ORIGINS OF STRIFE ROSS SMITH
ALL REFERENCES FROM THE AMPLIFIED VERSION UNLESS NOTED
I wonder when we come to the Word of God do we ever stop and ponder not just what we are reading, but the man who wrote it. James was called by the sociologists, the Bishop of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the hub and acme of religious fervour, but not of religious truth.
James lived in a corrupt age and among corrupt people, among those who sought to be justified before God by the mere fact that they were Jews, that they had the true religion, and that they were the chosen people of God, and consequently were lax in their morals and ambivalently regardless of their obligation to personal holiness.
I want to set a picture in your mind: picture James back in his apostolic office in Jerusalem. He walks in, head spinning from his last engagement, so he kicks off his dusty sandals, hitches up the folds of his robe, no air conditioning in those days, and he needed to cool his body and his state of mind. I can see him sitting there with his brow deeply furrowed with a look of intense concentration on his face. He looks out and wonders, and it would seem to me from that which we will explore this morning, that he has just had to deal with a situation in the church – not an unusual occupation for James, but now he sits back and wonders out loud.
James 4:1 WHAT LEADS TO STRIFE (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your SENSUAL DESIRES that are ever warring in your bodily members?
Notice that it is “OUR” sensual desires, but consequentially end up “AMONG YOU”, the behaviour of one person has its sequel in many others.
We need to identify two things so that a proper perspective can be achieved in relation to this very important subject that James addresses, both of which we will probably have as a superficial understanding, but when we explore it, seems that there is so much more. It is what “OUR” sensual desires do to “OTHERS”, the “those among you”, and how careful and responsible we have to be.
WHAT LEADS TO STRIFE
DICTIONARY DEFINITION “An open clash between two opposing groups or individuals.” And so, my theory continues to be relevant, “If I was the only person here, I could be perfect”!!!!!
The dictionary definition is rather a simplistic explanation, “strife” is the consequence of a far more difficult, underlying, pernicious condition. “Strife” is different to “trouble”, we can avoid strife, but we cannot avoid trouble, for Job determined in Job 5:7 “But man is born to trouble as the sparks and the flames fly upward” and we are aware that trouble is used to hasten our progress to spiritual maturity.
Habakkuk 3:19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and MAKE [SPIRITUAL] PROGRESS upon my high places [of TROUBLE, suffering, or responsibility]
We are all well aware that strife is the opposite to peace, and because our God is a God of peace, then the source of strife must be from a perverse origin. Because we are slow to recognise where strife originates we are frequently also slow to recognise the remedy. The reading of a medical prescription is not adequate to cure the malaise, the remedy has to be implemented.
We have frequently and consistently read the prescription in the Word of God, that will quickly and efficiently deliver us from the ailment described by James as “STRIFE”.
Isaiah 26:3 You will guard him and keep him (a better word would be “us” … comments mine) in PERFECT AND CONSTANT PEACE whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, BECAUSE he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Proverbs 3:5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND MIND and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
Strife cannot co-exist with peace, they are mutually exclusive, so when we engage in “strife”, we are simply evidencing a distant relationship with the Lord and a fracture of our love for each other. But we have an avenue of repair, which doesn’t just require an apology, or reparation, it requires action diametrically opposed to that which caused the strife, “ALL YOUR HEART”.
Joel 2:12 Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.
Have you ever noticed that the word “BECAUSE” occurs frequently in situations where there is strife, and this word always introduces another component to the equation? It may start out innocuously enough, a strong opinion, a preconceived dislike, a misunderstanding, or alternatively, plain open hostility. We will discover the results of this later. “Other component” generally means “other person”!!!!
But it is important that we nip strife in the bud, and the vernacular, “hey bud” is the initiator for some self-examination before the matter escalates.
Proverbs 17:14 THE BEGINNING OF STRIFE is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and QUARRELLING breaks out.
“Contending” is setting the parameters
“Quarrelling” is throwing the punches, either oral, physical, or emotional.
“Because” is often the initiator or progenitor of contention.
