Hedonism: A Heart Problem

James 4:1-3 speaks of hedonism, which is a problem of the sinful heart. Hedonism is narcissism. A hedonist is one who lives a self-dominated and self-focused life. A hedonist is committed to satisfy, by all means, the lusts, urges, and appetites of his sinful nature. And this is true of every unbeliever. All unbelievers live to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. Then they die, without hope and without God. They live to please only themselves, not God.

In the view of certain thinking people, the United States of America is the most hedonistic country in the world. This nation is fully committed to the pursuit of worldly pleasure. In fact, one could say that hedonism is an American speciality, which every other nation is eagerly trying to emulate.

Hedonism has its origins in Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve fell from their original righteousness. They fell from a state of living to please God to living to please themselves. So we read, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom [that is, wisdom from below, from hell], she took some and ate it” (Gen. 3:6). Eve saw, she lusted, and she took. John warns us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its lusts pass away. But the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Yet with all our enjoyment of pleasure, every unbeliever is unhappy and restless. St. Augustine was right when he said, “Our hearts are restless until they find rest in God.” Without God, we are all without contentment.

We read in 4 Macabbees 1:25–26: “In the soul, [hedonism] is boastfulness, covetousness, thirst for honor, rivalry, malice; in the body, indiscriminate eating, gluttony, and solitary gormandizing.”¹

Seeking worldly pleasure only gives rise, James says, to war, fights, and discord. James had already dealt with this in James 3:13–18. In verses 14–15 he states, “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven, but is earthly, unspiritual, and of the devil.” The demonic wisdom from hell gives rise to envy and jealously. James continues, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven” that is, the Holy Spirit, “is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (v. 17). The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Pursuit of our sinful lusts only causes wars and fights, and, in fact, leaves the narcissist miserable. If we drink from the well of hedonism, we shall thirst again and again. Man is created to find his happiness in God alone. Remember Lot and his wife. They loved cattle and grass and the culture of Sodom more than the God of Abraham. They possessed all; yet, in time, they lost all (Gen. 13:10–11; Gen. 19).

So we want to examine three points: first, the source of all fighting; second, the poverty of lusting; and third, the solution by prayer.

The Source of All Fighting

James locates the source of hedonism in our members, that is, in our hearts. In verse 1 he asks, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?” Then he answers, “Are they not from here, from your lusts, which do battle in your members?” (Greek text), that is, in our bodies, especially in our minds.

The cause of man’s troubles is not found outside of him. James locates it within each one of us. This has been true since Genesis 3. Jesus said the same thing: “For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’” (Matt. 15:19-20). Our problem is not our mother or father or environment—we are the problem. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). The answer is, no one but God.

James was writing to churches who were experiencing wars and fighting, not from outside, but from within—churches that were plagued by lusts. Do you want to go back to the New Testament church life? It was a life of fighting, wars, envy, jealousy, party spirit, division, and disunity. And, James says, the cause of their fights was the lust of their hearts.

Human lust, which causes such problems, is seen throughout the Bible. We already observed that Eve saw, lusted, and took. Achan confessed, “When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted and I took and I hid them” (Josh. 7:21). What about King David? “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful” (2 Sam. 11:2). David saw, he lusted, and he took, with serious consequences.

We cannot avoid all battles between people, especially in the church. In fact, we must fight certain battles for truth, such as the truth of the authority of the Bible and that salvation is to be found in Jesus Christ alone, and so on. But as Christians, we should not engage in battles amongst ourselves caused by the sinful lusts of our hearts, caused by the wisdom of the devil.

Some preachers sanctify the word “hedonism” and speak of “Christian hedonism.” But this is an accommodation to the hedonistic American culture. The Bible never presents hedonism in a positive light. “Hedonism” appears six times in the New Testament and is always used in an evil sense. It appears twice in James 4 (vv. 1 and 3). It also appears in Luke 8:14, where we read, “The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear. But as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Paul uses it in his letter to Titus: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another” (Titus 3:3). And Peter writes, “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you” (2 Pet. 2:13). And Paul also says that some people in the church will be “treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4). Notice, he sets hedonism in opposition to loving God—lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Additionally, there is a war going on within every true believer. The flesh opposes the Spirit, and the Spirit opposes the flesh. Paul writes, “So I say, live by the Spirit,” which means, walk in the Spirit, be governed by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, who dwells in us. And then there is the guarantee: “and you will not gratify the desires of the [flesh] sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other” (Gal. 5:16–17). We read in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

By the power of the Spirit, we are to put to death the works of the flesh. We have the life of God in the soul of man. We have a new nature, the divine nature. We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit and divine power. God is with us and in us. We are being recreated in the image of God in knowledge and righteousness and holiness of truth. The purpose of Christ’s coming is to bring many sons to glory. We are destined for glory.

