James 3:13 – 4: 12
Two kinds of wisdom
As some of you will know, I have quite a large garden, and at the moment it is something of a blank canvas. I have grand plans for it is development! And as part of these grand plans, last weekend, we planted some trees. Now, I didn’t do much in the way the work, but I tried to help my children as they did it. As you will know, there is a right way to plant a tree, and there is a wrong way to plant a tree. Even more fundamentally, there is a right way to dig a hole and a wrong way to dig a hole. Given that they were my children, they naturally talk no notice at all of what I said. The conversation goes something like this:I will teach you the right way, you will go away and do the wrong way and then you will realise that I’m right after all.
And just as there is a right way and a wrong way to plant trees or dig holes, there is a right and wrong way in life. And that’s what James’s teaching is all about. The right and wrong way in life and Christian living.
You see, what James is on about is consistency. I talked about this a fortnight ago, when we looked at chapter two. And what James’s is saying is that there is a right way of living that is consistent with your faith, which has integrity, and which shows that faith has value. Or there is a wrong way of living, which is inconsistent, which lacks integrity, and which suggests that actually our faith is worthless.
And in our reading today, James takes that idea of right and wrong ways of doing things as he talks about wisdom.
The wisdom of the world
Now, when we talk about wisdom, we mean a mature understanding about what is the right thing to do. In today’s world, conventional wisdom says among other things that you should look out only for yourself, it says that accumulation of wealth is essential, because money is the ultimate determiner of personal value, and it says that fame and celebrity are important. Now I have nothing against ambition, wealth, or being well known. These things are themselves are not in anyway necessarily harmful. But the consequences of the world’s wisdom mean that these concerns are taken far beyond any benign value. The consequence of looking out only for yourself is such a self-centred world, that it doesn’t matter who gets hurt on the way. The consequence of looking out only for yourself is that we have a mindset in which people do only what is right in their own eyes and for themselves. The consequence of looking out only if yourself is that people discard relationships as if they unimportant if they do not serve personal ambition. The consequence of celebrity culture is that people will do anything to be famous. The consequence of the celebrity culture is the degradation of people that goes on in the name of entertainment in such programmes as Big Brother. The consequence of a world in which money is so important is that people will kill for it. And the consequence of all these values together is a world of chaos, of family breakdown, and evil on every side.
And you see that the funny thing is that none of this is particularly new. The details may be different, but the principles are the same. Just look at the list that James puts together. In v14, James talks about bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, about being boastful and false to the truth.
In v2 Ch4, James talks about the extreme desires that lead literally to murder. James knew about the desires that lead to cravings that lead to insatiable lust. He puts it well – in verse 16 he says that where ‘jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.’
So what James is saying is that the wisdom of the world is the wrong kind of wisdom. If that’s what the world says is the right thing to do, then it clearly leads to all the wrong kinds of results. The wisdom of the world is the wrong kind of wisdom.
The wisdom of God
Now by contrast, James compares this worldly wisdom with God’s wisdom. He puts it like this in v17, where he describes God’s wisdom as ’first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.’
What a contrast. God’s wisdom is pure, not corrupted, not corruptible, not one where corruption is a means to an end. God’s wisdom is peace loving, not aggressive, not pushy, not where might is right. God’s wisdom is considerate and submissive, it puts other people first, it takes account of other people’s needs. God’s wisdom is full of mercy, tolerant and warm-hearted. God’s wisdom is impartial, it takes no account of the differences between people, it is not prejudiced. God’s wisdom is sincere -- it’s true, it is genuine, it is the real thing.
And the consequences of God’s wisdom, of this mindset, of this wisdom are quite different from the disorder and evil practice that results from the world’s wisdom. James says that it is full of good fruit, and results in a harvest of righteousness. That is to say the God’s wisdom results in conduct, results in a way of living, which is good, which is beneficial, and actually changes people’s character to one in which they do what is right and just.
That is the wisdom of God. And that is what James is comparing with the wisdom of the world. There is the right kind of wisdom and the wrong kind of wisdom. There is the wisdom of God, and there is the wisdom of the world.
