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17 But the wisdom
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield,
full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or
hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for
those who make peace.
What is wisdom? Wisdom
is not just the accumulation of knowledge. In the Biblical sense,
wisdom is the "ability to judge correctly and to follow the
best course of action, based on the knowledge and understanding of
God’s Word".
In today's passage, James reminds us that
there are two kinds of wisdom trying to control our lives, one
originates from Heaven and the other is worldly wisdom.
Worldly Wisdom
There is a wisdom that is common in this
world and “such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is
earthly, unspiritual, of the devil” ( 3:15). The great danger
is that we may think that we are wise and the world around us may
tell us that we are wise, when in reality, the way we are thinking
and our wisdom is from hell. It’s motivated by selfish ambition.
The wisdom of the world measures everything by how it affects us,
“What is best for me?” The world teaches us to go out and be the
best, buy a bigger house, fancier cars, and make more money, but
the gospel teaches us just the opposite (Phil 2:3). The gospel
says, “deny yourself.” Worldly wisdom produces anger,
bitterness, resentment, strife, envy, conflict, but luckily for us
there's another way.
Wisdom from Above
And the other way is godly wisdom that
comes from heaven. This takes us back to James 1, where he said, “If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God” (Jas. 1:5). There is a
wisdom that cannot be found in intellectual knowledge and
experience. Heavenly wisdom can only be found by coming before
God, and calling out to Him for wisdom. We should look for it like
silver or gold, and He will give it (Proverbs 3:13-15). Wisdom from
above is not motivated by self-centered ambition, but by
God-centered humility. “Wisdom from God produces humility in man;
wisdom from the world produces pride in man”. The picture here is that
wisdom is the fruit of a right relationship with God, and it
doesn't result in disorder and evil. It's pure, and the purity of
God, and the wisdom of God, produces peace.
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