So we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, and he shall flee from us (Jas. 4:7). It is the way of Jesus. Paul tells us, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). He also says, “For if you live according to the [flesh], you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death² the [desires] of the flesh you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:13–14). Those who are led by the Holy Spirit are the ones who put to death the desires of the flesh.

Put it to death! Kill the sin in you! Don’t feed it; kill it! Unless we defeat the lust within us, it will spill over and cause fights in our homes, in the church, in the workplace, on the playground, and in our classrooms.

So James is asking about the origins of wars and fights. By “wars,” he means a chronic state of hostility. By “fights,” he means specific outbreaks of hostility. Divorces, church splits, and other human problems are all caused by sinful urges, appetites, and cravings from within.

All good and holy pleasures are created by God, but the devil perverts them. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). These evil lusts of the heart sow strife and misery everywhere. So Paul tells us in Galatians 6, “Those who sow to the flesh reap destruction from the flesh.”

When these lusts break out, they destroy the unity of the church and the home. When there are two people living in unity in the home, there is blessing, peace, joy, and happiness. It is the same in the church. The psalmist declares, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! . . . For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Ps. 133:1, 3b). About the early church we read, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had” (Acts 4:32). Paul tells us, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). So we must ask: How is your home life? How is your married life? How is your church life? Are there wars, fighting, and strife? Or is there unity, blessing, and happiness?

Consider the parable of the sower (Matt. 13; Mark 4; Luke 8). The third-soil people hear the word, but as they go on living, the problems come: the worries of this life, meaning, this temporal life; the deceitfulness of wealth; and the pleasures of this short life. All of these choke the word until it is dead. Such people become unfruitful. They are fake Christians who fail to persevere.

Oh, you can be a mighty person in this world, and have all the money and power and beauty and education, yet you hate God. Have you surrendered to Jesus Christ alone for your eternal salvation? We read in Psalm 68:20 that he saves us from death. No one else does.

John Calvin says, “[James] takes lusts as designating all illicit and lustful desires or propensities which cannot be satisfied without doing injury to others.”³ Our lusts cause injury to our spouses, our children, and our brothers and sisters in the church. Our lusts are directed against the kingdom of God, which is divine rule and happiness.

Such desires for sinful pleasure fills the man who is estranged from God. Such people are lust-filled, not Holy Spirit-controlled. And such people will leave God’s holy church (1 John 2:19) to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh. We are either slaves of sin or slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lust-living is self-centered living. It is not a life of love. The highest duty of man is this: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27). Elsewhere we read, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor. 13:4–7).

Let me assure you: God will grant us all our godly desires. The psalmist says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Paul says, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:11–13). He also says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:6–10). And Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33).

The sinful man is always lusting for more money to buy more stuff to experience more temporal, sensual pleasure. But wealth deceives. (PGM) It chokes the word of God in a person.

Sin also deceives, and the devil deceives. Therefore, may God help us to be led by the Spirit and the Scriptures, and exercise spiritual discipline upon our urges and appetites.

The Poverty of All Lusting

There is no profit to lusting. You are poor for the lusting, if you are a Christian. James says, in the Greek text, “You lust and you do not have, so you kill” (v. 2). In the Greek, there is no punctuation, so this is a better way to read. “You lust and you do not have, you do not get anything, so you kill. Second, you covet and you cannot obtain, so you fight and make war.”

“You are coveting,” James says. The Greek word is epithumeite, which is used in the present tense. In other words, you are lusting continually, 24/7, in the night and throughout the day. You are desiring, craving sensual carnal pleasures. You are not hungering and thirsting for God; you are lusting for stuff.

So you kill, James says. That is a hyperbole, a metaphor. He is speaking about verbal fighting and killing. As John says, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him” (1 John 3:15). Hating is murder. You hate the people of God because of unfulfilled sinful desires of your heart. And you covet, even though the tenth commandment specifically prohibits coveting and lusting after things belonging to others.

