), “The stars vanish when the sun arises; and our poor candle is slighted into a disappearance, when the glory of God arises in our thoughts…. Verses 20, 21. You’ve drifted. 5:5); of mutual submission of husbands and wives to one another, and of wives to husbands, in marriage (Eph. Pride is at the heart of all disobedience to God and of almost all relational conflicts. You cannot separate submitting to God from trusting Him for salvation. 12:10). The other said she would expire of pneumonia if it was opened. For all the saints. To resolve conflicts, judge your selfish motives (4:1-3). God’s way allows no one to boast before Him. All rights reserved. If Satan attacks the godly Job, killing all of his children and taking away his possessions and health, it is only because God permitted Satan to do it. If He did not, we all would perish in our sins (see also, John 8:34, 43-44; Rom. That’s why immediately after teaching how serious the sin of anger is, Jesus said (Matt. To resolve conflicts, stop judging others and submit to God’s Word (4:11-12). But these words in James are written primarily to believers. Since He is “opposed to the proud” (James 4:6), verse 7 infers, “Submit therefore to God.” It is the only sensible thing to do! Let’s be honest: There are some difficult things in the Bible that, if we had the choice, we would cut out of it. (I have put a few quotes from it in today’s bulletin and on the church web site under “Helpful Resources.”). Only those with hardened hearts could be proud in the presence of the Lord! God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. First and foremost in any conflict, we must get right with God. “First, open the window. 13:1, 5; 1 Pet. Yet at the same time, they hate others in the church, ignore the needy, and never give sacrificially to the Lord’s work. If He allows James to be beheaded, but Peter to escape, that’s God’s prerogative (Acts 12). Then we will have peace.”. 3:1, 5); and of slaves to masters (1 Pet. 2:13); to elders in the church (1 Pet. The thought of not enjoying sweet fellowship with our loving Lord should move you to clear up whatever stands between you and Him. It translates the Hebrew word for Satan, which means “adversary.” The devil is an evil fallen angel who stands against God and His people, always ready to accuse or slander them (Zech. 2:4-8; Job 42:6, 10-17; Ps. If God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6), then you want to make sure you’re not making yourself God’s opponent! 139:16) and He even has all the hairs on our heads numbered (Matt. Then, stop and pray in Jesus’ name against the prince of darkness. The ladies called the conductor, who didn’t know how to resolve the conflict. To resolve conflicts, repent of your sinful selfishness and humble yourself before God. If you think that you’re close to God, but you’re angry and bitter, you’re deceiving yourself! He said, “The only real argument against the Bible is an unholy life. In Spurgeon’s day, there were many liberal critics attacking the truthfulness and authority of the Bible. We can sum up three of James’ commands under this one head: Submit to God unconditionally (4:7); draw near to God (4:8); and, humble yourself before God (4:10). The Truth About Reconciliation, Pt. God has all of our days pre-numbered (Ps. Instead, he said (Job 42:6), “I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” When the apostle John, who formerly had rested his head on Jesus’ chest, saw Him in His glory on the Isle of Patmos, he fell at His feet as a dead man (Rev. 1 Corinthians 10:13 - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]. It may be the untimely death of a loved one. God has all of our days pre-numbered (Ps. These spiritual guides had been removed from them by death. The woman who wet Jesus’ feet with her tears knew the joy of sins forgiven. So if you have drawn near to God for salvation, it was because God chose you and drew you to Himself. And we see our vileness in God’s majesty…. In fact, Thomas Jefferson, who was not a believer, literally took scissors and cut out the parts of the Bible that he did not like! 4:31; 1 John 4:20. The potential list is endless, but you can’t read the daily news without realizing that life is terribly unfair, from the human point of view. Take your pick: either Bultmann is right, or Jesus and the New Testament writers are right! You can go to seminars on how to be more assertive, but I’ve yet to see a seminar on how to learn to submit! God’s way of salvation is totally opposed to man’s way. The world’s way is, “Work hard, be the best person you can be, and you’ll go to heaven.” Such teaching feeds human pride. Your way of escape could be just a phone call away. God offers His salvation as a free gift, received by faith alone, apart from any human works or goodness (see Eph. In fact, true joy comes only through true repentance, because it is then that we experience God’s forgiveness and mercy. When God portrayed the wonders of creation before Job, he had no further arguments against God. He satisfied God’s justice by dying in the place of sinners. One author has gained a lot of popularity writing several books outlining numerous steps to overcome Satan’s power in your life (Neil Anderson, The Bondage Breaker [Harvest House], Victory Over the Darkness [Regal Books]). Don’t sit passively and wait for resolution in a conflict to happen spontaneously. God always makes the first move toward us. He declares that we all have sinned and deserve His judgment. Using the same word in Romans 10:3, Paul asserts, “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” In pride, fallen man wants to set up his own righteousness as good enough, but it falls far short of God’s absolute righteousness. When I asked her why she left the Lutheran faith, she said that she couldn’t understand the trinity. I know Christians who don’t like the doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty in choosing some, but not all, for salvation. 2:1-7; 7:7-11). NKJV, Journal the Word Bible, Large Print, Red Letter Edition: Reflect, Journal, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses, NKJV, Open Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Complete Reference System, NKJV, Chronological Study Bible: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. That will kill the one. You can fight against God for the difficult things that happen, or you can humble yourself under His mighty hand, casting all your anxiety upon Him (1 Pet. In James 4:1, he asks, “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?” He goes on to show that the source is selfishness. 5:21, 22; 1 Pet. It gives the good person reason to boast. 4-5, cited by John Stott, The Cross of Christ [IVP], p. 231). Bible Gateway Plus makes studying Scripture easier than ever. Get as large and comprehensive thoughts of him as you can; see his glory, if you would know your own baseness.” The first step in resolving relational conflicts is to submit to God, which includes drawing near to Him and humbling yourself before Him. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Draw near to God! 2 Chronicles 15:12-15 ESV / 454 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. If He allows James to be beheaded, but Peter to escape, that’s God’s prerogative (Acts 12). Unbelievers are unable to submit to God’s law, because they are unwilling to do so. It is easy even for believers to drift away from the Lord. It does not mean that God is waiting for sinners to make the first move toward Him, and then He will respond. If you had seen them, they would have seemed quite happy. An integrated digital Bible study library - including complete notes from the NIV Study Bible and the NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd Edition - is just a step away! Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.” He is talking about thorough, heartfelt repentance. How can we know if the devil is actively involved in a relational conflict that we are experiencing? Purify your heart! Psalm 16:11 ESV / 13 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 34:18 promises, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” In Psalm 51:17, where David laments his sin with Bathsheba, he writes, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” John Bunyan wrote a beautiful short book on that verse, The Acceptable Sacrifice [Banner of Truth], in which he explains how to know if your heart is broken before God, and how to keep it tender. 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Pet. 10:30). Then close it. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2005, All Rights Reserved. One claimed that she would die of heatstroke if it stayed closed. 6:2). You cannot be close to God at the same time that you’re angry or bitter toward someone else. Handed down. They never pause to reflect that such a view turns the Bible on its head and makes sinful men sovereign, rather than God! 5:16). This is one reason Calvin’s Institutes are so spiritually rich—he is always lifting up God’s majesty and showing how man’s only proper place before Him is to lie prostrate in awe. God does not just feel and express love. Today we come to the third section, where James says…. I once talked with a Jehovah’s Witness woman who came to my door. That will kill the other. Used by permission. We don’t literally cut out the difficult parts, but we just ignore them or don’t work at understanding and submitting to those parts! James’ point is, “Guess who moved?” It wasn’t God! Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Submit to God; draw near to God. A dour Englishman was seated on a train between two ladies arguing about the window. Their Christian life and course (James 3:13; 1Peter 1:15, et al. If we want true and lasting peace in our relationships, then we need to resolve conflicts God’s way. You mourn over how you have offended God, disgraced His name, and hurt your brother or sister in Christ (2 Cor. 1:17). At the heart of worldliness is finding joy and pleasure in things other than God, or while disregarding and disobeying God. But because of the fall, as Paul explains (Rom. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. We all tend to submit to the part of God’s person that we naturally like, but we either ignore or deliberately dodge the part of His person that we don’t care for. (Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9).Hath not the potter power (rather, authority) over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? There’s a second aspect of submission: James gives a command and a promise: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Before I comment on what this means, let me clarify what it does not mean. 2:18). It is the word for slanderer. Perhaps you had abusive parents or were the object of racial discrimination. Humble yourself! 4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. You may suffer from some terrible disease or deformity. So they just skip passages like Romans 9, which God inspired Paul to write for our spiritual edification. The word means “to put yourself in rank under” someone, implying a hierarchy of authority. Nobody has a problem with God’s great love, but many have a problem with His hatred of all sin and His absolute justice that demands that all unrepentant sinners be punished for eternity in hell. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but () God is faithful, () who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to [] bear it. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? But, as we saw last week, they had become friends with the world. Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. But if God’s Word reveals that sinners will be punished eternally in hell, and if Jesus Himself taught it (and, He did, Matt. 2:8-9). The Puritan Thomas Manton paraphrases Calvin’s opening line from The Institutes: “The soul becomes humble by the true knowledge of God and ourselves” (Exposition of the Epistle of James [Sovereign Grace Book Club], p. 348; I updated his English). Weep! He knew Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. He is the definition of genuine love. Here James zeroes in on God’s way of conflict resolution, which deals with our hearts before Him. through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 3:1, 2; Rev. You don’t excuse it as a shortcoming or oversight. 25:46), then we dare not fight it or reject it, even if it is not to our liking! Of course, God is the ultimate and only sovereign authority in the universe, and it should be obvious to everyone that it is most unwise to rebel against His authority. Be miserable! 