of James. It has been wonderful to study it in preparation for this ser ies. In the first four verses of the fourth chapter we see the reason for anamosities and disturbances in the Church of Jesus Christ. People cannot seem to get along with each other. So many folks quickly be come disgruntled and upset over the minutest matter. It takes two people to create a problem. One may have as much to do with it as the other. Many times in a divorce, this is the exact case. In the church when people cannot get alongwith each other, there are very real problems which result. At verse five we discover the way to overcome the tendency to quarrelling, bickering, complain ing and criticizing. We ought to be loving, gracious and kind, even in the midst of difficult circumstances. There is available power in the Holy Spirit to overcome these prob lems. James asks, "Do you think that the Scripture saith in vain, 'The spirit that dwelleth in us lust- eth to envy'?" That word "spirit" is confusing to some Bible exposi tors. It is not the human spirit, nor is the lust or envy something with which we can compare our own experiences in this direction. The word "lust" also means "yearn," while "envy" suggests "jealousy." We might therefore translate the verse, "The Spirit whom God hath made to dwell in us, jealously yearns over us, for that which is good. The Holy Spirit craves complete mastery for our own good. He has taken up His permanent residence in our lives. He wants to control our minds so that He may guide our goals and desires. He wants to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. The Holy
matically he is referring to the Church which is the Bride of Christ. Any infidelity on the part of Chris tian people is really spiritual adul tery. Worldliness is unfaithfulness to Christ; it is a sin against His love. When Christians embrace the philosophy of the world, adopting the practices, pursuing the goals, and assuming the likeness of the world, they have sided against Je sus Christ. “World" is the Creek "cosmos" and means the order of things in which we happen to be living. This includes social, politi cal, cultural, economical and even religious systems which are oper ative among human beings. "Cos mos" describes the selfish pleas ure and sin out of which Jesus called His disciples, as well as us ultimately. Little wonder that friendship with the world is en mity with Cod. To cherish and to conform to anything or anyone who hates Jesus Christ is really to commit treason against the Lord. Divided loyalty to Christ is bound to produce discord among the members of the Body of Christ. As soon as a believer sets his affec tion in this direction he begins to grow cold toward the Lord. People who are out of harmony with the Lord can scarcely harmonize with their fellow believers. They be come critical, contentious, dis gruntled and disagreeable. Then full scale personal war breaks out. Friendship with the world leads to friction and fractures in the body of Christ. James 1:27 urges Cod's people to keep themselves un spotted from the world. In the past weeks I have come to a new appreciation in my own heart and life concerning the book
Page 54
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs