QUARRELS AND CONFLICTS AND STRIFE - JAMES 4:1-2a

Verses 1-2a: What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.

At the outset, it should be noted that chapter, verse and sentence divisions in the Bible are only about 500 years old and that they are not a part of the divine inspiration of the Bible. The original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek manuscripts of the Bible had no divisions and no spaces between the words. The King James translators followed chapter divisions made by Archbishop Stephen Langton in 1551 and the verse divisions of Robert Estienne.1 The first entire English Bible to have verse divisions was the Geneva Bible in 1560.2

Example of an Original Greek Manuscript

 We are now confronted with the 4^th division of James’ epistle. It should be reminded that the entire epistle is to be taken as a whole—a seamless letter with a cohesive message. James is a compilation of the Christian’s code of conduct, containing those characteristics which ought to be avoided and those which should be embraced.

The following are some of the issues examined in What James Tells Us: that there is a reward for victory over the trials of life (1:2-12); the importance of being doers of the Word (1:22-24); the sin of partiality (2:1-16); the necessity of faith and works (2:17-26); the sin of the unbridled tongue (3:1-12); the evidence of true wisdom (3:13-18).

Now, in chapter 4, James picks up on an earlier theme of cautioning believers “to keep oneself unstained by the world” (1:27). Now he expands upon this warning and the complications of a friendship with the world and the believer’s relationship with God.

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James begins by asking two questions. First, he asks what the basic cause for their quarrels and conflicts. The Greek word for quarrels is the word for wars—actual battlefield conflict. The word is used this way in the New Testament except for here it takes on the figurative meaning of dissentions which cause strife. They must have been some pretty heated quarrels for James to use this particular word. Also, the mention of conflicts may well refer to disputes about the Jewish Law, which was typical in the 1^st Century church where Jews had difficulties breaking away from Jewish legalism. Paul mentioned this in his letter to Titus:

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. (Titus 3:9)

His second question is rhetorical and intended to draw attention to the fact that the cause of these antagonisms is a result of their pleasures. The word for pleasures in the Greek is hēdonḗ, from which we get our English word hedonism. It means “the gratification of the natural desire or sinful desires.”3 These desires can be numerous—food, drink, sex, art, music, power, revenge. In other words, whatever excites or arouses someone.

James says that for these readers their pleasures are constantly waging war—like a continual battlefield campaign. And specifically it is going on within their members. It should be noted that this does not refer to members of the church but of those “members of the body as the seat of the desires and passions.”4 What James seems to imply is that this war is an internal struggle of the various emotions striving to obtain what one desires. This battle is between the emotions and the intellect just as the apostle Paul wrote:

I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. (Romans 7:23)

Next, James exposes a number of their emotional trends. First they are continually lusting. Our modern usage of this word tends to infer inordinate sexual desires. But the word is often used of a desire for something good (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 6:11; 1 Peter 1:12). But within this context of inner emotional turmoil their desires are far from something good. These desires are a source of frustration because they cannot have what they want.

Secondly, they commit murder. Their quarrels and conflicts may have resulted in murder, for that is a sin even a believer might commit. However, this may also be a figurative use of the word describing the mental attitude of hatred, as John pointed out:

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15, cf. Matthew 5:21-22)

Thirdly, they consistently covet—envious, jealous. This was mentioned in the last chapter concerning their “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (3:14). This attitude views that what someone else has “should be mine and not theirs!” And they are frustrated because they cannot get what they want. It may not be a physical object; it could be a desired position, like a teacher or a leader in the church or business.

So their inner frustration comes forth in fighting and quarreling with those who have. It is a form of tantrums which we see children having when they don’t get their way.

James is discussing problems within the 1^st Century church. But do they mirror what goes on today? Do we realize that James is telling us that human nature is no different in his day than it is today? We must be attentive to how our own inner emotions respond to the situational challenges we are confronted with—as well as to our desires and ambitions. The trends pointed out by James are reactionary—disregarding divine viewpoint. Proactive thinking would consider God’s wisdom:

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, cf. Romans 8:28)

Our desire should be to seek and embrace His wisdom and His perfect will for our lives. Are we following Paul's advice of renewing our minds by the study and application of His Word (Cf. Romans 12:1-2; 2Tinothy 2:15)?

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1 Packer, J. I., Tenney, M. C., & White, W., Jr. (1997). Nelson’s Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, p. 57.

2 Willmington, H. L. (1987). Willmington’s Book of Bible Lists. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, p. 35.

3 Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2.475.

4 Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G3196

 

 © 2023 David M. Rossi