The wisdom choice of the Christian
Now I must admit, that I would like to be wise. I think that I would also like to be thought of as wise. But the question is, in what way would I like to be wise?
You see, as Christians, we live in the world. And very often, we absorb the values of the world around us, we absorb the wisdom of the world around us. And as we get on in life we sometimes think that we understand life, that we have got it sorted, that we are wise. And what James is saying is that we need to think again. What James is saying is that this kind of worldly wisdom, these kinds of attitudes, are not consistent with the Christian faith. James says that they are of the devil. V16. There is a real conflict here.
And what happens when Christians have worldly wisdom is that churches experience just the same problems as the world around them. There is conflict in the churches. Ch 4vv1,2,11,12. It is not any coincidence that this comes in a section of James letter which starts with instructions to Christian teachers. Christian preachers, clergy, readers, leaders are just as liable to fall into this trap as anyone else. What James is saying is that this kind of mindset is not consistent with the mindset that the Christian should have.
You see when we become a Christian, what happens is that God in his grace comes to live within us through his Spirit. Through his spirit, he wants to work in us to transform us into the likeness of Christ. And part of that likeness of Christ is to have the mind of Christ.1 Cor 2 16. So God wants to work in us to give us his wisdom, his mindset. And the wisdom from above, as James puts it, is quite different from the wisdom of the world around us.
So we need to think again. Rather than take on the values of the world around us we need to seek God and his values, his wisdom. James is saying that if we want to live the consistent life, the consistent faith, then we need to think again about what mindset we are taking on. Are we taking on the world’s mindset, the world’s values, the world’s wisdom? I hope not. James is encouraging us to put that to one side, and seek the mind of Christ, the wisdom of God.
And you see, there is no halfway house. There is no easy compromise. A lot of people have a kind of ’pick and mix’ approach to faith. They pick the bits they like, and mix them altogether. But I have to say that it isn’t like that. The way of the world, the wisdom of the world is not compatible with the wisdom of God. Ch4 v 4 makes this absolutely clear. ’Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God’. So this may mean that hard decisions have to be taken.
The great thing is that God, in his grace, doesn’t leave us to do that on our own. You see God himself wants us to live the consistent life, the consistent faith, because actually that’s the best thing for us. If we admit that we have a problem that needs to be dealt with, then God in his grace will help us. That’s the meaning of verses 5 and 6 ch4. So if we know that we’ve got hard decisions to make, then God will help us. God didn’t just give us his spirit to live in us, and then just walk away. No, he’s actually intensely protective of us. So, if in humility we come to him and admit that we have a problem, he will give us grace. V7.
In V8, James says that we need to come close to God, and he’ll come close to us. What a wonderful promise. We are to submit to him, and be cleansed by him. We are purified. And as we allow God to do that, our hearts and minds are changed. We are cleansed and purified. What a transformation, when we come close to God and he comes close to us. When that happens we move from a very serious situation, a situation where we are out of odds with God, a situation where we really should be wretched and mournful and weeping, to a situation where we can be exalted and lifted up. When we come close to God and he comes close to us, God in his grace lifts us up and gives us his wisdom. When we come close to God and he comes close to us, God in his grace enables us to live the consistent life. God in his grace wants to give us his wisdom, his mindset.
And when we take that hard decision, when we realise that to live the consistent Christian life requires us to set aside the wisdom of the world and search out the wisdom of God, we see that wisdom of God starting to work itself and in our lives. The chances are that we don’t become perfect overnight! But we will see a change in our mindset. And we will see a change in our behaviour. Our mindset and our behaviour will be consistent with the faith that we profess. And when a whole Church seeks out the wisdom of God, we will see a change in the mindset of a whole Church. And when we see a change in the mindset of a whole Church, we will see a change in behaviour of a whole Church. And then we will see a Church that starts to make a difference in world.
So will you take my advice on the right and wrong way to plant a tree? Perhaps! Will you take James advice on the right and wrong kind of wisdom. I hope so. My prayer is that we will all seek out the wisdom of God, that we will all seek out the mindset of God. And as God in his grace fills us with his wisdom, we will live the consistent life of faith that really has the power to change the world.
