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To strive is to contend, to contest, to struggle in opposition to another. Striving can be as little as arguing and as much as legal action.
And without cause means there was no reason for it. You’ve heard it said that everything happens for a reason. That’s not true. Sometimes things have no reason. If we’re not careful we fall into this view of God that he engineers all the bad stuff in order to bring about a good outcome. A clearer view of God is that some things happen unprovoked; God didn’t engineer the trauma, but he can work all things together for good. A clearer view of God is that he can certainly engineer blessings and benefits out of tragedy. But he isn’t sitting around plotting evil so that good can come of it. Paul said it this way, Romans 3:7-8 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just. Paul said that was a slanderous statement because it’s an evil ideology. The LORD certainly doesn’t work that way. In fact, it is the opposite of godly, it is devilish.
Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Legal contentions
- Frivolous and false lawsuits in Deuteronomy 19:16-21
- Weaponized legal system
Argumentative
- 2 Timothy 2:15-16
- When you strive with someone without cause you are the sole source of the contention. There is no reason the fight would happen if you didn’t start it. Proverbs 26:21 As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.
Devilish spirit
- Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
- The news media and what passes for journalism makes its living doing what this verse says not to do. They create strife and stir controversy for the purpose of directing policy change in government if they are young idealists, but for the purpose of making money among the media businessmen.
- Let me make another distinction here. To do something without a cause doesn’t mean you don’t have a reason to do it. You may have a reason to do what you did or to think what you think. Just like the Jews of Jesus day had a reason to crucify Christ. But the LORD said of it, He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause (John 15:23-25). The Jews certainly had their own reason for wanting Jesus dead, but according to the Spirit of God their reason wasn’t a reason because what they did was without a cause.
- Interesting enough in Matthew 5:22 the phrase without a cause has been taken out.