Christians are to exercise discipline on their urges and appetites, including sexual appetites, as well as eating and drinking. As we said before, all of these appetites were created by God, but Satan perverts them. So we must exercise discipline on our urges. Sexuality should be expressed only in marriage, not outside of marriage. We should not subscribe to the hedonistic modern culture. We should not indulge in the consumerism that advocates, “Buy now, pay later.” That only results in more stuff and more debt.

The Bible says, “Owe no man anything.” Proverbs 30:8-9 tells us, “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” The Hebrews writer exhorts, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). That is, God is saying, “I will take care of you.”

The rich man of Luke 16 died and went to suffer eternal torment. Nabal, a very wealthy man, was a wicked fool. Even his wife said so. He gave a banquet and got drunk. The Lord struck and killed him, and he went to hell. Judas sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. He also stole money from the collection plate. He was planning to live a long, happy life. But after he betrayed Jesus, he threw away his money, hanged himself in remorse, and went to hell.

Jesus spoke about the deceitfulness of wealth:

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed [oh, we are against homosexuality and adultery, but what about greed? Oh, we sanctified greed. America sanctifies greed. We made it a virtue]; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15–21)

James said, “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire [epithumeia], he is dragged away and enticed” (1:14). Paul writes, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another” (Rom. 1:24). He also says, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3). Peter declares, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires” (2 Pet. 3:3). And they will even come to church to satisfy their evil desires: “These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; . . . ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires’” (Jude 16, 18).

The Solution to Fighting and Lusting Is Prayer

God’s way of receiving what we need is the way of prayer. It is the way of Jesus. The members of the churches of James were very busy lusting, fighting, and coveting. But they did not pray. When they did pray, they did not receive what they prayed for. They prayed wickedly [kakôs], with wrong motives. They wished to make God to service their lusts. They did not subject their desires to God’s will. They were asking God for a lot of money to spend on their lusts. To them, happiness was stuff, and stuff needs a lot of money. The prodigal son spent all his money on pleasure. He squandered his wealth in wild living with prostitutes.

But God does not answer prayers that are designed to merely fulfill our lusts. Remember what Jesus said: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread’” (Matt. 6:9–11; see also Matt. 6:33). God has been providing for me all these years, and I am not worried about tomorrow.

The Bible does not say, “Be filled with money.” It says, “Be being filled with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). So James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should pray. If we are in trouble, we should pray (Jas. 1:5; 4:13).

Two times in his life, Moses spent forty days and forty nights with God without eating or drinking, and God sustained Moses. With God, we are able to live with or without food. But, thank God, he graciously gives us daily bread. He meets all our spiritual and physical needs. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” And his grace ever flows into us to make us fruitful, more fruitful, and most fruitful. Paul says in Colossians 3 that Christ is our life. He is our life, our hope, our peace—he is our everything. Union with Christ: that is the mother of all doctrines.

So Jesus instructs us, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. . . . If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:7–9, 11). May God help us to pray! Jesus also says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Our fundamental need—more than food and clothing—is the Holy Spirit.

One thing we can be sure of: If we ask for the Holy Spirit, he will give us the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit will give us all we need to sustain our lives. So let us now examine how to pray.

Hindrances to Prayer

Suppose you prayed about something but God didn’t answer. Then you begin to deduce, “Maybe I prayed wrongly.” Consider the following hindrances to prayer:

1. Praying with selfish motives. James 4:3 tells us that if we pray for our lusts, we will not receive what we pray for. God will not fulfill our selfish prayers.
2. Concealing our sins. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” We must not conceal our sins. Rather, we must confess and forsake our sins. Then, when we pray, we will receive mercy.
3. Not forsaking our sins. In Isaiah 59:1–2 we read, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” God will never hear us when we pray with our sins.
4. Lack of peace in the family. In 1 Peter 3:7 we read, “Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” We must experience harmony and peace in marriage for God to hear our prayers. Professor Jay Adams would often say, “Don’t take baggage into the bed.” Take care of family problems before the sun goes down. Do not give place to the devil.
5. Lack of peace in the community. We must get along with the people of God. If we do not love one another, God will not hear our prayers. So Jesus says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother. Then come and offer your gift and your prayer will be answered” (Matt. 5:23–24). Not only should we get along with our spouses, but we must also get along with God’s people in the church. We are related to one another.
6. Cherishing secret sins. In Psalm 66:18 we read, “If I had cherished sin my heart the LORD would not have listened.” Our secret sin may be secret to everyone else. But it is not secret to God, and it will hinder our prayers.
7. Not forgiving others. Jesus also taught us, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins” (Mark 11:25). We must forgive others before we can pray effectively.
8. Lack of agreement. When we pray, we must agree with one another. To a church in which two women were fighting, Paul says, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2). If you do not agree with your brothers and sisters in Christ, your prayer will not be heard. Paul also writes, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no division among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Cor. 1:10). Why should we be united? So that God may accept our worship and praise, and hear our prayers. Jesus also taught: “Again, I tell you, that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matt. 18:19-20). And Paul tells us not to give place to the devil by not confessing and forsaking sin before the sun goes down (Eph.4:26–28). It is true we may stumble and we may sin, but we must be quick to repent and forsake sin.

