The Wisdom from above…
James 3:13-18
WISDOM: THE TRUE AND THE FALSE
In these verses, James is discussing the difference between true wisdom and false.
When he speaks about wisdom, he is not thinking of how much knowledge a man has, but how he lives his life from day to day.
It is not the possession of knowledge but the proper application of it that counts.
We have here a portrait of the truly wise man.
Basically, this man is the Lord Jesus Christ; He is wisdom incarnate (Matt. 11:19; 1 Cor. 1:30).
But also the wise person is one who manifests the life of Christ, one in whom the fruit of the Spirit is evident (Gal. 5:22, 23).
We have also a portrait of the worldly-wise man. He acts according to the principles of this world.
He embodies all the traits that men glorify.
His behavior gives no evidence of divine life within.
As in the previous chapters, James began his discussion of human speech with a practical exhortation and continued to deal with increasingly basic issues.
He spoke of the importance of controlling one’s mind next to enable his readers to understand how to control their tongues.
Wisdom in the mind affects one’s use of his or her tongue.
Note the key words “wise” and “wisdom” (vv. 13, 17), which bracket the thought of this section, as well of the prominence of “peaceable” and “peace” that conclude it (vv. 17, 18).
The real qualifications of a teacher (v. 1) are wisdom (the ability to view life from God’s perspective) and understanding (mental perception and comprehension).
James probably had the Old Testament sage in mind.
We can perceive understanding in others quite easily, but wisdom is more difficult to identify.
James said to look at a person’s behavior if you want to see if he or she is wise.
The wisdom James had in mind did not result so much in what one thinks or says but in what one does.
One of the marks of wisdom is gentleness, meekness, humility. The Greek word prauteti (“gentleness”) occurs in non-biblical literature to describe a horse that someone had broken and had trained to submit to a bridle.
It pictures strength under control, specifically the Holy Spirit’s control.
Psalm 32:8-9
Expanded Bible
8 The Lord says, “I will ·make you wise [instruct you] and ·show [teach] you ·where to [the way you should] go.
I will ·guide [counsel] you and ·watch over [my eye will be on] you.
9 So don’t be like a horse or donkey,
that doesn’t understand.
·They must be led […whose temper/or gallop must be restrained] with bits and reins,
or they will not come near you.”
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The evidence of this attitude is a deliberate placing of oneself under divine authority.
The only way to control the tongue is to place one’s mind deliberately under the authority of God and to let Him control it (have His way with it; cf. Matt. 11:27; 2 Cor. 10:1).
James’ concept of wisdom was Hebraic rather than Greek, moral more than intellectual (cf. 1:5).
“The problem seems to be that some self-styled chief people, thinking they were endowed with superior wisdom and understanding, had divided the church because of their teaching, which betrayed a misuse of the tongue.”
“It is very difficult to be a teacher or a preacher and to remain humble; but however difficult it is, it is absolutely necessary.”
Bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition” are motives that must not inhabit the heart of a teacher or he will find himself saying things he should not.
These are attitudes toward others and self that are the antithesis of graciousness that seeks the welfare of others before self.
Jealousy and ambition are manifestations of arrogance, and they result in promoting self rather than the truth the teacher is responsible to communicate.
Lying against the truth means teaching untrue things, things that oppose the truth.
Those who boast of wisdom are not following God because humility does not mark their lives.
This is as true of Christians as it is of non-Christians.
This type of so-called “wisdom,” which springs from jealousy and ambition, does not have its source in the fear of the Lord.
It comes from the spirit (philosophy) of this world (cf. 2:1-7).
It consists of only what is natural, excluding the supernatural influence of God’s Spirit.
Furthermore it is demon-like in its deception, hypocrisy, and evil.
“Wisdom is not measured by degrees but by deeds.
It is not a matter of acquiring truth in lectures but of applying truth to life.”
God is not the God of disorder but of order and peace (Gen. 1; 1 Cor. 14:33).
He opposes every evil thing (1 John 1:5).
Therefore ungracious jealousy and personal ambition are not part of the wisdom He provides.
“There is a kind of person who is undoubtedly clever; he has an acute brain and a skilful tongue; but his effect in any committee, in any Church, in any group, is to cause trouble, to drive people apart, to foment strife, to make trouble, to disturb personal relationships.
It is a sobering thing to remember that the wisdom that that man possesses is devilish rather than divine, and that such a man is engaged on Satan’s work and not on God’s work.”
In contrast, the wisdom God gives has several characteristics.
It is pure, meaning free of the defilements mentioned.
It is peaceable, namely, peace-loving, peace-practicing, and peace-yielding.
It is gentle or considerate of others.
It is reasonable, that is, open to reason and willing to yield to reasonable requests.
It is full of mercy in that it is actively sympathetic to the needy, and it is full of good fruits (good works).
It is unwaveringly single-minded in its devotion to God rather than double-minded.
It is, finally, without hypocrisy, namely, true to appearances.
“Thus ‘purity’ is not just one quality among others but the key to them all.”
People committed to preserving peace must teach the Word of God peacefully to reap a harvest of righteousness (cf. 1:20).
That good fruit will not come if teachers sow it in words and ways that inflame and antagonize people (cf. 1 Tim. 5:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:14, 24-26).
“To ‘raise a harvest of righteousness’ demands a certain kind of climate.
A crop of righteousness cannot be produced in the climate of bitterness and self-seeking.
Righteousness will grow only in a climate of peace.”
“Winsome speech comes from a wise spirit. A controlled tongue is possible only with cultured thought. A mouth filled with praise results from a mind filled with purity.”
To restate James’ thought in this chapter, our words are very important as we seek to carry out the ministry God has called us to fulfill.
We cannot control our tongues easily.
Therefore we should not be too quick to take on a teaching ministry.
The only One who can control our tongues is God, who can give us wisdom.
The marks of the wisdom He provides are humility, graciousness, and peace.
James warns against anything that does not bear the fruit of good works: unfruitful religion (1:25-26), unfruitful faith (2:26), and unfruitful wisdom (3:17-18).
The Apostle Paul instructed the Philippian church that the solution is that we should put on the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:2-11
The Message
He Took on the Status of a Slave
1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor:
Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.
Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top.
Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.
Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage.
Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.
He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.
Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!
Having become human, he stayed human.
It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.
Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. Amen
SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Thursday, March 16
The Winning Walk
by Dr Ed Young
FROM ABOVE
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
— James 3:17
How easy it is for us, in today’s culture, to be swallowed by it all – bigger, better, more.
How important it is that we get still and know that we can receive the wisdom from above that God promises to His children.
Notice that this wisdom is – first of all – pure. That means it is without mixture or alloy.
It calls us to be holy, to be separate, and to swim upstream against the current of our world.
With wisdom from above, we are able to interpret things from a divine dimension, and we understand something of the way God works.
We can go with the crowd, or we can act on the basis of wisdom from our Living God.
Choose correctly, and you will receive the ability in any situation, and in any relationship, to understand how God would have you live – and what He would have you do.
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Come join the Adventure!
Skip 🕊️
SB SALT AND LIGHT MINISTRIES 