The Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins by affirming that "Canada is founded upon the principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law." This week’s minor controversy about God’s presence in the preamble--was set off, indirectly, by a Quebec ruling upholding a Catholic high school’s right to set its own curriculum. The Constitution describes not only who we are--matters of history -- but also who we ought to be--matters of aspiration. This is likely what those who object to the "supremacy of God" find difficult. In their Earthly Wisdom, they think that such language excludes from the Canadian project those who do not believe in God. Yet even those Canadians should welcome God in the preamble. Something, after all, has to be supreme. And if it is not God, then what is it? Fearsome it would be to live in the land where the works of man alone are supreme. The "supremacy of God" is shorthand reminding us that our laws, even if duly passed, must conform to principles of justice, the service of the common good and the truth about the human person. That is Godly Wisdom.
Written to groups of Jewish Christian house churches outside Palestine, James, the brother of Jesus, writes to Christians that have fallen into worldly lifestyles (James 1:27; 4:4) and as a result, have become “double minded” wavering between God and the World (1:8; 4:8). Earlier in his letter, James gives us guidance in how to ask for wisdom from God. He assures us that as we ask, we shall receive (1:5). Now he helps us to understand what wisdom from above is and how it should be used in The Test of Wisdom. Those who possess 1)Earthly Wisdom, will demonstrate by their lives that they have no saving relationship to Jesus Christ and no desire to worship, serve, or obey Him (vv. 14–16). Those, on the other hand, who possess 2) Godly Wisdom, will have genuine saving faith (vv. 17–18). (Cedar, P. A., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1984). Vol. 34: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 34 : James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude. The Preacher’s Commentary series (72). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
The Test of Wisdom (James 3:13)
James 3:13 [13]Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. (ESV)
The who in verse 13, like this entire section from verses 13–18 apply to everyone in the churches to whom James was writing, true believers and mere professed believers. James is seeking to identify who is truly skilled in the art of righteous living. “In what way are you wise?” he is saying, in effect, “and in what way are you understanding? The answer will reveal not only your inner character but the spiritual condition of your soul.”
It is hard to find a self-professed fool. Most people have an elevated and unrealistically high opinion of their wisdom, although they might not say so. They believe they are just as “savvy” as the next person and that their opinion is usually better than anyone else’s. In this day of relativism, such perception is virtually universal.
The coupling of the two words “wise and understanding” has in view the truth and its application. The objective truth is that God is gracious (cf. 4:6), and subjective application is that the wise humble themselves in obedience (cf. 4:10). Both are embodied in the wise man or woman.
Wisdom knows the good and knows how to do the good. Understanding has seen how good wisdom in action is and knows why wisdom is good. Understanding knows why wisdom is good in its well-doing because it has seen how good wisdom is in its effects on others (Richardson, K. A. (2001). Vol. 36: James (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (162–163). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Although the two terms seem to be used synonymously here, wise and understanding carry a shade of difference in meaning. Sophos (wise) is a general word, often used by the Greeks to designate speculative knowledge, theory, or philosophy. For the Jews, it carried the deeper meaning of careful application of knowledge to personal living. Epistçmôn (understanding) appears only here in the New Testament and carries the idea of specialized knowledge, such as that of a highly skilled tradesman or professional.
Let him show translates an aorist imperative, making the verb a command. In essence, “put your money where you mouth is” or “prove yourself”, “back up your claims”. “If you claim wisdom and understanding,” he is saying, “show it first by your good conduct or behavior, your exemplary lifestyle.” As with faith (2:17), wisdom and understanding that are not demonstrated in righteous, godly living are devoid of godly value.
Second, and somewhat more specifically, James admonishes readers to show their wisdom and understanding by their good (implied) works or deeds, by all the particular activities and endeavors they are involved in.
