James 4:1-3: Wars and Fightings
2025-01-25
James 4:1
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (James 4:1)
“From whence.” Previously we compared the wisdom “from above” and that which is “earthly, sensual, devilish.” Therefore, “wars and fightings” cannot “from above.” The fruit of heavenly wisdom defers to others and does not fight against them. The source of these fights is within our sinful nature rather than above.
There is something fundamentally wrong with us. While we are born again and are spiritually made new, the Adamic nature is alive and well. The flesh we now have is still a part of the old world and will remain that way until the resurrection. However, the flesh, or “members,” follow where our faith is.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:11-13)
While we trust in Christ in that we are crucified with Him, we are free from the power of sin and can allow the Lord to work in us.
We read also, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). The law of sin in our “members” in Romans 7 is overpowered by a greater law, which is the empowering Spirit within. The common example is given is that of gravity. The law of gravity will always cause things to fall to the earth. A ball is sitting on the ground, for example, because gravity holds it there. But when I pick it up, a greater law, a greater force, supersedes the law of gravity, and the ball is lifted.
So it is with the law of the Spirit of life in Christ. Naturally, by ourselves, the law of sin keeps us in sin. But when we rely on the Spirit, that greater law supersedes the law of sin that reigns within.
“Wars and fightings” are exactly what they sound like they are. “Fightings” are like strife and arguments. “Wars” is used of armies and kings fighting each other. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6). “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” (1 Corinthians 14:8). “Wars” and “battle” here are the same word. These are major conflicts that arise from getting what we want. We desire something in the flesh so much that we will fight to the extreme for it.
James 4:2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2)
The war motif continues in this verse: “ye kill” and “ye fight and war.” In ourselves, we can go to extremes to get what we have.
However, we see that we “have not” and “cannot obtain.” Our methods cannot achieve what we want to do. All fighting and warring are to no avail. Is it possible here that in some way we actually get what we want and obtain it, but it yields results that we were not expecting. For example: If only I had a million dollars, then I would be satisfied. If only I did not have to work with so-and-so anymore, then I would be happy. Then we get what we want, and we are still unsatisfied, or perhaps we feel we are in a worse position than before. “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20).
However, part of the problem of not achieving is that we “ask not.” The Lord wants us to come and ask Him for things. This word “ask” is also translated “beg,” “require,” “desire,” and “call.” These words suggest that “ask” is a bit bolder than a timid request.
Here is a sampling of such times He exhorts us to come to Him:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). The words, “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” show that we should pursue Him to receive and have doors opened for us. From there, He shows that as children receive good things from their fathers, how much better is it when we ask our heavenly Father?
“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:18-20). The context is church discipline, but we see that when multiple Christians seek the will of the LORD concerning their decisions, it shall be answered.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Our vision and prayers are too small. If His will is more perfect than anything we can ask, the best prayer we can pray is what Jesus said Himself in the Mount of Olives. “Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).
Recall that we discussed at length that we should pray for wisdom, because He can provide it and is eager to do so. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).
James 4:3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3)
There is another crowd that does ask the Lord for things but does not receive anything. When they ask, their motive is wrong. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The assumption is that, when we ask, we are asking from the vantagepoint of being in Christ and seeking the furtherance of the will of God.
Here are some ways to avoid asking amiss.
Consider Matthew 21:18-22. Faith is a crucial element when asking. If you ask the LORD for something without trusting Him, assuming that He will not regard any word of ours, we set ourselves up for failure. Even when we ask for wisdom, what does the Lord say? “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).
Consider Matthew 20:20-28. There are a few issues with James and John’s asking of the LORD. First, they wanted something that was very specific, and for great honor of themselves. Asking this place of honor for themselves is contrary to kingdom living. Also, we see that James and John were not willing to ask the Lord themselves of this honor. They had their mother ask for them! Sure, we can and should have others pray for us, but if we are not willing to ask ourselves, where is the faith in that?
Consider the LORD’s prayer in Matthew 6:5-13. Other asking amiss consists of praying for the sake of an audience other than the LORD. They want to be seen as religious and honorable. Moreover, we see that asking repeatedly for the LORD’s answer shows a lack of faith in some cases. Mindless repeating does not demonstrate any real faith on the asker’s part. A lot of words do not do anything for us; He already knows what we need.
What does the LORD’s prayer say? We confess the LORD’s holy position in heaven, wanting His perfect will in heaven to be manifest on the earth. We ask for provision for the day while being mindful of our need for grace as sinners. We also recognize that it is His will and authority that decides all things. We are in a place of humility when we pray the LORD’s prayer.
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14). Here is a purpose for His answering our prayers: “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Moreover, we also ask “in my name” meaning that we are asking in His authority. This assumes that we are abiding in Him at the time. Again, “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).
This is further elucidated here: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). If we abide in Him, and His words have transformed our minds, we will ask what we desire, which is what He desires also, and He will do it.
Here is one way to ask amiss; ask Him to prove Himself all the time: “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22). We are to trust Him first, and then He will do what we ask Him according to His will.
“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22). If we keep His commandments, we must also be abiding in Him and are right with Him. If we are in that state, He will answer what we need so that we can perform His commandments.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15). There is the key; we ask for things according to His will. If what we want conforms to what the LORD wants, it is in the intersection of these where the LORD acts.