James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
James pinpoints the root of many relationship problems: our passions. The word for “passion” means “state or condition of experiencing pleasure for any reason, pleasure, delight, enjoyment, pleasantness.” The context of this verse and verse 2 is negative. There are many things that bring pleasure to life. Many of these are positive and can be viewed as blessings from God. God means for our lives to be pleasant and happy upon this earth. God desires our best, but God also leaves it up to us to choose the way of happiness. We must choose to find pleasure in the things that God has designed for us. Each of us may have a different path in this. These things may not be material objects (houses, land, gold). The other day, we played the game of Life with some young people. Players can choose between material things (money) or life points (often from relationships or immaterial things). This is an interesting concept. The winner is calculated by a computer based upon the balance of these things. I suggest that from God’s perspective, happiness comes from relationships: with God and with others in wholesome relationships bonded with love.
The problem with finding pleasure in the things of this world is that offer false promises they cannot keep. They often become the focus of quarrels. How many couples fight over money issues? How many church disputes are over objects within the building (the color of the church carpet)? How many teens fight their parents over using the car? The examples can be multiplied many times over.
James makes this battle very personal at the end of this verse: the battle starts “within our members.” This is like the battle Paul talked about between flesh and spirit in Romans 6-7 and Galatians 5. James just gets right to the point. He does not use the word “sin” like Paul, but the next verses indicate that he has sin in mind. We must take sin seriously and look within ourselves. What is the driving force of our lives? Is it pleasures or passions or is it love?
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