War is a common word used through out all of human existence. If it is the about the Middle-East war, the Vietnam war or the Revolutionary war, it is about mobile phone war, gas war, political war and even closer to each of us a war of words.

What is you definition of war? What makes a war?

Many definitions of war we find the constant connections of weapons and politics, but each of us has been at war over something. We can even use war as an adjective and “war against” something.  It is a point when we determine that something or some situation has reached a point where we are going to draw a line. We will not tolerate or appease a certain situation. It might be as simple as refusing to spend any money or support a particular company or product.

Or it might be as personal as separating from a church or tearing down the reputation of a leader.  These situations are new to our generation. They go back through all history.  Even the little brother of Jesus, was impacted to the point where he wrote about it, which is where we pick up this week in James, chapter 4.

¹ What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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 4:1-3 ESV

These opening lines even remind me of little children playing. One has something another one wants. Tension builds and relationships are impacted. All us have had our own experiences with communication and challenges with our own personal desires. Even our own thoughts of what is worth “fighting for”. It all comes down to what we desire and what we expect or find acceptable.  Then James rips open our study…

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. 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”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” – James 4:4-6 ESV

James uses the words adulterous or adulterers as a label for all of us.  This is not a singled out group of people, or even un believers.  He is describing the. relationship between God and each of us.

One illustration of this situation would be if one of us were married and we just feel like we are not getting what we deserve from our wife or we were not being treated right, and we go and ask our wife to help us find someone to help us, to give us what we need.  When a particular person does not work out and they don’t treat us the way we want, we come back and complain to our wife and demand that another alternative must be found. This pattern repeats itself and we come to realize that he one we were asking advice of and wanting change from is the exact one that can give us what we need.   Make it clear, we are not focused here on sex. We are referring to wholeness.

God is jealous of His relationship with us and it breaks his heart when we turn from him and seek out the world to replace only what He can provide.

Can you see how seeking things in this world has impacted your peace, how you have been in war and engaging in war over and over again?

Now like the horrifying movie, “War of the Roses”, something so innocent can turn so bad. But like a movie or a book, real life does not end when we close the chapter.  When we flirt with the world, it responds.  When we decide to not eat out as much, or we don’t need a new phone, isn’t it interesting how all the next few commercials we hear are related to that exact topic?  Just saying we are not going to do something is truly not enough. We have to take a stand and resist what we started. In this case, we have to pay the consequences for our actions. Whether it was getting high one time, or flirting with someone, or skipping our responsibilities, it puts a stake in the ground called sin. And all sin has a cost. James gives us direction

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. – James 47-10 ESV

Can you now relate to this situation James is describing? Do you see areas of your own life where you need to just quit playing the horizontal game and get right with God?

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. 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? – James 4:11-12 ESV

Having called for repentance, James concludes his section on the tongue and community harmony with another appeal. As Christians, we are not to slander one another. A better translation might be ‘speak evil about’ or ‘say bad things against’ because ‘slander’ often implies in English that the things said are untrue. But in the Greek language, which James wrote this meaning does not imply only lies. As far as James is concerned, whether the things said are true or not, critical words divide the community and are not in order. Paul would agree (2 Cor. 12:20) as would Peter (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16).

James says such criticism is judging the law. At first this does not make sense. Jesus quotes Leviticus (19:18) when he teaches about loving one’s neighbor as ourself (Mk12:31, Mt. 7:12)  It is hardly loving to criticize another. Even more important for James, however, is the fact that in criticizing another the person is setting himself or herself up as a judge. The judge sits over the law, not under it. Furthermore, only God has the right to judge (Ps. 75:6–7; Jn. 5:22–23, 30), so the person who criticizes his or her fellow-Christian is in fact pushing God aside and taking the role of judge to which only God has the right

This week let us pay attention when we are just running to God to fix for us in this world what we are desiring to replace him with. Let us get to a point where we can clearly see and understand where we have been spiritual adulterers with God.

Let’s hold our tongue a little bit longer and realize the power of our words, and to love our neighbor as our self. Let us allow God to judge and lead those to righteousness. God will keep His promise to lift people up, He is the savior.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jas 4:1–12). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Davids, P. H. (1994). James. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 1365). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.