James 4:1

What causes wars and contentions among you? Is it not the cravings which are ever at war within you for various pleasures?

Weymouth NT (1912)

In The King James Version

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

In Context

2You covet things and yet cannot get them; you commit murder; you have passionate desires and yet cannot gain your end; you begin to fight and make war. You have not, because you do not pray;

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Cross References

Mark 7:21For from within, out of men's hearts, their evil purposes proceed--fornication, theft, murder, adultery,

Romans 7:5For whilst we were under the thraldom of our earthly natures, sinful passions-- made sinful by the Law--were always being aroused to action in our bodily faculties that they might yield fruit to death.

Romans 8:7Abandonment to earthly things is a state of enmity to God. Such a mind does not submit to God's Law, and indeed cannot do so.

Colossians 3:5Therefore put to death your earthward inclinations--fornication, impurity, sensual passion, unholy desire, and all greed, for that is a form of idolatry.

Titus 3:3For there was a time when we also were deficient in understanding, obstinate, deluded, the slaves of various cravings and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.

Matthew Henry on James 4:1

In this chapter we are directed to consider, I. Some causes of contention, besides those mentioned in the foregoing chapter, and to watch against them, ver. 1-5 . II. We are taught to abandon the friendship of this world, so as to submit and subject ourselves entirely to God, ver. 4-10 . III. All detraction and rash judgment of others are to be carefully avoided, ver. 11, 12 . IV. We must preserve a constant regard, and pay the utmost deference to the disposals of divine Providence, ver. 13, to the end . Read the whole commentary →

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