Charles Spurgeon Commentary James 4

From whence come wars and fightings among you?

Whether between nations, or parties or individuals—if there are wars and fightings, from where do they come?

Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Do they not arise from one desiring something, and another desiring the same thing? Is there not a competition or emulation of an evil kind, in which each one prefers himself, and seeks not the good of his neighbor?

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,

This is nature's way of trying to get by contention what it desires to possess—fighting, and warring, and killing—yet the result of all this is nil. After all is done, yet ye have not. There is a simpler and a surer way which people forget; they leave that divine path untrodden: Ye have not,.

Because ye ask not.

With all your efforts you do not succeed, because you omit to pray to God. Prayer would have brought you every blessing that you need; but, instead of going to God and asking from him, you rush upon your neighbor and seek to take what you desire as spoil from him.

Perhaps some say, "But we do ask." "Well, then," says the apostle,--

The lusts of the flesh come in and put us on the wrong track; or if we take the right road, yet, if the lusts are there, God will not bless us because, in doing so, he would be helping us to gratify our lusts.

You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?

The apostle uses this strong language not concerning the actual sin of adultery as the term is commonly understood, but in relation to our not loving God with true chastity of heart, but lusting after something else. This is the very essence of spiritual adultery. We ought to give God the whole affection of our being; but, instead of doing so, we allow at least some of it to wander to other objects, and therefore we are called, by the Holy Ghost himself, "adulterers and adulteresses."

These may seem to be hard words, but they are true ones. May they bring us to our spiritual senses, and cause us to love our God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength!

Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

In one sense, Christians are the greatest friends of the world, for they desire the good of all people, and seek their salvation. But, in another sense, viewing the world as a great conglomerate of evil, we are no friends of the world. There is a certain form of theology, popular nowadays, which teaches us that we ought to remove the line of demarcation between the Church and the world. This kind of teaching may be called theology, but it does not come from God; it is a gross falsehood which we ought to abhor in the very depth of our spirit.

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace.

There is a spirit, resident in the natural man, the human nature of man, which is always inclined toward hate and envy, always wanting to get something from other men, and always grieved if other men seem to be or to have more than the person himself has.

How is this spirit to be met? This verse supplies the answer, He giveth more grace. More grace, — this is the great remedy for hate and envy. More grace, — this is the balm for sorrow. More grace, — this is our greatest help out of all difficulties. More grace, — this is the universal recipe for all that we need: He giveth more grace.