How to Pray

How, then, should we pray so that God will hear our prayers? Consider the following:

1. Do not pray, “My will be done,” but, “Thy will be done.” In Matthew 6:10 Jesus taught us to say, “Thy will be done.” Jesus himself prayed that prayer: “Lord, if possible, remove this cup from me. Yet not my will but thine be done” (Luke 22:42b). And he got up and went to the cross, which was God’s will.

2. Pray according to God’s will. First John 5:14 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he will hear us.” God’s will is disclosed in the Bible. Therefore a praying person is one who reads the Bible daily and continually so he knows how to pray.

3. Think heavenly things when we pray. Paul exhorts, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated on the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not only earthly things” (Col. 3:1–2). If we pray that God would convert ten people, that is a prayer in accordance with the will of God. Jesus said, “I will build my church,” and our job is to minister the gospel to people so they may come to confess Christ through our witnessing to them. We can be always praying and distributing materials that will make the gospel known.

4. Pray in the name of the Lord Jesus by his authority. Paul writes, “And whatever you do, whether in word and deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).

5. Pray in a way that brings glory to God. Jesus told his disciples, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to Father” (John 14:13). God will not answer our prayer unless it brings glory to the Father.

6. Pray in faith. Jesus declared, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe, that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). We can, therefore, pray for daily bread. We can pray for health, which comes to us because of divine grace. We are healthy because of God’s mercy. God is our health and our salvation.

7. Finally, pray with this injunction in mind: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

So James is saying, “Stop fighting. Stop lusting. Start praying in the will of God, and you shall receive all you need to live a very happy life in the midst of all troubles and tribulations.” The good shepherd prepares for us a table before me in the presence of our enemies. He anoints our head with oil and our cup overflows. That is the Christian life.

Jesus himself was praying continually. He prayed all night. In Hebrews 5:7 we read, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” God raised him up from the dead.

Our hearts are free when we pray and serve others. Believe this: God will grant the godly man all his godly desires. And our God is very generous. For example, in John 2 we read that Jesus’ mother came and told Jesus that the wedding hosts had no wine. It was a marriage feast, but they had no wine. So Jesus made about 150 gallons of wine—the best wine ever made in the universe. We serve a generous God. And when the dying thief said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” I am sure he meant sometime in the future. Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” In Luke 15 we read that the prodigal son came and said to his father, “Please hire me as a slave.” His father said, “No. I receive you as my son.” And when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, he prayed, “God, please give me food and clothing” (Gen. 28:20). Twenty years later it was written of him, “In this way, the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks and maidservants and menservants and camels and donkeys” (Gen. 30:43).

Our God is generous. He gives us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). He has done it to me, and he does it to all his people. He is a generous God who said, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He appeared to Abraham and said, “I am your shield and I am your very great reward” (Gen. 15:1).

When you are tempted to give in to your lusts, consider this: Satan offered Jesus all the glories of this world (Matt. 4:8-9), if only he would fall down and worship Satan. Jesus rejected Satan’s offer because it was not his Father’s will. And the Father testified about Jesus, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” As we love, obey, and please God, he will take care of us.

Prosperity and piety are inversely proportional. When prosperity goes up, piety goes down. This has been proven in the history of Israel as well as in the history of the church. Why should people pray when they have all the money in the world? But if you are led by the Spirit and the Scripture, you will live a happy life because true happiness is to know and serve the Savior. Serving lust costs a lot of money. But there is no cost in serving God. Salvation is by grace from beginning to end.

May God forgive our fighting and lusting! May he help us to pray, that we may enjoy holy communion with him and his people, both now and for eternity.

¹ Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 181.

² “Put to death” (thanatoute, Gk.) is in the present tense, which means we are continually putting to death.

³ John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistle of James (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 328.