Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Wisdom from Above” or "Living Wisely"
The book of James is all about what it looks like to live by genuine faith. James recorded numerous instructions (51) that a person living by faith readily obeys because they are God’s instructions. James described the kind of life the one who claims to live by faith lives.
I. Faith’s response to trials 1:2-27
Joyfully endure – continued endurance produces maturity and stability.
II. Faith’s response to partiality and prejudice 2:1-13 Love others as ourselves
III. Faith’s True Nature 2:14-26 Believe God and behave godly
IV. Faith’s response to conversation 3:1-12 Control your speech
James clearly described the power of our speech and the difficulty in bridling it for good purpose rather than bad. He urged few to become teachers because of the higher scrutiny and the difficulty in avoiding harm caused by what we say. Even though James focused on the tongue, he knew that what comes out of our mouth is only a reflection of what resides in the heart. He adamantly asserted that we ALL stumble in many ways. A great many of those ways involves our mouth. He also asserted that only the pure in heart or spiritually mature can control their speech.
The next section moves from the outward manifestation of the tongue to the inner workings of the heart.
It is impossible to control the tongue without addressing what lies in the heart.
Here is a brief roadmap of the passage.
James issued an instruction to live wisely.
He followed the instruction with some insights regarding wisdom.
He contrasted human wisdom with divine wisdom.
He identified the character and source of human wisdom.
He concluded the section by identifying the key characteristics of divine wisdom.
V. Faith’s wise living 3:13-18 Live wisely
James is all about demonstrating facts rather than merely declaring them. Don’t just declare your faith, demonstrate it by your behavior. Don’t just declare your wisdom, demonstrate it by your behavior.
Wisdom is the ability to understand and to discern what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.
Expository Pulpit Series – James: Faith in Action.
James contrasts God’s way of doing things and Satan’s way of doing things.
God’s way of doing things promotes peaceful behavior.
Satan’s way of doing things promotes destructive behavior.
A. Instruction – If you think you are wise, live wisely
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
If you claim to have divine wisdom and understanding, show it by your behavior. “Show it” appears in a position of prominence in the sentence. The true test of faith is works not words. James used the same word used earlier -- “I will show you my faith BY my works.” The same is true concerning wisdom. Don’t just say you have wisdom, show you have wisdom by your lifestyle. How we behave communicates much clearer than our claims. We often call people to show us. I.e. “Show me the money!” “Prove it!”
Jesus “showed” His hands and feet to the doubting disciples. Jesus demonstrated His outrageous claims by His life. Divine wisdom imbedded in the heart manifests in the life. We recognize a wise person more by their walk than their words. We recognize foolishness by someone’s external behavior.
James called for a clear manifestation of the meekness or humility of wisdom.
We humbly receive the word implanted.
We humbly live out the word implanted.
Godly behavior is not “in your face” but persuades with the humility of your heart. James boldly called out the hypocrites. James follows his command to live wisely with five insights regarding wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge or information to life.
Human wisdom applies human reasoning to life.
Divine wisdom applies divine revelation to life.
B. Insights
1. Claiming wisdom without wise living makes you a liar. 3:13-14
If you claim to be wise and understand God’s ways but don’t live according to divine revelation you live a lie.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
Don’t arrogantly claim to know God’s ways while living contrary to them. This makes you an arrogant liar.
Your external behavior will either validate your claims or invalidate your claims. James identified two fires burning in the heart that set the tongue on fire.
“Bitter jealousy”
The term translated jealousy is a fervent desire or boiling, to have something. It can be a positive fervor or a negative fervor depending the object desired. James call it BITTER jealousy. Bitter is the word sharp, piercing, acid. “I jealously desire what you have to the point where I breed bitterness.” Such bitterness often erupts with a sharp, piercing tongue.
“Selfish ambition”
The original text contains only one word; the word for strife or contention. Contention and strife destructively permeate most of our media today. Just a casual reading of the gospels reveals such issues even in the early church.
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Galatians 5:15
I want what you have (jealousy)
I want to be first (selfish strife).
These two passions drive the twisted heart that feeds the destructive tongue. James exposed a self-focused heart.
It is a me-centered life. It is the opposite of humility. James instructed them to demonstrate their claim to wisdom by the behavior of gentle wisdom from above. He told them to stop lying about having wisdom when they harbored bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in their heart.
2. Jealousy and strife breed a multitude of other evils
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. James 3:16
These two heart problems breed other heart maladies.
3. Human wisdom arises from three sources.
James identified the source of this self-centered way of life?
Today’s culture urges people to…
Pursue entitlement without investment. (jealousy)
Pursue promotion without participation (caustic ambition)
James suggested three sources of propaganda.
