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Introduction
Tonight we continue with our study of James 3. Our verse for tonight is verse 16.
Let’s read the paragraph, and then we will look closely at verse 16.
Now once again, let’s read verse 16.
GRAMMAR STUDY
This verse is a straightforward.
There are four nouns listed in this verse.
They are:
envying [a greedy and prideful longing for something that belongs to another; even something tangible, such as a skill]
strife [a strong drive for personal success without moral inhibitions]
confusion [a state of violent group disturbance and disorder; especially as in politics or social conditions generally]
work [any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted]
The words envying and strife take us back to verse 14, where the Holy Spirit stated the following.
He now brings us back to the subjects of envy and strife.
Both words are the same in English and Greek as in verse 14.
Envying means a greedy and prideful longing for something that belongs to someone else.
Strife is a strong drive for personal success without any moral inhibitions.
Essentially we are talking about a person who absolutely wants what another has and will do anything to get it.
We will come back to that thought in a few minutes.
The other two nouns are the result of envy and strife.
Both vices result in confusion and work.
Work is qualified by the adjective “evil.”
We understand work as any amount of effort taken or attempted to accomplish a particular task.
Confusion is a state of violent group disturbance and disorder.
It is basically anarchy.
Thus, people whose life is consumed with envy and strive to get what they want at any cost cause confusion (create disorder) by their work or attempt to fulfill their selfish desires.
We also have two adjectives that we must note.
They are:
every [every one considered individually]
evil [not adhering to ethical or moral principles]
Both words modify the word “work.”
The word “every” means each work considered individually.
“Evil” means not adhering to any ethical or moral principles.
Thus, an envious person striving to get only what they want is doing each work with evil intent.
Now notice one other thing of importance in this verse.
Note that it says “FOR WHERE,” there is.
It is a fact that wherever there is envy and strife, then confusion and evil works will also be there.
SPIRITUAL APPLICATION
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
Remember that wisdom is the current topic.
However, wisdom is part of the overall context of the entire chapter.
The context of the whole chapter deals with those who desire to teach.
Teaching must be done skillfully according to God’s Word.
Thus, the warning is about our words and our wisdom.
Words are what we use to teach.
Wisdom is the foundation of our teaching.
Thus, the Holy Spirit is warning us about the dangers of both.
Our words are driven by our source of wisdom.
If we are using our own wisdom, then our words betray us by lifting ourselves up and destroying others.
However, as the Holy Spirit is admonishing us to do, we must, as God’s people, make His Wisdom the foundation of what we speak, including teaching others.
In doing so, we rightly lift Him up and allow Him the opportunity to work through us.
In this verse, what is the Holy Spirit saying about wisdom?
This verse is a continuation of verses 14 and 15.
Remember the warning of verse 14.
We need to some self-confrontation.
Do we have in our hearts bitter envying and strife?
If we do, then as we learned in verse 15, those things do not come from God.
Instead, they come from within; they come from earthly men.
For that reason, it is sensual and devilish.
In our verse, the Holy Spirit exposes the end result of envy and strife.
It always leads to confusion and is the result of evil work.
Here are some points from this verse.
WARNING ABOUT FALSE WISDOM
There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is warning us about the effects of carnal wisdom and teaching.
Wherever there is envy and strife, there is confusion and every evil work.
This is easily illustrated by our study of 1 Corinthians.
Remember early in our study that the Corinthian believers were spiritually immature.
The word “carnal” means they were still relying upon their old sinful flesh instead of growing into the spiritual people that God intended them to be.
The Holy Spirit describes them as “babes” who were still feeding on the simple milk of the Word.
What was the result?
They remained carnal.
There was no spiritual growth.
The outward demonstration was envy and strife, which led to confusion and evil works.
Thus, they constantly relied on their own wisdom instead of living in obedience to God’s wisdom found in His Word.
Listen to some of the Holy Spirit’s other descriptions of these believers.
Obviously, there was confusion in the local church of Corinth because of envy and strife.
There were also evil works.
They were not dealing with a significant issue of immorality.
One of the men in their church was sleeping with his father’s wife - his stepmother.
Additionally, they were apathetic to God’s table by throwing lavish parties.
We could give many other examples this evening, but I think the point is clear.
Anytime envy and strife are allowed into a believer’s life, it can lead to much confusion and evil works.
Herein lies the problem.
Envy is all about self.
It is wholly focused on seeking high positions, receiving great recognition, obtaining the wealth of this world, and having authority over others.
Too often, a believer concentrating on such things will see the avenue of teaching as the means to achieve what they desire.
Soon they begin to enjoy the attention they are receiving.
Attention leads them to a point where they feel they are the only ones to honestly know and understand God’s Word.
And, with time, they start to feel they have received some new revelation from God, drawing others to follow them.
As they do, they sowed seeds of distrust and contempt against those who threatened their status.
Eventually, confusion and the evil work of causing division to begin to develop in a church.
Oh, by the way, this happens not just in churches but also in marriages, families, and even work relationships.
The end result is the weak believers return to the world forsaking God and His Word.
That last statement is why this is such essential teaching from God.
The Devil loves when God’s people rely upon their own wisdom instead of God’s.
Remember, such wisdom is sensual and devilish.
It provides an excellent opportunity to destroy weaker believers’ desire to serve the Lord and follow Him.
Unfortunately, the stronger believers fall for the trap of envy.
One of my biggest concerns as a pastor is the overwhelming volume of so-called preachers and teachers in America today.
I am especially concerned about the number of so-called Christian authors selling books that become bestsellers.
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