Almost without exception the “BECAUSE” comes into play, and it is this “BECAUSE” that becomes our downfall. We know that although the origin lies deeper than the expression, the expression shows what is in the deep, for it is “out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45B) and IN SPEAKING WE OFTEN CREATE STRIFE.
Proverbs 18:6-7 A [self-confident] fool’s lips bring CONTENTION, and his mouth invites a beating. (Or leads to blows … comments mine) A [self-confident] fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself.
Proverbs 26:21 As coals are to hot embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man to inflame STRIFE.
Notice the progression, “CONTENTION, QUARRELL, STRIFE”.
Having briefly explored strife, no doubt you can extend the definition from your experience. Now to see where it comes from.
1 Corinthians 3:3 For you are still [UNSPIRITUAL, having the nature] of the flesh [UNDER THE CONTROL OF ORDINARY IMPULSES]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not UNSPIRITUAL and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (UNCHANGED) men?
This is why 1 Corinthians 2:15 is not evident in our insight and understanding, we are “UNSPIRITUAL” because of our “IMPULSES”.
How well do we recall the words of Psalm 46:10, which commences with “LET BE” or as the NASB states, “cease striving”, and the Gods Word version says, “let go of your concern”. (Genesis 45:20, Pharaoh’s wise advice to Joseph)
When Pharaoh addressed Joseph at the time of his father’s imminent return to Egypt, see what he says to him, and the wise counsel for us is the same, even more so in this materialistic and avaristic time in which we live.
Genesis 45:20 Also do not look with regret or concern upon your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
Failure to “LET BE” is to be disobedient, or to sin and it frustrates Gods purpose for us. We can only “BE STILL” when we “LET BE”, or set aside everything causing strife. James has asked the question in paraphrase, “what leads to and where is the origin”, and promptly proceeds to state, “THEY ARISE”.
Each day we arise, that is, we surface from somnolence to sanity — we have been here all the time, but it is only when we “ARISE” that we become active. So, James is inferring that these perverse patterns are lurking in the dark until we awaken them.
So, how do I happen to get them to “ARISE”? By allowing my SENSUAL DESIRES to wake up, and as we proceed we will see that every “sensual desire” has one or more of the following, I MY, ME, MINE, WANT, WISH, WALLOW.
Whilst James begins chapter 4, verse 1 with an indictment, the next three verses are brutal in their accusation, and do not exclude some areas of sensuality that we may, or do engage in.
Jame 4:2-4 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in SENSUAL PLEASURES. You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.
It always takes more than one to have a fight, but it often does not require more than one to start a fight.
These traits are included in “STRIFE”. Resentment, hate, partiality, contention, competition, foment, conflict, unrest, strong disagreement, quarrel, struggle, antagonism, clash.
THIS LEADS TO STRIFE
SENSUAL DESIRES
It is appropriate that we understand the difference between “Learning to sense” (Philippians 1:10) which established what is vital, with the “senses” inextricably bound in “SENSUALITY”. The sensing of the vital means “He must increase, I must decrease (John 3:30), “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31) “I have been crucified” Galatians 2:20) “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
Do we need further proof of this principle? Philippians 3:8, John 12:25, Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 5:21, Colossians 3:5, 2 Corinthians 4:12
James identifies clearly what it is that leads to strife, they arise from your SENSUAL DESIRES that are ever warring in your bodily members, (James 4:1) but we need to be better acquainted with those “sources” or “desires”, what they consist of and what they are comprised of. We seem to perpetuate the problem, either because we have not “died to self”, or are blatantly stubborn and hell bent on having our own way.
The original word for “sensual” is confronting in its meaning, for that word is actually “HEDONISM”, a state we would rapidly resile from if it was applied to us.
G2237 “SENSUAL” or from KJV “LUST” Hēdonē (ἡδονή) is a Greek word meaning pleasure, and is the root of the English word “hedonism, it is described as “a pleasure that may or may not derive from actions that are virtuous”.
