Week 1: James 4:1-12

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (v. 1). This is a mic drop moment in James’ epistle, where he puts his finger on the true source of the spiritual disease afflicting a number of early Christian churches. It turns out that the challenge of conflict is not unique to 2024. What is unique to our age is the level of polarization, particularly politically. According to a Pew study, both Republicans and Democrats have moved significantly further away from center since the early 1970s, meaning common ground is increasingly rarer than it was fifty years ago. A quick scroll through the comments section of any social media post is all it takes to verify this. We tend to pinpoint the cause of conflict as being something outside of ourselves: fighting over issues, policies, land rights, or resources. But James says something else. He locates the problem within the human heart and the passions at war within us.

Reflection Questions

1. Where does James say fights and quarrels come from?

2. What types of issues tend to cause the most division? 

3. Where have you observed increasing polarization in our world? Why is politics such a hot-button topic?

4. What does James say is the solution to quarreling (see vv. 7-10)?