Hedonism, Hostility, Humility

I was reading the book of James from the Maxwell Leadership Bible recently on problem solving.  Problems in life are often related to people problems.  In particular, James addresses the issue of human pride and lust in chapter 4 that causes fights and quarrels.

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?  You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Jas 4:1-4 (NASB)

When our own self-centred desires (hedonism) are not fulfilled, it often results in hostility against others and God.  The story of Sodom's depravity is a good case in point (Gen 19).  The men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and wanted to fulfill their own sexual lusts with the visiting angels in Lot's house.  They demanded that Lot bring them out.  Because Lot refused them, they became hostile to such an extent that they would have broken down the door of his house and invaded their privacy had the angels not intervened.   Such attitudes are quite common nowadays when hedonistic desires are not being fulfilled and people resort to vehement violent means to get their own ways.  Let's check our own attitudes in life in this area, lest we fall into the devil's trap.

The way of the world and of the devil is to resort to hostility.  To be a friend of the world is to be God's enemy.  Lucifer fell because of pride and became the devil.  James says that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (Jas 4:6).  The cure therefore for human conflict is to submit (humble) ourselves to God and resist the devil.  If we do not take a stand against the devil, he would be more than happy to continue feeding our ego with pride so that we can fulfill our carnal desires.  On the other hand, if we lament, mourn and weep over our sins, we will find that our souls would be healed and God would lift us up, which is very much different from being lifted up in pride (Jas 4:7-10).  I would rather that God lift me up than me lifting myself up. 

Confessions

Currently there is this Confession fad going on in Facebook under various organisations and institutions.  In them, you’ll find people confessing to their shenanigans, whether they have taken place in the past or in the present.  Many recount the memories of life in organisations or institutions they were or are from. Some admitting to certain sexual orientation or sexual exploits, their crushes, mischief and misdeeds; a reflection of the changing social mores in our present day society.  Do such confessions go about alleviating the guilty conscience of people?   Let’s see what the Bible has to say.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."  Jas 5:16 (NASB)

In order to understand what this verse means since there is the word therefore, we have to look at the preceding verses which talk about the sick requesting the elders of the church to pray over him.  Although there may be anointing of oil in the name of the Lord, it is the prayer of faith that brings healing both to the body (seen in restoration) and/or soul (seen in forgiveness of sin).  Because of the efficacy of the prayer of faith to heal the soul as well, James next encourages believers to confess their sins to one another.  Not so much as to gossip about them but to lay them before the Lord in prayer.  Notice the word 'and' connects confess to one another with pray for one another. 

James also mentions that there must be no confession without the determination to be healed, to be rid of the sin.  Just as the listener needs to examine his motives, not to be an idle person with an itching ear, but to bring himself to the sole intention of praying for his friend, so the confessor must also examine his motives, for sin cannot be confessed in a spirit of exhibitionism, without any real abhorrence of it or longing to see it gone.  This is the kind of confession that believers ought to engage in and not simply declare to all and sundry without any attempt to repent of our sins. 

The Greek word for confess means “to speak the same as”.  In other words, when we confess our sins we use the same language God uses to describe them.  It is more than merely saying, “I’m sorry”. It is calling a spade a spade and not something else.  True confession involves sincere repentance, forsaking the sin and willingness to confess to others and make restitution.