James 4:1

Bible in Basic English (1941)

What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies?

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Referenced Verses

  • Rom 7:23 : 23 But I see another law in my body, working against the law of my mind, and making me the servant of the law of sin which is in my flesh.
  • 1 Pet 2:11 : 11 My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul;
  • Gal 5:17 : 17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; because these are opposite the one to the other; so that you may not do the things which you have a mind to do.
  • Jas 1:14 : 14 But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
  • Jas 4:3 : 3 You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure.
  • 1 John 2:15-17 : 15 Have no love for the world or for the things which are in the world. If any man has love for the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world. 17 And the world and its desires is coming to an end: but he who does God's pleasure is living for ever.
  • Titus 3:3 : 3 For in the past we were foolish, hard in heart, turned from the true way, servants of evil desires and pleasures, living in bad feeling and envy, hated and hating one another.
  • Titus 3:9 : 9 But have nothing to do with foolish questionings, and lists of generations, and fights and arguments about the law; for they are of no profit and foolish.
  • 1 Pet 4:2-3 : 2 So that you may give the rest of your lives in the flesh, not to the desires of men, but to the purpose of God. 3 Because for long enough, in times past, we have been living after the way of the Gentiles, given up to the desires of the flesh, to drinking and feasting and loose behaviour and unclean worship of images;
  • 2 Pet 2:18 : 18 For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;
  • Gen 4:5-8 : 5 But in Cain and his offering he had no pleasure. And Cain was angry and his face became sad. 6 And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your face sad? 7 If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master. 8 And Cain said to his brother, Let us go into the field: and when they were in the field, Cain made an attack on his brother Abel and put him to death.
  • Jer 17:9 : 9 The heart is a twisted thing, not to be searched out by man: who is able to have knowledge of it?
  • Mark 7:21-23 : 21 Because from inside, from the heart of men, come evil thoughts and unclean pleasures, 22 The taking of goods and of life, broken faith between husband and wife, the desire of wealth, wrongdoing, deceit, sins of the flesh, an evil eye, angry words, pride, foolish acts: 23 All these evil things come from inside, and make the man unclean.
  • John 8:44 : 44 You are the children of your father the Evil One and it is your pleasure to do his desires. From the first he was a taker of life; and he did not go in the true way because there is no true thing in him. When he says what is false, it is natural to him, for he is false and the father of what is false.
  • Rom 7:5 : 5 For when we were in the flesh, the evil passions which came into being through the law were working in our bodies to give the fruit of death.
  • Matt 15:19 : 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, the taking of life, broken faith between the married, unclean desires of the flesh, taking of property, false witness, bitter words:
  • Col 3:5 : 5 Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;
  • 1 Tim 6:4-9 : 4 He has an over-high opinion of himself; being without knowledge, having only an unhealthy love of questionings and wars of words, from which come envy, fighting, cruel words, evil thoughts, 5 Bitter talk of men who, being evil in mind and dead to what is true, take the faith to be a way of making profit. 6 But true faith, with peace of mind, is of great profit: 7 For we came into the world with nothing, and we are not able to take anything out; 8 But if we have food and a roof over us, let that be enough. 9 But those who have a desire for wealth are falling into danger, and are taken as in a net by a number of foolish and damaging desires, through which men are overtaken by death and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all evil: and some whose hearts were fixed on it have been turned away from the faith, and been wounded with unnumbered sorrows.
  • Rom 8:7 : 7 Because the mind of the flesh is opposite to God; it is not under the law of God, and is not able to be:
  • Jas 3:14-18 : 14 But if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true. 15 This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One. 16 For where envy is, and the desire to get the better of others, there is no order, but every sort of evil-doing. 17 But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace for those who make peace.
  • Jude 1:16-18 : 16 These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men's position in the hope of reward. 17 But you, my loved ones, keep in memory the words which were said before by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 How they said to you, In the last days there will be men who, guided by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things.
  • 1 Pet 1:14 : 14 Like children ruled by God, do not go back to the old desires of the time when you were without knowledge:
  • 2 Pet 3:3 : 3 Having first of all the knowledge that in the last days there will be men who, ruled by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things,

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Jas 4:2-5
    4 verses
    86%

    2 You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it.

    3 You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure.

    4 O you who are false to God, do you not see that the friends of this world are not God's friends? Every man desiring to be a friend of this world makes himself a hater of God.