Third, believers are to demonstrate wisdom and understanding by an attitude of meekness or gentleness. People who are wise in their own eyes are generally arrogant about it, which would be expected, because an elevated self-view is based on pride. As made clear in the following verse, selfish ambition is a common companion of arrogance.
Prautçs (meekness or gentleness) and its related adjective praus (gentle) carry the idea of tenderness and graciousness. But unlike those English words, the Greek terms do not connote weakness but rather power under control. The adjective was often used of a wild horse that was broken and made useful to its owner. For believers, meekness or gentleness is to be willingly under the sovereign control of God. This is a God-honored character trait, a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). It is never bitter, malicious, self-seeking, self-promoting, arrogant, or vengeful. James has earlier admonished believers,
James 1:21 [21]Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (ESV)
With the Test of Wisdom (James 3:13) we see the distinction first with:
1)Earthly Wisdom (James 3:14-16)
The wisdom that is of the world, that is based on human understanding, standards, and objectives, is false and ungodly. In false wisdom, the human self is supreme. False wisdom does not recognize God’s sovereignty, God’s will, or God’s truth. In these three verses James briefly discusses the motivation (v. 14), the characteristics (v. 15), and the results (v. 16) of Earthly Wisdom.
a) The Motivation of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:14)
James 3:14 [14]But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. (ESV)
Motivation is always determined in the heart. That is where both unbelief and belief, sin and righteousness originate. Paul made it plain:
Romans 10:9 [9]because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (ESV)
Of the several sinful motives behind human wisdom, James mentions only two here: The first is bitter jealousy. Pikros (bitter) has the basic meaning of pointed, sharp, prickly, or pungent, and James has just used it in that literal sense in relation to bitter water coming out of a fountain (v. 11). Here he uses it metaphorically to describe the worst sort of jealousy, that which is harsh, sharp, cutting, and destructive, having no concern for the feelings or welfare of those who are its objects.
A second and closely related motive behind human wisdom is selfish ambition, which is typically the motive on which bitter jealousy is based. Selfish ambition translates the single Greek word eritheia, which connotes strife, contentiousness, and extreme selfishness. The term originally referred to spinning thread for hire, then more broadly to sewing for hire, then more broadly still to any sort of work or undertaking that was done for personal gain. The idea of ambition is implied here by the context.
A person whose motives are based on the world’s wisdom is inevitably arrogant and boastful. Katakauchaomai, is a strengthened and intensified form of a verb that means to boast. In most of the pagan world of New Testament times, the word had a positive connotation. As today, boasting and self-glorying were the accepted and expected marks of a military or sports hero or of anyone else who was highly successful in some field of endeavor.
But the faithful Christian is not to have such arrogance, which characterizes the absence of divine wisdom. When boasting or arrogance is the normal and unabashed attitude of a person, it demonstrates the absence of a saving relationship to God.
A professed Christian who is proud, boasting, self-centered, loveless, and boasting is a fraud. To claim otherwise is to be false to the truth or lie against the truth, to utterly contradict the gospel of Jesus Christ and the clear teaching of all the New Testament.
• There is nothing more characteristic of fallen, unredeemed humanity than being dominated by self. James is therefore saying that, if a person claims to belong to God and to have the wisdom of God, but their life is motivated and characterized by selfish ambition and bitter jealousy, they are simply lying and being false to the truth. Whatever they might claim, their works show their true heart. They are living a lie and not redeemed.
Illustration: The story is told of two men who lived in a certain city. One was envious and the other covetous. The ruler of the city sent for them and said he wanted to grant them one wish each—with this proviso, that the one who chose first would get exactly what he asked for, while the other man would get exactly twice what the first had asked for himself.
The envious man was ordered to choose first, but immediately found himself in a quandary. He wanted to choose something great for himself, but realized that if he did so the other would get twice as much. He thought for a while, and then asked that one of his eyes be put out. In the church this type of person could honestly pray, “Lord, I would sooner your work was not done at all than done by someone better than I can do it.”(John Blanchard, Truth for Life (West Sussex, England: H. E. Walter Ltd., 1982), p. 187.)
