say no to flippant, self-confident, worldly and lustful pleasures (see Luke 6:25 and Leviticus 5:15-18).
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
We are to humble ourselves. As a teacher I can’t say, “humble yourselves now!” It won’t happen as a result of self-taught discipline, nor is it about self-deprecation or putting oneself down. It starts with purging the world. Remember blessed are the poor in Spirit (see Mathew 5:3), we need to be empty before God can fill us with His Spirit (see Matthew 23:12; Ephesians 1:3-7 and 2:6). Humility begins with us earnestly seeking God, which brings us back to submission. Once humble before God, we will be exalted (Greek ‘hupsóō’,[7] raised up) by Him.
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
Understanding now how to submit to God (see verses 7-10), we recognize the need to purge the world and all of its worldly wisdom from our hearts and minds, so that we can be humble before our Lord Jesus. This understanding helps us see that there is no way to mix human standards for living with God’s standards. As Christians we need to be aware how the world can interfere or at least influence our thinking. Much like how James brought up the subject about impartiality and how favoritism can be a serious problem (see James 2:1-13), he now introduces another major but subtle issue, slander. The issue of slander is often neglected but it is considered very offensive.
First, we probably should define what slander is. It is simply saying something false or damaging. This is different than libel; which is the act of writing something false or malicious. One easy way to remember the difference is to think about the first letter. The letter ‘S’ can stand for speech and the letter ‘L’ can stand for ‘letters’ (something written). Both concepts offer the potential of damaging someone else’s reputation.
Is a reputation important? Both Proverbs 22:1 and Ecclesiastes 7:1 state very clearly that a ‘good name’, or reputation, is very important. In today’s high-speed wireless-internet age we can instantly post a review of a restaurant, find a good general contractor, or compare several doctors instantly. I think we all agree reputations can make or break a business. What about a church’s reputation? Or, what about a Christian’s reputation?
The Bible has a lot to say about slander. For example, in the Old Testament Moses wrote, “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:16) giving us clear instruction that we should not slander. David gave us insight on how to live for God in Psalm 15, “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;” (Psalm 15:2-3,). King David was very familiar with being slandered himself, even from close family members (see 2 Samuel chapter 10).
In the New Testament, Paul listed several things that fill an unrighteous person: “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.” (Romans 1:29-31) Note how being a slanderer is in the middle of those ‘attributes’ describing the darkest existence of mankind. Jesus reminds us that it is what comes out of our mouth that defiles a person (see Matthew 15:10-20). What we say exposes what is on our hearts. Paul, in his letter to the Church at Ephesus gives us instruction on how to live as Christians (see Ephesians 4:25-32). In verse 31 he says “Let all…slander be put away from you.” It is interesting to note that when John wrote the book of Revelation he offered a quick description of Satan (calling him the devil, Greek ‘diábolos’,[8] a false accuser, see also Revelation 12:7-12), something Satan started doing a long time ago, going all the way back to his words in Genesis, “Did God actually say…”(see Genesis chapter three).
Note that the admonishment to not speak evil against one another does not forbid exposing sin with righteous intent. The point is to not lie with malicious intent. The phrase in Greek implies a mindless, thoughtless, careless, derogatory form of untrue speech.[9] I find this interesting since it appears today that the most frequently quoted verse is from Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you will not be judged.” Jesus is not saying we should not judge, but when we judge, to do so without hypocrisy. Christians do need to speak out against sin and should not be silenced by someone misusing this verse. Jesus even gave us guidelines on how to approach people when admonishment is needed (read Matthew 18:15-20 and John 7:24). These verses and Romans chapter 14 are often misapplied, so please pray prior to any encounter! Listen to what Paul wrote to Titus “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” (Titus 2:11-15).
Note how James repeats the word ‘brothers’ or ‘brethren’, explaining the concern not to people outside Christianity but between fellow believers. Paul warned that we can end up devouring each other if we are not careful (see Galatians 5:15). Simply put, non-believers are not impressed with our in-house bickering, however, we are to expect slandering from outside the church (see 1 Peter 2:12 and 3:16).
Paul reminds us that loving others is the embodiment of God’s law (see Romans 13:8) and since slandering is essentially an indicator of not loving others, we would be rejecting God’s law and His Word if we were to speak against a fellow believer (see also Matthew 22:37-40). Here in verse eleven James says if we are not ‘doers’ of God’s Law (someone who disregards God) we fail to recognize God’s authority. Since we know that we are sinners from the law (see Psalm 51:4), denying God’s Word, is to set ourselves up as being greater than God or in a position to judge over His law or Word.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, God, as He alone ultimately renders judgment. In His judgment He is able to either save or destroy. By placing our faith in Jesus we can be saved from eternal damnation (see Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Deuteronomy 32:39; Romans 1:16 and Hebrews 7:25). However, God is also a ‘just’ God and as such He requires justice, so those that do not accept Jesus as their Savior will be sentenced to hell (eternal damnation, see Matthew 10:28; 25:46 and 2 Thessalonians 1:9).