Sensual desires refer, often unfavourably, to the enjoyments from the senses, especially from the gratification or indulgence of physical appetites, for example – “a sensual delight in eating” (Dictionary.com)
Further definitions are, “pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the GRATIFICATION of the senses or appetites, carnal, fleshly, lacking in moral restraints, worldly, materialistic, religious” (Dictionanry.com)
“Desire” can be translated as an addiction or compulsion, craving, thirst, sensual desire, and all can lead to FANTASY. “SENSUAL DESIRE” generally has as its focus, I, MY, ME, MINE, WANT WISH WALLOW”
2 Peter 1 promotes “SELF CONTROL” as one of the virtues that need to be developed and exercised, or have we forgotten the progression Peter so vigorously demands?
After all this explanation we are probably still saying, “well that doesn’t really apply to me”. The key word here is “GRATIFICATION”, and in simple terms, it means “getting or doing what satisfies me, either physically or emotionally, the misplaced ambition to secure my place in every area.
We make decisions that are often centred in what we want, in our “SENSUALITY”, and wonder why we often encounter strife. JAMES 4 IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER AND IS WORTH CONSIDERING IN OUR PRIVATE STUDY THOSE DIRECTIONS AS BELOW: –
- The polemic of verse 1-5
- The pardon of verse 6
- The promise of verse 7-8
- The path of verse 9-10
- The practicality of verses 11-12
- The presumption of verses 13-16
- The penalty of verse 17
James 4:13-14 Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapour (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].
STRIFE EMPHASISES A STRUGGLE FOR SUPERIORITY and highlights the presence of incompatibility, the direct opposite of peace. It is a dissonance, or lack of harmony, a condition that should never be seen or heard of in the Body of Christ. It is no wonder the Word says, “Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining” (Philippians 2:14, James 5:9, 1 Peter 2:11, 3:11, and 4:1-2) To disregard this instruction is to classify us in an unsavoury light.
Proverbs 20:3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife and keep aloof from it, but EVERY FOOL WILL QUARREL. (Aloof means “move away)
The word “FOOL” here is interesting, because we think it means just senseless or silly, but the Hebrew word (H191) means “to be perverse”. The Dictionary says it means, “showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable”. In light of scripture, one may have to concede that both “FOOL” and “PERVERSE” have widespread application!!!
Romans 16:17-18 I APPEAL to you, brethren, to be on your guard concerning those who create dissensions and difficulties and cause divisions, in opposition to the doctrine (the teaching) which you have been taught. [I warn you to turn aside from them, to] avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ but THEIR OWN APPETITES AND BASE DESIRES, and by ingratiating and flattering speech, they beguile the hearts of the unsuspecting and simpleminded [people].
This instruction is to be applied, not just within the church, but within the home, within our relationships, when driving along the highway, in fact anywhere we would like to assert our preferences.
Sensuality comes from the word “sense” an important word in spiritual terms but generally refers to the five senses. But we must dispose of this weakness in our nature and to do so we have to recognise the factors involved, such as THE RISK, THE ROUTE AND THE REMEDY AND THE RESULT.
THE RISK
Ephesians 4:19 In their SPIRITUAL APATHY they have become callous (showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others) and past feeling and reckless (without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action) and have ABANDONED (unrestrained, uninhibited) themselves [a prey] to UNBRIDLED SENSUALITY, (the enjoyment, expression or pursuit of physical pleasure) eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their DEPRAVED DESIRES may suggest and demand].
THIS IS WHAT CAUSES STRIFE
Paul in his writing to the Ephesians clarifies the condition in which “SENSUAL DESIRES” proliferate, and so the matter starts to become intensely personal, it has its origins in SPIRITUAL APATHY and ends up in “STRIFE”.
The cause of much unhappiness lies hidden from view, but it is truly present. Our “demons” or “SENSUAL DESIRES” are unseen thoughts, apathetic attitudes, selfish pursuits that make us unhappy because we want things different to what they are.
Spiritual house cleaning is necessary if these diseases of the soul are to be healed. Unfortunately, this malaise has not only afflicted the world, but has invaded the church, the “zeitgeist”, or the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation has produced, shows up plainly in the unbridled “SENSUALITY” causing “STRIFE”.
