SERMON: “God's Word in the Midst of Conflict” (James 1:19–21)
“God’s Word in the Midst of Conflict”
(James
1:19–21)
Series: “James:
True Faith Works” #7 Text: James 1:19–21
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date: November 17, 2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
We sometimes see fights in relationships. Sometimes, people react by escaping. They clam up, avoiding the situation. It’s understandable; they hate conflict and
don’t want more. Sometimes, they may even
leave; husbands may abandon wives, for instance, and some sadly decide to take the
ultimate step of escape through suicide.
Others tend to attack.
Their tempers flare and they say things they shouldn’t. They may even verbally or even physically abuse
someone else. Murder is the final attack
response.
This type of fight-or-flight situation manifests in church
conflict, as well. There may be some who
try to avoid, even leaving the church fellowship. There may be those who attack through gossip
and slander, maybe even engaging in litigation.
In the midst of trials, one of the most difficult tasks for
believers is to respond rightly — not with anger, bitterness, or harsh words,
but with a heart receptive to God’s Word. James, the half-brother of our Lord writes pastorally
to the Jewish Christians scattered abroad, urging them to live out their faith even
in the midst of trials. He challenges
them to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger because such
qualities reveal the fruit of true faith and enable the believer to navigate
conflicts rightly.
We want to handle conflict God’s way with God’s Word. So, let’s examine this passage through three
key points. We’ll consider the preparation
of the heart, the problem of anger, and the power of God’s Word. Let’s consider the first of these.
II.
First, Consider the Preparation of the Heart (v.
19)
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to
speak and slow to anger;
James opens with a loving command. It’s translated here “This you know,” but it
is an imperative. The NASB footnote reads
that it could be rendered “Know
this.” Another way we could read this is
“Understand this.”
This imperative calls us back to the previous verse. In v. 18, we read, “In the exercise of His
will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of
first fruits among His creatures.” We
must remember that we’re not our own, that the Lord has given us this new
life. This means that we should live
differently.
James tempers this command, however. He again includes the endearing phrase, “my
beloved brethren.” He cares for their well-being, with this is a title common
in this letter (James 1:2, 19; 2:1, 5, 14; 3:1, 10; 4:11; 5:12, 19). Though James’s letter is often seen as stern,
his tone remains pastoral and familial throughout.
Still, he calls upon every man (or person) in this
letter. These are not simply
instructions for “mature” believers, or for those holding Christian office
(elders and deacons). His three-fold
command applies to every believer in Christ when facing conflict.
His first command is to be quick to hear. This is more than listening politely. Proverbs 18:13 warns, “He who gives an answer
before he hears, it is folly and shame to him,” while Proverbs 10:19 highlights
the dangers of hasty speech: “When there are many words, transgression is
unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” Christians should assume the best, quick to
hear truth, whether words of truth (v. 18) or truth of others.
He also calls believers to be slow to speak. This reflects a posture of humility,
recognizing that wisdom often comes through silence and reflection. The Reformers emphasized the importance of
learning before teaching. As the MSB
notes, “Believers are to respond positively to Scripture, and eagerly pursue
every opportunity to know God’s Word and will better (cf. Ps. 119:11; 2 Tim.
2:15). But at the same time, they should be cautious about becoming a preacher
or teacher too quickly (see notes on 3:1,
2; cf. Ezek. 3:17; 33:6, 7; 1 Tim. 3:6; 5:22).”[1] Scripture warns us against rushing into
leadership roles without proper understanding.
This applies to conflict.
Some people are tempted to jump straight to gossip and slander. Proverbs 10:19 says, “When there are many
words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise;”
17:27, “He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit
is a man of understanding.” Christians
should not assume to know the whole truth.
Third, James commands believers to be slow to anger. While anger is not inherently sinful (cf. Eph.
4:26), James warns against the kind of anger that arises from pride or
self-righteousness. Proverbs 16:32
reminds us, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who
rules his spirit than he who captures a city.”
Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger
resides in the bosom of fools.” Christians
should not assume a vindictive role.
These qualities — swift listening, restrained speech, and
controlled emotions — are essential for navigating interpersonal conflict
within the church. There was enmity
among the believers, though they are spread across the dispersion. James warns of the use of the tongue (James
3:1–12). In 4:1–12, James warns that the
infighting comes from worldliness. If
they applied the principle of being quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to
wrath, then they would do well.
Yet, anger and wrath are natural, fleshly responses which
can override good sense. So, let’s
consider this in a bit more detail. Let’s
turn now to the next verse.
III.
Second, Consider the Problem of Anger (v. 20)
for the anger of
man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Anger is an emotion God created, and it can have a good
outlet at times. We should be angry at
sin, for instance. Sometimes, anger can
prompt righteous action.
Most often, however, sin twists anger within us. Hebrews 12:14–17 says,
Pursue peace with all men, and the
sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the
grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it
many be defiled; that there be no
immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he
desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for
repentance, though he sought for it with tears.
Unchecked anger remains a spiritual danger to the
individual.
Jesus warned of this kind of sinful anger; “But I say to you
that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before
the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Matt.
5:22). There’s an anger that leads to
sinful responses for which we will give an account. The Apostle Paul says, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go
down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Eph. 4:26–27). James is addressing this kind of anger — one
rooted in human pride and self-centeredness.
Sinful anger often stems from unmet desires. James later explains this in James 4:1–2:
“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war
in your members?” When anger controls
us, it leads to division and damages relationships, both with others and with
God.