We have seen a) The Motivation of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:14) and now:
b) The Characteristics of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:15)
James 3:15 [15]This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (ESV)
Here James briefly presents three of the most distinct and basic characteristics of false, ungodly wisdom, which is not the wisdom that comes down from God by revelation and the Spirit. The three great enemies of the believer are the world, the flesh, and the devil, which correspond to the three characteristics of false wisdom that James mentions here. It is earthly (of the world), unspiritual or natural (of the flesh), and demonic (of the devil).
First, such wisdom is earthly, in that it is limited to the present, material world of time and space. By definition, it is restricted to things that people can theorize, discover, and accomplish by themselves. It has no place for God or the things of God. It has no place for spiritual truth or illumination. It is a closed system, of human wisdom and choosing under satanic prompting.
Second, false wisdom is unspiritual or natural, sensual, fleshly. It relates only to the fallen, unredeemed humanity, who is wholly corrupted by the Fall and separated from God.
There are some passages that will transform your understanding of relating to others. 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains why Biblically unspiritual cannot understand Biblical teaching:
1 Corinthians 2:14 [14]The natural 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. (ESV)
Third, false wisdom is demonic. Although it is human, earthbound, and fleshly, its root source is Satan himself, working through his demonic fallen angels, who rebelled with him against God in ages past. Satan has always promised wisdom to those he tempts, asserting that God’s Word should be doubted and his own accepted.
Please turn to 2 Peter 2
Using many of the terms used by James in the present passage, Peter describes in some detail “the unrighteous,” those who propagate and live by worldly wisdom.
2 Peter 2:9-19 [9]then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, [10]and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, [11]whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. [12]But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, [13]suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. [14]They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! [15]Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, [16]but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. [17]These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. [18]For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. [19]They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. (ESV)
We have seen a) The Motivation of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:14) b) The Characteristics of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:15) and now:
c) The Results of Earthly Wisdom (James 3:16)
James 3:16 [16]For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. (ESV)
Reiterating the two motives behind false wisdom, namely, jealousy and selfish ambition, James says that wherever they exist, there will be disorder and every vile or evil practice. Both disorder and every vile practice are obviously broad terms that cover a multitude of specific bad results. They certainly include anger; bitterness; resentment; lawsuits; divorce; racial, ethnic, social, and economic divisions; and a host of other personal and social disorders. They also include the absence of love, intimacy, trust, fellowship, and harmony.
Akatastasia (disorder) has the basic meaning of instability, and hence came to be used of a state of confusion, disturbance, disarray, or tumult, sometimes even of rebellion or anarchy. James has already made clear that disorder does not characterize God’s people but rather the “double-minded man, unstable [akatastasia]” (James 1:8) and the unredeemed tongue, which “is a restless [akatastasia] evil and full of deadly poison” (3:8). Because “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33), biblical wisdom, on the other hand, brings harmony, unity, peace, and love. All the conflicts, crimes, battles, and wars of the world are evidence of the devastation caused by human wisdom.
The effect of this disorder on a congregation can be devastating. Paul feared this for the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 12:20 [20]For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish--that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. (ESV)
Every vile or evil practice is the broadest possible category of the bad results produced by human wisdom. In its better sense, phaulos (vile) means worthless. The noted scholar R. C. Trench comments that the word “contemplate[s] evil … not from the aspect of its active or passive malignity but rather from its good-for-nothingness, the utter impossibility of any true gain ever coming forth from it” (Synonyms of the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 317).
Pragma (practice), from which we get the English pragmatic, is variously rendered “work,” “deed,” “event,” “occurrence,” “affair,” and such. The idea is that absolutely nothing of any ultimate good results from human wisdom.
Illustration: One of the words that came out of World War II was snafu, which is an acronym for “situation normal, all fouled up.” According to the Chicago Tribune, the Pentagon has now scrapped that word for a new one, fubb —“fouled up beyond belief.” Sadly, both words describe any church where the false wisdom of the world prevails (Hughes, R. K. (1991). James : Faith that works. Preaching the Word (153). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
In the Test of Wisdom (James 3:13) we see the distinction with: 1) Earthly Wisdom (James 3:14-16) from:
2) Godly Wisdom (James 3:17-18)
James 3:17-18 [17]But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. [18]And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (ESV)
The wisdom from above refers, of course, to God’s own divine wisdom, which He graciously bestows on those who trust in His Son, Jesus Christ. There can be no wisdom from above apart from a saving relationship to Jesus Christ, who is Himself “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24; cf. v. 30; Col. 2:3) and who brings sinners into eternal communion with God.
Verses 17–18 of James 3, which focus on God’s divine wisdom from above, are a refreshing and welcome contrast to the verses just preceding. Following the same basic pattern as that for false wisdom, James here gives the motivation (v. 17a), the characteristics (v. 17b), and the results (v. 18) of godly wisdom.
a) The Motivation of Godly Wisdom (James 3:17a)
James 3:17a [17]But the wisdom from above is first pure, (then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere). (ESV)
Please turn to Matthew 5
Hagnos (pure) carries the idea of being free of contamination or defilement and was used by the ancient Greeks of a cleansing ceremony whereby a worshiper was made pure and worthy enough to approach the gods. On the temple of Aesculapius in Epidaurus is the following inscription: “He who would enter the divine temple must be pure [hagnos].” Even the pagans realized that deity should only be approached with a pure heart. Hagnos (pure) comes from the same root as hagios, which is usually translated “holy.” It is not a stretch, therefore, to say that pure wisdom is holy wisdom.
This purity comes when one has been cleansed by Christ’s blood, who is himself pure (the very same word is used of Christ in 1 John 3:3), has received Christ’s purity, and as a result is leading a morally pure life. Those who are pure have put aside sensuality, pride and covetousness, which lie at the root of earthly wisdom. But even more, this person’s heart is pure in its unmixed devotion to God. James will repeat this idea later in 4:8: “purify your hearts, you double-minded.” That is, get rid of your mixed motives, your double-mindedness; be committed and pure in your devotion. This carries the idea of being pure in one’s focus on God, concentrating on serving him.
So we see that the purity which characterizes a life full of heavenly wisdom is utterly dynamic. It involves moral purity before God and devotional purity in one’s focus on him. (Hughes, R. K. (1991). James : Faith that works. Preaching the Word (157). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.)
The sixth Beatitude is:
Matthew 5:8 [8]"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (ESV)
“Keep your place in Matthew 5”
Coming from above, that is, from God, it could not be otherwise. The writer of Hebrews reminds us:
Hebrews 12:14 [14]Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (ESV)
Illustration: In 1845 Royal Navy Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin and 138 specially chosen officers and men left England to find the Northwest Passage. They sailed in two three-masted ships with the daunting names the Erebus (the dark place, according to Greek mythology, through which souls pass on their way to Hades) and the Terror. Each ship was equipped with an auxiliary steam engine and a twelve-day supply of coal, should steam power be needed sometime during the anticipated two- to three-year voyage. But instead of loading additional coal, each ship made room for a 1,200-volume library, an organ, and full, elegant place settings for all—china, cut-glass goblets, and sterling flatware. The officers’ sterling was of especially grand Victorian design, with the individual officers’ family crests and initials engraved on the heavy handles. “The technology of the Franklin expedition,” says Annie Dillard, “… was adapted only to the conditions in the Royal Navy officers’ clubs in England. The Franklin expedition stood on its dignity.”(Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Chapter 1, “An Expedition to the Pole” (New York: Harper & Row, 1988), p. 24).