    5 Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us?

  • Jas 1:14-15
    2 verses
    72%

    14 But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.

    15 Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death.

  • Jas 3:14-17
    4 verses
    70%

    14 But if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true.

    15 This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One.

    16 For where envy is, and the desire to get the better of others, there is no order, but every sort of evil-doing.

    17 But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is.

  • Gal 5:16-17
    2 verses
    70%

    16 But I say, Go on in the Spirit, and you will not come under the rule of the evil desires of the flesh.

    17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; because these are opposite the one to the other; so that you may not do the things which you have a mind to do.

  • 1 Cor 3:3-4
    2 verses
    70%

    3 Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?

    4 For when one says, I am of Paul; and another says, I am of Apollos; are you not talking like natural men?

  • Mark 7:21-23
    3 verses
    70%

    21 Because from inside, from the heart of men, come evil thoughts and unclean pleasures,

    22 The taking of goods and of life, broken faith between husband and wife, the desire of wealth, wrongdoing, deceit, sins of the flesh, an evil eye, angry words, pride, foolish acts:

    23 All these evil things come from inside, and make the man unclean.

  • 16 Because everything in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world.

  • 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, the taking of life, broken faith between the married, unclean desires of the flesh, taking of property, false witness, bitter words:

  • 14 The start of fighting is like the letting out of water: so give up before it comes to blows.

  • 1 Cor 6:7-8
    2 verses
    67%

    7 More than this, it is not to your credit to have causes at law with one another at all. Why not put up with wrong? why not undergo loss?

    8 So far from doing this, you yourselves do wrong and take your brothers' property.

  • 5 Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;

  • 5 For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; there were fightings outside and fears inside.

  • 16 But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil.

  • 11 My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul;

  • 5 Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;

  • 19 Now the works of the flesh are clear, which are these: evil desire, unclean things, wrong use of the senses,

  • 23 And put away foolish and uncontrolled questionings, seeing that they are a cause of trouble.

  • 4 And they are wondering that you no longer go with them in this violent wasting of life, and are saying evil things of you:

  • 2 There is cursing and broken faith, violent death and attacks on property, men are untrue in married life, houses are broken into, and there is blood touching blood.

  • 5 You have been living delicately on earth and have taken your pleasure; you have made your hearts fat for a day of destruction.

  • 4 He has an over-high opinion of himself; being without knowledge, having only an unhealthy love of questionings and wars of words, from which come envy, fighting, cruel words, evil thoughts,

  • 20 For I have a fear that, when I come, you may not be answering to my desire, and that I may not be answering to yours; that there may be fighting, hate, angry feeling, divisions, evil talk about others, secrets, thoughts of pride, outbursts against authority;

  • 36 What? was it from you that the word of God went out? or did it only come in to you?

  • 7 For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to flight before you.

  • 18 Your ways and your doings have made these things come on you; this is your sin; truly it is bitter, going deep into your heart.

  • 13 How foolish it is to say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this town, and be there for a year and do business there and get wealth:

  • 23 But I see another law in my body, working against the law of my mind, and making me the servant of the law of sin which is in my flesh.

  • 4 Till now you have not given your blood in your fight against sin:

  • 8 This ready belief did not come from him who had made you his.

  • 4 Is there not a division in your minds? have you not become judges with evil thoughts?

  • 10 Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not right for these things to be so.

  • 20 For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.

  • 12 For this cause do not let sin be ruling in your body which is under the power of death, so that you give way to its desires;

  • 16 These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men's position in the hope of reward.

  • 9 Say no hard things against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged; see, the judge is waiting at the doors.

  • 1 So that as Jesus was put to death in the flesh, do you yourselves be of the same mind; for the death of the flesh puts an end to sin;

  • 9 But those who have a desire for wealth are falling into danger, and are taken as in a net by a number of foolish and damaging desires, through which men are overtaken by death and destruction.

  • 11 Because it has come to my knowledge, through those of the house of Chloe, that there are divisions among you, my brothers.