17:24; Matt. Verse Concepts. 57:15; 66:2; Ezek. James’ words show that there is an emotional element to genuine repentance. In case we missed it, He repeated, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). I found out that she formerly had been a Lutheran. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Hamartiology (Sin), Spiritual Life, Fellowship, Demons, Forgiveness, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. While none of us would be so brazen, in effect we often do just as Jefferson did. God does many things in our lives that are not especially pleasant or to our liking. Keep in mind that the overall context is about resolving conflicts in the church (or home). Resist the devil! Those whom James confronted had laughter and at least superficial joy. He continues (ibid. James sounds like an Old Testament prophet as he proclaims, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. To resolve conflicts, turn from all spiritual adultery and humbly entreat God’s grace (4:4-6). The mourning of biblical repentance is not opposed to the biblical joy that we are commanded to have at all times (Phil. Whose faith follow.--Better, and, contemplating: the end (or, issue) of their life, imitate their faith. To resolve conflicts, submit to God, resist the devil, and repent of all sin. If it is, you must submit to it. 139:16) and He even has all the hairs on our heads numbered (Matt. God’s way to resolve conflicts is to submit to Him, resist the devil, and repent of all sin. The key to developing biblical humility is in the phrase, “in the presence of the Lord” (James 4:10). There are many such trials that we will never in this life fully understand God’s reason for them. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. While it would be out of line to see a demon behind every quarrel, it is also out of line and naïve to think that demons are never involved. 5:6-7). 5:19-21; Eph. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. As Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (John 6:37). While often Satan does not need to involve himself or his demonic forces in our conflicts (our flesh incites them without any extra help! 4:4; 1 Thess. It is to these types that James shouts, “Be miserable and mourn and weep!”. All of our good works would never qualify us for heaven, because they cannot pay the debt of sin that we owe. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. When you are truly repentant, you accept full responsibility for your sin. The theme of God humbling the proud, but exalting the humble, runs throughout Scripture (1 Sam. In the context of dealing with relational conflicts, the apostle Paul tells us to imitate the Lord Jesus, the supreme example of one who humbled Himself and was exalted by God (Phil. Matthew 24:36. Paul uses it with reference to spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:13, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”. ), there are times when demons are directly involved in disrupting our relationships. Every word and every action of God is born out of love. The Bible is a bit more simple—one step: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We get our word antihistamine from the Greek word translated resist. 9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. Selah. 10:30). 73 Bible Verses about God, ... who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 16:7). Read full chapter (1 John 4:16) Love is the very nature of God, going beyond His feelings and emotions – as mind-blowing as these are. He is love! His ways are much higher than our ways, and often run counter to our ways. It means to stand against or oppose. 8:7), the mind set on the flesh “is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” (Subject is the same Greek word as submit in James 4:7.) It lies in some form of sin” (in Iain Murray, Spurgeon and Hyper-Calvinism [Banner of Truth], p. 8). In the context of James 4, it may be a difficult person in your life who is always trying to stir up conflict. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo... More, 9. Caught eating cookies, a toddler explained to his mother, … 5:6). New King James Version (NKJV). The holy angels in His presence cover their faces (Isa. While we are no match for him in our own strength, in the name of the Lord and protected by the armor He provides, we may simply stand against Satan and he will flee. So the essence of human rebellion against God is that we do not submit to His holy law or to His perfect righteousness. Of course, they must also skip many other texts, since the doctrine of God’s sovereign election is all through the Bible. Matthew 6:31-33. To be saved, we must submit unconditionally to God’s way of salvation. Are You Looking for God's Help? Recognizing God’s Providence: Fellowship Restored (Gen. 45:1-28), 8. Why is an angry or bitter person necessarily distant from God? What if we do not have feelings of grief or mourning. 6:5). NKJV, Ancient-Modern Bible, Comfort Print: One faith. Try it free for 30 days. 55:8). 34:18; 51:17; Prov. The Greek word for devil is diabolos, which means, literally, to throw against. Receive your daily verse by email Subscribe By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. To resolve conflicts, submit to God, resist the devil, and repent of all sin (4:7-10). It’s not a popular concept, but it is a biblical one. Or, they explain it away by saying that God foreknew who would choose Him, so He chose them. Finally, the gentleman spoke up. Further, because of our sin and pride, we aren’t willing to come to Him for salvation. How do we know if our repentance is sincere enough or deep enough? If you’re engaging in continuing quarrels and conflicts, you are not close to God. Love is one of God’s primary attributes. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom! Good works would never qualify us for heaven, because of our days pre-numbered ( Ps of! ( Isa James confronted had laughter and at least superficial joy chapter God has all the hairs on our numbered! Biblical humility is in the presence of the obligation to submit to God from trusting for. Must be Earned ( Gen. 42:29-44:34 ) was opened which deals with our loving Lord should move to. 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