The only clothing which these proud Englishmen took on the expedition were the uniforms and greatcoats of Her Majesty’s Navy. The ships sailed off amidst imperial pomp and glory. Two months later a British whaler met the two ships in the Lancaster Sound, and reports were carried back to England of the expedition’s high spirits. He was the last European to see them alive.
Search parties funded by Lady Jane Franklin began to piece together a tragic history from information gathered from Inuit. Some had seen men pushing a wooden boat across the ice. Others had found a boat, perhaps the same boat, and the remains of thirty-five men at a place now named Starvation Cove. Another thirty bodies were found in a tent at Terror Bay. Simpson Strait had yielded an eerie sight—three wooden masts of a ship protruding through the ice.
For the next twenty years search parties recovered skeletons from the frozen waste. Twelve years later it was learned that Admiral Franklin had died aboard ship. The remaining officers and crew had decided to walk for help. Accompanying one clump of bodies were place settings of sterling silver flatware bearing the officers’ initials and family crests. The officers’ remains were still dressed in their fine, buttoned blue uniforms, some with silk scarves in place.
The Franklin Expedition was a monumental failure by all estimations. It was foolishly conceived, planned, equipped, and carried out. The expedition itself accomplished absolutely nothing. Yet it is universally agreed that it was the turning point in Arctic exploration.
The mystery of the expedition’s disappearance and its fate attracted so much attention in Europe and the United States that no less than thirty ships made extended journeys in search of the answer. In doing so, they mapped the Arctic for the first time, discovered the Northwest Passage, and developed a technology suitable to Arctic rigor. It was upon the shipwreck of Rear Admiral Franklin’s “wisdom” that Amundsen would one day stand victorious at the South Pole and Perry and Henson at the North. Similarly, the shipwreck of worldly wisdom ought to motivate us to seek wisdom from above, so we can wisely navigate through life. (Day Otis Kellogg, ed., The Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 9, Ninth Edition (New York: The Werner Company, 1898), pp. 719–722 )
We have seen: a) The Motivation of Godly Wisdom (James 3:17a), and now:
b) The Characteristics of Godly Wisdom (James 3:17b)
James 3:17b [17] (But the wisdom from above is first pure), then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (ESV)
The connecting adverb of time epeita (then) is the basis for taking “pure” to be a motive for godly wisdom, rather than a characteristic, of which James proceeds to give a list of some seven.
First, this wisdom is peaceable. James reflects the Beatitudes, this time the seventh:
Matthew 5:9 [9]"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (ESV)
• The truly wise don’t perpetrate conflict by their selfishness, but produce peace by their humility (cf. Phil. 2:1–4).
Illustration: This does not suggest, as some may hear it, an attitude of peace by abdication—like the couple who had just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Someone asked the gentleman the secret of their marital bliss. “Well,” the old man drawled, “the wife and I had this agreement when we first got married. It went like this: When she was bothered about somethin’ she’d jus’ tell me and git it off her chest. And if I was mad at her about somethin’, I was able to take a long walk. I s’ppose you could attribute our happy marriage to the fact that I have largely led an outdoor life.” (Hughes, R. K. (1991). James : Faith that works. Preaching the Word (157–158). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.)
Second, godly wisdom is gentle. Epieikçs (gentle) has no satisfactory equivalent in English, but it carries the ideas of equitable, seemly, fitting, fair, moderate, forbearing, courteous, and considerate. A gentle person is humbly patient, submits to dishonor and abuse, mistreatment, and persecution:
Matthew 5:5 [5]"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (ESV) (cf. Mt. 5:10-12)
• Those who are genuinely gentle know that “the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged” (2 Tim. 2:24), humbly and “with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:25).
