“From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” (James 4:1)
We must remember the context of this verse when we are trying to understand it. James is writing to believers, persecuted Christians who have been scattered abroad as a result of their persecutions. So, he is not addressing wars and conflicts in the world among nations. He is addressing church conflict.
How embarrassing we must be to our Savior, “…who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, He threatened not…” (I Peter 2:22,23) The Bible also tells us that we Christians are to, “abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul…” (I Peter 2:11)
Pride plays its part in church conflict. The Book of Proverbs tells us, “Only by pride cometh contentions...” (Proverbs 13:10) When filled with pride some folks had rather die than to not have the last word.
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