This verse in Ephesians 4 points up how desperate we should be for the approval of the Lord upon our lives. The very obvious ambivalence, the indifference, the lack of enthusiasm of so many who would call “Jesus Christ as Lord” would appear to cancel their birthright, they have “ABANDONED” (Refer back to Ephesians 4:19 where the same charge is laid) their claims on redemption and have become fair game for the devil, unless there is a complete turnaround, as spelled out in Luke 9:23.
So, we conclude that:
SPIRITUAL APATHY IS EQUAL TO SENSUALITY WHICH CAUSES STRIFE
The list of characteristics that identify such “UNBRIDLED SENSUALITY”, are traits that we will find, should we care to check, in various degrees of intensity and frequency in each of us, on those occasions when we succumb to the toxins of “STRIFE”. Fortunately, we are not condemned to an irreversible state, now we know THE RISK, but we need to know THE ROUTE, THE REMEDY, THE REQUIREMENT and THE RESULT.
THE ROUTE
1 John 2:15-16 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–The Lust Of The Flesh [CRAVING FOR SENSUAL GRATIFICATION] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]–THESE DO NOT COME FROM THE FATHER BUT ARE FROM THE WORLD [ITSELF].
John has identified that the “lust of the eyes” constitutes greed, but greed generally doesn’t exist on its own, it is surrounded by similar and equally as obnoxious traits, but I would like to concentrate just on “GREED” for this exercise, but THE HUB IS STUBBORNNESS.
It is worth pausing for a moment just to understand stubbornness a little better. 1 Samuel 15:23(A) says “ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and STUBBORNNESS IS AS IDOLATRY”. Can I suggest that the idol, in this case, is nothing more or less than “SELF”? There are other names for stubbornness, such as “insistence” and “self-awareness”.
Insistence can be vocal, it can be inert, but it is never without influence. The mule is regarded as the most stubborn, but never says anything – just lacks inertia. But the stubbornness of the mule affects the whole industry.
Stubbornness is a kernel of character, secreted away in the dark recesses of our heart, but nurtured and cultivated each time “I, my, me, mine, want, wish, wallow” is allowed to sprout. No wonder the Bible says in Proverbs 16:25 “there is a way which seems right to man but the end thereof is death” and is particularly relevant if we allow the idol of “self” to predominate.
The apostle Paul was obviously acquainted with this truth when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:31, “I die daily, I faced death every day (that is, the way that seems ok in his view … comments mine) AND DIE TO SELF.
Greed, a by-product of “Stubbornness” is driven by a fundamental sense of deprivation, a need for something that is lacking or unavailable, something seeking “GRATIFICATION”. When this feeling of lack is particularly strong, a person can become utterly fixated on seeking what they “need”, always trying to get hold of the one thing that will finally eliminate the deep-rooted feeling of not having enough.
That one thing could be money, power, food, attention, knowledge, love, approval, recognition, … just about anything. It can be something concrete or abstract, it can be real or symbolic. But it will be something very specific on which the entire need-greed complex becomes fixated.
THAT’S WHAT CAUSES STRIFE
And if we are to be completely honest with ourselves, we will immediately recognise that all these things are cocooned in one overarching and all-pervading pursuit, that of “SELF”.
The pursuit of any of those things that are selfish constitute “GREED”, or CRAVING FOR SENSUAL GRATIFICATION but simply identified by John as “THE LUST OF THE EYES”.
Greed often involves one or more of the following components:
- Negative experiences, which we call “circumstances”
- Misconceptions about the nature of ourselves, of life in general, or grossly detrimental, misconceptions about others.
- A constant fear and sense of insecurity or inadequacy, those iron chariots
- A maladaptive strategy to protect the self, that is, we become defensive or offensive when we think we are getting the rough end of the pineapple. (lack of humility)
- A persona, or innate ability, to hide all of the above in camouflage or a wall of defence.
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to ABSTAIN FROM THE SENSUAL URGES (THE EVIL DESIRES, THE PASSIONS OF THE FLESH, YOUR LOWER NATURE) that wage war against the soul.