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. James 3:1. Divine wisdom comes from divine revelation. Human wisdom comes from three sources. Paul reminded the Ephesians everybody came programed with destructive passions. He referred to the same three sources.
a. “earthly”
Man’s idea of how life should be lived arises from an earthly source in contrast to wisdom from above (heavenly).
You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… 2:1
Paul identified a “worldly wisdom”; a way of life promoted by the world system.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8
This world offers countless suggestions as to how to live life as long as it does not include submission to God.
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:21-23
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. Philippians 3:18-19
b. “Soulish”
James used a word from which we get our word psychology; pertaining to the soul. Man’s idea of how to live can be soul driven rather than Spirit directed. It revolves around passions generated by our sinful flesh.
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind Ephesians 2:3
The soulish person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
This way of life appeals to our base nature and desires. It centers on the senses. It appeals to the pleasure centers. It enflames the desire for pleasure, possessions and prominence without God. It ignores the spiritual aspect of life and the supernatural work of God in the life. It centers on human effort rather than faith in God.
“If it feels good, do it.’ “Feels so good it can’t be wrong.” “I’m worth it.” “You can be whatever YOU want to be.”
James already asserted that all temptation leading to sin arises from these unbridled passions.
c. “Demonic”
Man’s idea of how life should be lived also comes from demonic suggestion.
following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…Eph 2:2
Satan is the author of living life without accountability to God.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4
He dispatches his horde of sorry soldiers all around the world to promote his way of life without God. Scripture warns against “deceitful spirits”, “teachings of demons”, false prophets manipulated by evil spirits, elemental spirits. The tongue can be set on fire by hell.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2:20-23
No way of life suggested by earthly, soulish or demonic sources will ever result in godly behavior. In contrast to the destructive actions of a live lived by human wisdom, James identified the observable characteristics of a live lived by divine wisdom.
4. Divine wisdom (from above) produces godly behavior
God’s wisdom revealed in God’s implanted truth produces specific results. James lists a few of the obvious signs on is living according to God’s ways. This list bears similar attributes as Paul’s fruit of the Spirit list in Galatians 5. Everything on the list directly contrasts what jealousy and strife produce.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
a. Pure vs stained
"not contaminated, free from defilement, pure enough to be offered to the gods." This term comes from the same root as the word for Holy meaning to be separated from all that is contrary to God’s ways. This stands in stark contrast to the heart harboring jealousy and strife. James earlier described keeping one’s self unstained by the world as a characteristic of true religion. One who lives according to God’s ways keep as far away from evil as possible.
For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10-11
b. Peaceable vs hostile
That which pertains to peace, rest, quiet, contentment. Paul told the Romans to be at peace with all men as much as it depends on us. A commitment to God’s ways results in a desire to get along with everyone. It never comprises purity but seeks for peaceful relationships. It is the opposite of strife generated by a self-centered heart. One living according to God’s ways seeks for the peace.
c. Gentle vs inconsiderate
This term carries the idea of being fair, considerate and equitable. One living according to God’s ways seeks to see and discover the best in people.
The man or woman with this quality makes allowances for the weaknesses and ignorance of others and takes the kindest perspective whenever possible. Preaching the Word – James: Faith That Works.
d. Reasonable vs stubborn
One living according to God’s ways is willing to listen to the other side and even willing to change their thinking; open to reason
e. Full of mercy vs indifferent
One controlled by mercy. Mercy withholds judgment and looks with pity on the plight of others. One living according to God’s ways shows great compassion on the plight of others.
f. Full of good fruits vs bad fruits
Every person impacts others by their actions. The Holy Spirit impacts out life with His fruit. In contrast to the one breeding all kinds of evil, the one living according to God’s ways impacts others positively.
g. Unwavering vs unstable
"unwavering, unshakable, singleness of mind, not being judgmental or divisive, impartial, without vacillation or doubtfulness." The is the opposite of double-minded. The one living according to God’s ways is sure, confident, unshakable
h. Sincere vs hypocritical
The opposite is hypocritical. This person is the real deal. The one living according to God’s ways is genuine with no hidden agenda or trying to be something they are not.
5. Peace promotes righteous living 3:18
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James summarizes the wonder of living according to God’s ways – wisdom. Our peaceful interaction with people and promotion of peace results in a motivation for others to live righteously. Selfishness, bitterness and strife never motivate righteousness in others. Just as the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Seeds of peace produce righteous lives.
We must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. Romans 14:19
The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Man’s ways (jealousy and strife) produce a harvest of disorder and every evil thing. God’s ways produce a harvest of peace, purity and righteousness. It seems clear that people today have little divine wisdom as evidence by the fruit of disorder and every evil thing. James instructed his readers to demonstrate their commitment to God’s ways by their walk. Show your wisdom by your walk. What kind of fruit flows from your life? How does your way of life manifest wisdom and motivate others to live righteously?
Lord make me an instrument of Your peace!
