Who Is Wise And Understanding Among You? (James 3:13-18) Series

Who is wise and understanding among you? (James 3:13-18)

In our passage today, James opens up a new section by asking a question. So let's start, the same way. James 3:13:

(13) Who [is] wise and understanding/knowledgeable among you?

When you look around this room, at the people who are a part of this church, which of us are wise? Which of us, have understanding?

My guess is that most of us find ourselves instinctively wanting to raise our hands. We don't want to raise them high-- we don't want to seem proud, or arrogant. But we want to raise them like Baptists-- just high enough to signal we are wise, without really letting anyone else around us see.

Now, we should maybe pause here, and ask the obvious question: "What does it mean to be wise and understanding?"

But I'm sure we're good, right? We might be a little fuzzy on the details. We maybe don't want anyone to call on us, and ask us to explain it. But at the same time, we find ourselves thinking, "We are wise, and understanding."

If this is you-- if you've raised your hand-- then consider James's words addressed to you. And so James continues, to you:

He must show by his good conduct/behavior his works with humble wisdom.

When it comes to academic types of things, a few of us have seemingly always leaned nerd. We've always been the "A" students in school (, even before grade inflation was a thing). We've always had an intellectual curiosity about certain things. Our whole lives, we've been called "smart." We've found that when people have questions, we usually have the answer, or know how to find the answers. This may have started in school in things like math, and science, and English, but at some point it carried over into Christianity, as well. We have a hunger to know, and understand, the Bible.

But if we're doing it right, wisdom and understanding isn't just about understanding books of the Bible-- Exodus, or Joshua, or James. Ideally, we grow in knowledge of who God really is, and what He really wants. And then, ideally, we live in light of that knowledge.

What James is saying here, is the same thing G.I. Joes taught me as a kid. "Knowing is half the battle." It's great if you've reached the point where you have a broad "understanding" of spiritual things. But the other half of "wisdom" is doing. Understanding and wisdom must be shown in good actions, done with humble wisdom.

So that's the first thing that should make us pause here. Understand that wisdom is only truly wisdom when it is shown.

The other thing that we need to see here, is the focus on humility. James calls us to show by our good conduct our works with humble wisdom.

And that's where we tend to fall apart. If wisdom was just a matter of having the right answer in Sunday school, we'd be doing awesome. But wisdom is more than just understanding. True wisdom is marked by deeds done in humility.

Now, arguably, knowledge and humility are not naturally related to each other. Paul said somewhere that knowledge has a natural tendency to puff up. The more you know, the bigger your head, and the more important you think you are in this room. Your voice is more important. Your time is more important. You are more important.

Knowledge that's missing humility isn't wisdom.

At this point, let's back up, and reread verse 13:

(13) Who [is] wise and understanding/knowledgeable among you?

He must show by his good conduct/behavior his works with humble wisdom.

So we should find ourselves, first of all, raising our hands. All of us should want to be wise and understanding.

And then, secondly, we should find ourselves resolving that we will "do" better. If true knowledge and wisdom is marked by humility, then we will act in ways that are humble.

Verse 14-16 (reading from "de", Now comma, to "de"):

(14) Now, if bitter/harsh jealousy you have, and rivalry in your hearts, don't boast and lie against the truth.

(15) This wisdom isn't from above coming down, but earthly, soulish/unspiritual, demonic.

(16) For where [there is] jealousy and rivalry/selfish ambition, there [is] disorder/tumult and every evil deed.

So let's say you take James at his word, in verse 13. You raise your hand, say you're wise, and decide you will show good conduct in humility. And I think it's important that we hear this, first of all, within the context of the church. You look around this room, at the people in this room, and decide that you will treat each of us well. You will act in humility, toward me. And I will act in humility, toward you. James is focused on the church here-- not on the world.