Wisdom from Above
Does it seem to you like there is a lot of bitterness, envying, and strife running rampant in the world at large right now? It might seem that there are more of these things in our world today than ever before, and that this is all something new, but that simply isn’t true. The Bible shows us many examples of people acting out of bitterness, envy, and strife throughout Scripture—these aren’t new problems for the human race.
But even when it seems these things are on the rise, Christians are not to be swept away in the tide of malice. The book of James explains:
“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (3:14-16)
Envy and strife never result in righteousness, and instead bring confusion and “every evil work.” And yet, that is the world’s default, its go to response when faced with difficulties. So if envy and strife are worldly wisdom, what does God’s wisdom look like?
“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (v.17)
Let’s take a closer look at this list.
Pure
A Christian living out the wisdom of God will be first of all characterized by purity. The Greek word that is translated “pure” here has two parts, the first part means “truly” or “certainly” and the second has the idea of being clean, innocent, modest, or chaste. Put together, we see that the Christian should be characterized by an unmistakable pureness, an emphatic cleanness and innocence of heart, mind, and action.
That seems like a tall order, but God’s standards of holiness are always beyond our reach without the power of His Spirit to enable us.
But the more we follow Christ, the closer we walk with Him the more closely our hearts, minds, and actions will resemble the total purity and cleanness given in this list.
A quick application here: We live in a world saturated by entertainment. It can be easy to just drift along with whatever’s around, but as Christians, we have the responsibility to ask the question: is this video/song/reel/game/social media post one that displays the wisdom of God? Is it going to help or hinder me in the pursuit of the wisdom that is “first pure”?
Peaceable
This word means precisely what you think. But another quick glance at the world at large will tell you that peace is in short supply. Think about your interactions with people. Are your words and demeanor displaying a peaceable spirit, or are you anxious, irritable, or frustrated?
Gentle
This word has in the Greek the idea of being appropriate, mild, fair or equitable. It is translated “moderation” in Philippians 4:5, and “patient” in 1 Timothy 3:3.
What does it mean for us to be gentle in the sense of appropriateness or mildness? What comes to mind for my self is how I handle things that are unexpected or that go differently than I had planned. Gentleness in that case would be handling the bumps and sudden turns of life with grace and a calmness that comes from trusting God. When things go wrong, do you give a measured response appropriate to the situation, or do you let your emotions drive you to overreact? I struggle with this more in little inconveniences rather than big events. There’s something in me that rises to an occasion, but when there’s a little change, or something becomes unexpectedly uncertain, that is when I need to take a step back and ask God to help me respond to the situation with James 3:17 gentleness.
Easy to be Intreated
When I looked up this phrase in my Strong’s concordance, I was hit with an application I hadn’t considered. I always took this to mean we should be reasonable, teachable, easy to persuade in things that are right according to the Bible—and that’s an appropriate application. But this phrase can also refer to being compliant, or as Thayer’s defines it, “easily obeying.”
Does it take a struggle for you to obey the Holy Spirit’s promptings? The world’s wisdom pushes us to stand on our own, to do our own thing, to be relentless in the pursuit of our own dreams. But God’s wisdom invites us to the joy and peace of choosing to freely obey Him, even when obedience cuts across our plans or wishes. God calls us not just to be mindless robots, but to discern His will and follow it—because He is the only one who truly knows what is best for us.
Work to notice and respond to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, whether it’s a Bible passage “quickened,” pointed out to you by the Holy Spirit as you read, or the admonition or advice of a godly friend, or the “still small voice” of the Holy Spirit impressing you to act or speak or reach out to someone. Determine to be one who easily obeys the Lord.
Full of Mercy
This word mercy carries with it the idea of compassion towards those in need. There are days when I struggle to be compassionate, especially when it seems that another’s need is something I can’t do anything about. But often, those are the situations in which compassion is needed most. When something is wrong, it helps to have someone listen with compassion.
Being full of mercy requires more than just an internal emotion. Throughout the Gospels, we see that when Jesus had compassion on a person or group of people, that compassion led Him to action. He either met a physical need (healing raising from the dead) or a spiritual need (proclaiming truth, offering forgiveness). God wants you and I to be full of mercy, to let Christlike compassion call us to action in meeting another’s need.
Of course, the world has its compassionate people and its causes it promotes, but for the Christian, compassion is different, because Christlike compassion flows from the heart of God. When we act on that compassion, we are acting in obedience to the Holy Spirit, who knows exactly what that person or people need in that specific moment.
Full of Good Fruits
Jesus said, “by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20) He also said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)
As Christians, we are to bring forth fruit in obedience to the Word of God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The more “easily obedient” we are to God, the more fruit we will bear for Him.
Without Partiality
Do you find yourself taking up an offense for others? The “mama bear” instinct is real, and if we’re not careful, we may end up hindering those we want to protect or defend (or avenge), keeping them from accepting God’s grace for the situation by venting our own unforgiveness, bitterness, or anger. Christ died for all. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) When we are in “mama bear” mode, let us remember Christ’s cry from the cross: “Father, forgive them…”(Luke 23:34)
As C.S. Lewis put it, “If they are wrong, they need your prayers all the more; and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them.”
He is referring to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43-44:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
This should be our attitude towards others: impartial love, forgiving in our hearts and desiring God’s best for others, especially when our flesh is fighting the desire to avenge or protect someone dear to us. God is perfect in His justice, whether or not we understand His plan or timing. We can always trust that He will make things right as we simply obey Him.
Without Hypocrisy
Without hypocrisy means to be sincere, unfeigned, undisguised. Often, our world uses this as an excuse to be blatantly selfish or rude. However, selfishness and unkindness are never intended to be who a Christian “really is.” We should be honest, open, and transparent—but this should put Christ on display, not our flesh. After all,
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Our aim should be to walk so closely with the Lord that it is Christ that shines through our daily lives, not our flesh. If we are living in daily, moment-by-moment obedience to the Holy Spirit, seeking to know God more and more each day, spending time soaking in the truths of God’s Word, our Christianity will never be fake or hypocritical. It will be sincere, genuine, the “real thing” that draws people to the Savior because they can see Him in our lives.
James 3:17 gives us quite a list, and it can seem overwhelming to read through and know how many of those things are a struggle for me, but that isn’t the point: the point is to take those struggles to the Lord, and to yield to the Holy Spirit’s enabling as He gives me power to obey.
How about you, dear Reader, what is the Holy Spirit calling you to change as you seek to live out the wisdom that is from above in your life this week?
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16