James warns here that this kind of worldly wrath cannot
bring about the righteousness God desires. This is not the righteous indignation seen in
Jesus cleansing the temple (Matt. 21:12–13), but an impulsive, sinful anger
that seeks personal vindication rather than God’s glory.
Perhaps part of the deception of v. 16 is that sinful anger
will achieve God’s righteousness.
Perhaps there were those Christians who believed their resentment was a
godly response to the sins and faults of others. Later, James is going to say, “Do not speak
against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his
brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law,
you are not a doer of the law but a judge of
it” (James 4:11). It’s not that we should never make judgments,
but that we should not take the seat of God in someone’s life.
John MacArthur notes, “When someone wrongs us, the natural
reaction is to retaliate, at least verbally. But this response does not glorify
God. Holding one’s tongue, trying to understand the other person’s position,
and leaving vindication to God demonstrates godly love in tense situations”
(cf. Rom. 12:17–21).
On the flip-slide, there are those who hate to have their
sin confronted. They feel conviction at
the Word of Truth mentioned in v. 18, at Scripture. Paul wondered at the Galatian believers in
Galatians 4:16, “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Despite the fact that we think the first
century church was perfect and pure, there was a certainly a strong sense of
worldliness in many churches (cf. 4:1–3).
Keep in mind vv. 14–15.
Those who are lured away by their desires, whatever they may be, and
bite the hook of enticement, experience temptation—and here, the temptation is
to anger. When those settled feelings
take over a person’s thoughts and emotions, they become ensnared and will
eventually act in some shameful way.
Sinful anger not only fails to reflect God's righteousness
but also blinds us to the conviction and correction of His Word. With that noted, let’s consider the corrective
that Scripture gives us. Let’s turn to
the next verse:
IV.
Third, Consider the Power of God’s Word (v. 21)
Therefore, putting
aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive
the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
James transitions to the remedy here. Those who are steeped in conflict must receive
God’s Word with humility. This involves
two actions: putting off sin and receiving the Word.
A.
Putting Off Sin
The phrase “putting aside all filthiness and all that
remains of wickedness” draws on imagery of removing dirty garments. The word for filthiness is the same word used
of the poor man in James 2:2 Just as a
person cannot put on clean clothes over filthy ones, so too must the believer
shed sin to make room for righteousness.
“Filthiness” refers to moral corruption, while “wickedness”
encompasses all forms of evil, including malice, envy, and deceit. Any individual is also capable of an
overflowing of wickedness, as is any human heart. James uses the same terminology that Paul
uses in Ephesians 4:25, thus advocating a similar view of disrobing the sinful
coverings and putting on righteous attire (cf. Rom. 13:12; Col. 3:8; Eph. 4:22,
25; 1 Pt 2:1).
This parallels the counsel the Apostle Paul gives in Eph.
4:22, “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old
self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit.” (This is evidence that James and Paul are not
in conflict.) In fact, Paul uses the
same term for anger James uses here in Eph. 4:31–32, where he says, “Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. Be kind to one
another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has
forgiven you.” Peter also gives similar
counsel — “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and
envy and all slander” (1 Pet. 2:1).
The believer is called to reject these attitudes actively,
relying on the grace of God to cleanse their heart. That brings us to the next point:
B.
Receiving the Word
James switches from the image of child-birth and now uses
the image of planting. The “implanted
Word” recalls Jesus’s imagery of a seed sown in fertile soil (cf. Matt.
13:3–23). This is not dissimilar from
Christ’s teaching on the soils (Matt. 13:3–23; cf. 15:13; 1 Cor. 3:6). Those who are not in a place of teaching or
understanding, those who have hard or rocky hearts, and those whose hearts are
full of other things cannot receive the implanted Word. Jesus said, “And the one on whom seed was
sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it;
who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and
some thirty” (Matt. 13:23).
This describes an individual’s “teachability.” For the Word to take root and bear fruit, the
heart must be softened by humility.
Christians should receive the word in gentleness or docility, not in
wrath or pride. One of the biggest tests
I have for those who want to be teachers is determining whether they are
willing to receive more instruction or if they already believe they know
everything. A teachable spirit that
submits to God’s authority.
In conflict, this humility and gentleness is essential. A person may believe he’s right initially,
but he must be willing to receive the corrective of the Word. All parties must likewise be willing to
submit to a discipleship and discipline process, if needed. The church isn’t a place for ego and
self-promotion.
This Word, James says, “is able to save your souls.” The term is “souls,” but could be rendered
“lives.” There is a range of meaning for
salvation, encompassing both present sanctification and ultimate deliverance. It can also refers to divine protection from
danger or evil which can save our lives.
By obeying God’s Word, the believer avoids the spiritual
decay of sin and grows in righteousness.
As such, he can handle conflict both within his heart and within a local
fellowship. Let’s consider this as we
wrap up.
V.
Conclusion
James challenges us to evaluate how we respond in the face
of conflict. Are we swift to hear, or do
we let our assumptions cloud our understanding? Are we slow to speak and slow to anger, or do
we react impulsively, harming others and dishonoring God?
Let us heed the wisdom of this passage:
- Prepare
your heart by listening to God’s Word and to others with humility.
- Resist
sinful anger, recognizing that it cannot produce God’s righteousness.
- Embrace
God’s Word, allowing it to sanctify and save you.
May we, as God’s people, live out these truths, reflecting
His grace in the midst of a conflicted world.
[1] John MacArthur Jr., Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word
Pub., 1997), 1927.