James closes the subject of slander with a question, “But who are you to judge your neighbor?” This question reminds us of what Paul wrote in the book of Romans, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3) Judging or slandering others is in direct contrast to James’ appeal for us to be humble (see also Psalm 40:1-17). Remember humility begins by thinking favorably of someone else, putting their needs ahead of your own.
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
James begins the next subject with a loud “come now,” or perhaps we can say it’s another, “listen up!” Here James is offering a rebuke to those who regularly make plans and boasts to others about those plans without any regard to God, as if God doesn’t exist. This is nothing new in today’s world, as we pointed out earlier in this study our society seems to be fixated on themselves. It’s all about me, myself and I. I can do this. I will do this. It doesn’t take long for us to develop this attitude, just listen to any child. It appears Satan also had an ‘I’ problem (see Isaiah 14:13-14). Many of those same issues found in Isaiah 14 are illustrated by James in verse 13 beginning with choosing the time (“today or tomorrow”), choosing location (“such and such a town”), determining the duration (“spend a year”), choosing an occupation or business (“trade”) and choosing a goal (“make a profit”). James warns his readers in verse 14 to be careful about how we think and plan, as we do not know what tomorrow will bring (see also Proverbs 27:1).
What happens if we leave God out of our plans? Jesus offered the Parable of the Rich Fool (see Luke 12:16-21) to explain that plans designed only for personal comfort or financial gain are not of God’s. However, Christians can be comforted by knowing that every event (or thing) in their lives is part of something great (see Romans 8:28). We need to trust God (see Psalm 37:3-5) and that’s not easy for most of us humans since we always want to know what’s around the corner, we can’t always trust our own reasoning (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
The second half of verse 14 attempts to reset our thinking by reminding us that we are nothing more than a mist, that is here briefly and then gone shortly afterwards (see also Isaiah 40:6-8). James is pointing out that life is actually about eternity with God, not about this temporary world. Our fellowship with Jesus has already begun.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
James tells us we should instead include God in all of our plans. When talking with others we need to humble ourselves and recognize God’s influence in our lives. James illustrates this with a suggestion of what we ought to precede our words with, “If the Lord wills…” If we deny God’s will we are only boasting in our arrogance and all such boasting is evil (anything that takes our eyes off Jesus). But how do we know God’s will? To answer that question we may need to “step back” and examine a broader question. “What is a Christian?” When I ask others that question I usually get a wide variety of answers. Most are good, but many miss the point completely.
Christianity is not some form of special membership, it is clearly a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus. A true Christian is one that desires to follow Jesus and God’s will. Sadly many churches only offer worn-out programs, methods, rituals, and protocols, that are often considered greater or more important than the will of God. Traditions are started with good intentions but after a while they can become more important than their relationship with God. We should not let that happen!
Is it important to follow the will of God? Earlier we referenced Psalm 40, let’s quickly look at verses 6-8, “In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”” Do you hear what David is saying? Sacrifices and offerings no longer delight God because people were coldly following a procedure. This was a protocol with parameters set into motion by God Himself and now He’s saying these burnt offering and sin offerings, while still requirements, they were essentially no longer desired. In other words DON’T BOTHER! If your heart is not engaged while you serve God, then what’s the point? David then replies that he delights in doing God’s will (even though he recognizes he is a sinner), he knew God and His law, His Word was, if you will, ‘etched’ (fully known) on his heart. David had a joyous desire to serve God. Later in Psalm 143:10, David pleads for God to, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God!” Do we know God well enough to know His will? Read on, because we can know God’s will!
Jesus often taught the importance of doing the will of God (see Mark 3:35; John 7:17 and Matthew 7:21). When we explore verses like 1 Peter 4:1-2 and 1 John 2:15-17, it may make us squirm a bit, seeing how important God’s will is. “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2). “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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ” (1 John 2:15-17) In simple terms we are to live by following the will of God!
Jesus gave us great examples on how to follow God’s will by submitting to His Father’s will (read John 6:38; Matthew 26:39 and Mark 14:36). He also taught us how to pray with what we call the Lord’s Prayer, do you remember the words “Your will be done?” (see Matthew 6:10). The popular hymn “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”[10] captures the importance for us to seek and follow God. So by now you are probably asking yourself the critical question, “How can I know the will of God?” It seems unfair! We hear about God and His Word and then hear that may not please Him! What should we do?
Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2 to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God as a form of worship to Him. Paul is essentially connecting the dots for us, by pointing out that we are to live by sacrificing just like the Old Testament procedure for worship (see Leviticus chapters 1-7). Wait a minute! What are we sacrificing? Paul continues in verse two that we are to no longer conform to the way this world thinks and be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that we may know the will of God. Note the words ‘conformed’; ‘transformed’ and ‘renewal’ are all words that express change, a potentially painful series of changes, those changes lead us to follow God, to be obedient to God, that is our sacrifice, 24 hours every day. We can’t change on our own we can only be changed by God. We can only know God through the Word of God. Do you know God? Do you know His Word? If so then you know His will. We are to obey His Word and fully trust Him, He will take care of the rest.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
James then reminds us that if we choose not to do the right thing in life we are in fact committing a sin. Not doing God’s will is sin, and as noted earlier, sin is serious to God; so we should also take sin seriously.
God’s will is clear, to begin with, He wants all to come to repentance (see 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9). How does that translate to us? Paul tells us that we are to not act foolish but to understand what the will of God is (see Ephesians 5:17) and to walk as Jesus taught us and be willing to be sanctified (see 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8). Peter reminds us that it better to suffer doing God’s will than doing evil (see 1 Peter 3:17). God reveals His will to us in His Word. That is why as disciples of Jesus we need to be diligent in studying the Bible.
James concludes chapter four with a reminder to know and do the right thing. To do the “right thing” we need to be in alignment with the will of God. Many companies today use brainstorming and strategic planning methods to help guide them. Perhaps some of those methods can help us better understand what the will of God is and how we can apply His will in our own lives. Lets begin with a “mission statement.” Everyone understands that in order to be a successful company all efforts must in some way align or promote the company’s mission.
The Bible, the Word of God, was given to us for many reasons. I believe the biggest reason was for God to reveal Himself to us, especially His character, nature and love. We learn that He loves all people; delights in keeping His promises, cannot lie, means what He says, says what He means, hates sin and wants all to be saved from the effects of sin. Knowing these things we might say God’s “Mission Statement” could be something like what both Paul and Peter wrote: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3-4) “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise vas some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) So to begin our exercise, our “50,000 foot view” of God’s will, so to speak, would be that God wants everyone to be saved. So it would appear that doing God’s will would have something to do with salvation (our salvation and the salvation of others).
God’s plan for salvation from Genesis chapter three to the last chapter in the Book of Revelation, involves His anointed, namely His Son Jesus. The popular verse from John 3:16 summarizes, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” After Jesus completed His work on the cross and conquered death for us, He gave each of us instructions prior to returning to His Father: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them min the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20) Doing the will of God now focuses exclusively on Jesus. All authority has been given to Jesus. We need to listen to Him, so what did He say? First of all, Go! We are to make disciples and teach them so they can go and make disciples and so on and so on, the process never stops. So our “10,000 foot” view tells us that God’s will is to follow Jesus and tell others about Jesus.
Fortunately God doesn’t stop there. What’s next? A 1,000-foot view? A 100-foot view? No, God promises something even better, a zero elevation view, inside us! God abides in us! (see John 15:5; 1 John 2:5-6) He also promises to remain! “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-14) So what is our response? Paul tells us we are to walk in a way that is pleasing to God (see 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12), to pray at all times (see 1 Timothy 2:1-8), to believe in Jesus and tell others about Jesus, bringing glory to Him (see Romans 1:5). For a Christian doing God’s will is a continuous act of worship (see Romans 12:1-2), done out of love (from the heart, see Ephesians 6:6) and is a way of life, every day (see Colossians 1:9-14).
We are to know God’s Word and from there we are to learn what God’s will is for us (see Romans 12:1-2). We need to read and study God’s Word regularly. If you are an engineer you probably studied a lot. If you are a nurse or involved in the medical field you probably studied every opportunity you had. Why then do Christians think they already know what they need to know about God? As pointed out earlier the greatest barrier to knowing the truth is thinking we already know it. Can we learn all that we need to follow God’s will from our Sunday School days or for that fact during a weekly sermon?
Revelation chapters two and three list seven churches that Jesus writes to regarding their progress and performance (a form of a report card). Two churches were doing well while the other five were not but were not aware of their problems. When I think about our pursuit of God’s will, three of those churches come to mind: 1) Ephesus, diligent but forgot their first love, namely Jesus; 2) Sardis, had a great reputation but was Spiritually dead; and 3) Laodicea, people were lukewarm, neither hot nor cold for God and did not have Jesus, He stood outside and was knocking on the door to come in. Where is Jesus in your life?
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[1] See commentary under James 1:19-21.
[2] Strong’s Greek 2237.
[3] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1998). James (Jas 4:5). Chicago: Moody Press.
[4] Strong’s Greek 5293.
[5] Evelyn Christenson is a popular Christian speaker and a prolific author. See evelynchristensonministries.org for more information.
[6] Strong’s Greek 1374.
[7] Strong’s Greek 5312.
[8] Strong’s Greek 1228.
[9] Kittel, G., Bromiley, G. W., & Friedrich, G. (Eds.). (1964–). Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 4, p. 3). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[10] Lyrics by Adelaide A. Pollard and music by George C. Stebbins. "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" was first published in 1907.