1 Peter 3:11 Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [DO NOT MERELY DESIRE PEACEFUL RELATIONS WITH GOD, WITH YOUR FELLOWMEN, AND WITH YOURSELF, BUT PURSUE, GO AFTER THEM!]
James 5:5 [Here] on earth you have abandoned yourselves (Remember EPHESIANS 4:19?) to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Do we need to look any further at “THE ROUTE”, does not the overview here provide the platform for us to look at the other things John touches on, such as “the pride of life, assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things”?
THE REMEDY
Remedial action is something we frequently loathe to engage in as it requires that we dispense of some preference, or forgive some wrong, or develop some humility, or regard each other as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). But there is a remedy that does not require any energy to be expended, but some commitment to be extended.
Galatians 5:16 But I say, WALK AND LIVE [HABITUALLY] IN THE [HOLY] SPIRIT [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
So much of our concentration is on the things round about, whether it be the comparison of our house with others, the preoccupation with success, the management of our superannuation, the yen for faraway places, etc. etc. Just one moment of contemplation will identify that these things have a very little contribution to our spiritual health, but devastating effects on our eternal destiny. John is unequivocal in his assessment of the outcome, “THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM”.
1 John 2:15 Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, LOVE FOR THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM.
THE REQUIREMENT
The first REQUIREMENT is very simple, it requires nothing more than an active conscience and a willing spirit, but without a positive response, we are effectively cancelling our claims to be “Christian”.
James 4:17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.
So how do I go about ensuring that I am not causing strife, how do I rearrange my days to guarantee that I am contributing to the peace and grace that Father intends for my environment? Are you ready for it, and can you first, accept it, and secondly, implement it?
Luke 9:23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].
It is worth noting that in antiquity, anyone who was called upon to carry a cross, never expected to come back alive.
Why do people do drugs, why is music so sensual, why are flashing lights attractive, why are essential oil burners popular, in every case, it is because it stimulates a good feeling, a BUZZ. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t last, it was good while it lasted. This is where the “sensual” is segregated from the “spiritual”, one has to predominate. “SENSUAL DESIRES” are like soap bubbles, sparkling, effervescent, evaporative, interesting, BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD.
These are the things that distract us from the proper route that we are called to traverse, and in that journey, the magnetic attraction of the lower nature drags us down into the morass of selfish ambition.
“Sensuous” usually implies gratification of the senses for the sake of aesthetic pleasure, the sensual usually described satisfaction of the senses for physical appetites as an end in itself. How different to spiritual gratification, that ambition to please Him, not ourselves.
“Sensual” often has “I, my, me, mine, want, wish” as part of the emotive evidence, such as speaking out of turn, resentment, jealousy, ambition. All are sensuous but not necessarily sexual, the area we most often think of a sensual.
James 5:5 [Here] on earth YOU HAVE ABANDONED YOURSELVES to soft (prodigal) living and to [the pleasures of] self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
The word “ABANDONED” means “DERELICT, DESERTED, UNINHABITED”!!!!!!
The opposite of sensual is selfless, humble, meek, and all the things that constitute “THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE”. (James 3:17)
THE RESULT
The RESULT has to be one or the other, either the causing of strife or the elimination of strife, and we are the catalyst for the outcome. Have you had any disagreements this last week, have you been dissatisfied with your lot this last week, have you been concerned as to how you have appeared to people you have been with, well then you will be well aware of the result.
To obtain the required result is not unreachable, not unattainable, it is completely within our grasp if we let go of the other things that occupy our heart and mind when we set out to please Father rather than gratify self. The Bible points the way.
In Exodus 4:2, God asked Moses “What is that in your hand”, and well may we ask ourselves, what are we holding onto that will inhibit our progress, or disqualify our participation, or, keep us out of heaven????
Isaiah 26:3 You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace WHOSE MIND [BOTH ITS INCLINATION AND ITS CHARACTER] IS STAYED ON YOU, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Isaiah 32:17 And the effect (Or alternatively, “THE RESULT ,,, comments mine) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL BE PEACE [INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL], AND THE RESULT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL BE QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENT TRUST FOREVER.
SELAH
Ross Smith 