The Book of James - 6
The Christian's Submission - Chapter 4, Verses 1 - 12
In this letter James' whole concern is to write to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to strengthen them in faith and good works. It comes to us as a surprise to find out that, in this passage, he talks about fights and quarrels! This shows how very careful Christians must be that they do not allow evil things to get into their lives.
James 4 v.1-3:
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
It is indeed strange that there should be fights and quarrel amongst Christians. James goes to the root of the problem straight away when he says, "Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?" Personal desires which have never been submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ will always cause trouble. Because you do not get what you want, you fret about it, develop a discontented spirit which soon expresses itself in irritation with others, and the quarrels break out. My brothers, these things ought not to be.
James goes on to indicate where the trouble really lies. It concerns asking God in the right way for all that is needed. Those who do not ask GOD for all that is needed can hardly expect answers. Asking God implies that there is faith in God. But when we ask God for anything it must be in the right way. The prayer which continually says, "Give me!", "Give me!", "Give me!", is not the right way in which to approach our all-holy, all-loving Father. Asking Him for anything must always be from the RIGHT MOTIVE, that is, that the answer may be for God's glory and according to HIS will. Our requests must never be merely to gratify our own selfish desires. No Christian worthy of the name will seek answers to prayer simply to satisfy his pleasure.
So, when you read in the Scriptures, "Ask and you shall receive", remember that this is qualified by these statements in James' letter, and by other Scriptures which indicate that we must always ask with the will of God in mind. What a transformation in Christian relationships this would bring about if we always asked the Lord first in that submissive way!
James 4 v.4-6:
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit He caused to live in us tends towards envy, but He gives us more grace? That is why the Scripture says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'".
The Christian's loyalty must always be towards God, and never towards worldly or evil things. The use of the word "world" in these verses is referring to those persons and principles which are opposed to God's standards. You cannot live effectively for God if your are friendly towards evil in any form. The Christian life is a battle. We are called to oppose and fight against evil. We are IN the world but NOT OF IT.
Perhaps you feel incapable of winning the victory here, but notice that it is written, "He gives us more grace." This is God reaching out to us in unmerited favour, so that we CAN find all that we need to win through, so long as we submit to Him. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble".
The practical way to triumph is given in verses 7 to 10:
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Victory has a two-fold aspect: submission to God by drawing near to Him, and resistance to the devil. Drawing near to God in heartfelt love and confidence will mean that He will draw near to you. Conversely, resisting the devil means that he will flee from you. These are definite and practical promises that we can rely on and so we can experience victory over all the temptations of the adversary. As you become aware of things which defile your life, and which need cleansing away, and as you humble yourself in submission before God, then "He will build you up." Up from the things that have been defeating you. Up to His glorious power and a fullness of life that only He can give you. Surely such submission is uplifting!
Verses 11 and 12 explain for us further relationships between individual Christians:
"Brothers do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him, speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it. There is only one law-giver and judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbour?"
No one is sufficiently wise to know everything. Only God can do that. So it is very foolish to speak against other Christians. Nor are we called to judge one another adversely. If ever you think a fellow-Christian is making a mistake, pray about it first, and then if the Lord so leads, go to them quietly and talk over the situation in brotherly love.
Never talk about someone behind their back. You MAY be wrong in your judgement, not knowing all the facts. Slandering that person could cause terrible distress and ruin fellowship. Never be a tale-bearer. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ just as HE loves us. To act like this will make a wonderful contribution to the development of joyous Christian fellowship which will bring honour to the Lord.
In these verses the supremacy of God, the one law-giver and judge, is the vital point. He alone has the right and holiness to give just laws, to set just standards for men, and so is worthy to receive the submission of all. Submit yourself, then, to God!