11. WAR & PEACE (Part II) – THE PEACE

9 December 2012
Steve Grant
Series on The Epistle of James
James 4:6-10

WAR & PEACE (Part II) – THE PEACE

There is a condition to receiving God’s grace (vs 6) – humility. This is the key to solving the problem of war in order to bring about peace. What’s more, this isn’t about a one-off act but a consistent, daily application. And how do we do this? The answer is in verse 7 – by submitting ourselves to God. There is no salvation without submission; and that’s exactly opposite what culture teaches us – to be assertive. But contrary to what some might teach, you cannot accept Jesus as Saviour without first submitting to Him as God.

 James’ teaching is clear: if we’re not submitting to God, we’re at war with Him. This teaching of “Submit yourself” is not a suggestion; it’s an imperative. And the way we are to accomplish this is twofold – resist the devil and draw near to God. In other words, submitting to our new Lord involves resisting our old lord. And it is when we walk in humble submission on a daily basis that we can find the true peace that James is talking about.