Third, godly wisdom is open to reason, reasonable, considerate, without rancor or disputing. It is teachable, compliant, and not stubborn. It was used of a man who willingly submitted to military discipline, accepting and complying with whatever was demanded of him and of a person who faithfully observes legal and moral standards. This quality reflects the first Beatitude:
Matthew 5:3 [3]"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (ESV)
The person who is “open to reason” quietly gathers all the facts before they give their opinion. They refrain from placing themselves first and always considers others better than themselves (Phil. 2:3; 4:5) (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 14: New Testament commentary : Exposition of James and the Epistles of John. New Testament Commentary (122). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Illustration: On one occasion Abraham Lincoln, to please a certain politician, issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When Secretary of War Edwin Stanton received the order, he refused to carry it out, saying the President was a fool. When Lincoln was told of this, he replied, “If Stanton said I’m a fool, then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I’ll see for myself.” As the two men talked, the President quickly realized that his decision was a serious mistake, and without hesitation he withdrew it. A teachable, open spirit is often a major key in defusing conflict (Hughes, R. K. (1991). James : Faith that works. Preaching the Word (159). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
Fourth, godly wisdom is full of mercy, again very clearly corresponding to a Beatitude:
Matthew 5:7 [7]"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (ESV)
The believer who is full of mercy evidences their saving faith and transformed life not only by forgiving those who have wronged them but by reaching out to help them in whatever ways are needed. Like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37), he has concern and compassion for anyone he encounters who is suffering or who needs any kind of support or assistance.
Fifth, godly wisdom is full of … good fruits, which refers to every sort of good work or deed. One demonstrates their genuine faith by their authentic good works (James 2:14–20). A believer is known for doing good and for exemplifying the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).
Matthew 5:6 [6]"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (ESV)
Sixth, godly wisdom is impartial or unwavering. Adiakritos (unwavering) is used only here in the New Testament and literally means not to be parted or divided, hence without uncertainty, indecision, inconsistency, vacillation, or doubtfulness. The word was therefore sometimes used to indicate someone who would treat everyone equally without favoritism, an important spiritual quality that James has already emphasized (2:1–9).
Seventh and finally, godly wisdom is sincere or without hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is one of the sins Jesus condemned most, four times just in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5).
Matthew 6:2 [2]"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (ESV)
These seven qualities are the virtues of divine wisdom taught in the Scriptures and produced in believers by the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23).
Illustration: God’s wisdom is like learning to drive a car. When driving it is important to make appropriate responses to the constantly changing scene, to exercise soundness of judgment regarding speed, distance and braking. If you are going to drive well, you must not fret over the highway engineer’s reasoning for an S curve, the philosophy which produced red, green, and yellow traffic lights, or why the lady in front of you is accelerating while her foot is on the brake. Rather, “You simply try to see and do the right thing in the actual situation that presents itself.
The effect of divine wisdom is to enable you and me to do just that in the actual situations of life.” In order to drive well, you need to keep your eyes wide open to what is before you and use your head. To live wisely, you must be clear-eyed about people and life, seeing life as it is, and then responding with a mind dependent on the wisdom of God.
Being wise does not mean we understand everything that is going on because of our superior knowledge, but that we do the right thing as life comes along. Some drivers may have immense knowledge about everything, but they cannot drive well at all. Others who are less knowledgeable consistently do the right thing as they wisely drive through life (Hughes, R. K. (1991). James : Faith that works. Preaching the Word (148). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
We have seen: a) The Motivation of Godly Wisdom (James 3:17a), b) The Characteristics of Godly Wisdom (James 3:17b) and only briefly in conclusion:
c) The Results of Godly Wisdom (James 3:18)
James 3:18 [18]And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (ESV)
It is possible that James had in mind the idea of fruit being harvested and then, in part, becoming seed, which is resown in peace, as it were, and produces still more fruit, and so on, in the familiar cycle of growing and reaping.
In any case, the basic idea is clear: There is an inexorable causal relationship between godly wisdom, genuine righteousness, and peace. Godly wisdom produces a continuing cycle of righteousness, which is planted and harvested in a peaceful, harmonious relationship between God and His faithful people and between those people themselves. As Isaiah declared:
Isaiah 32:17 [17]And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. (ESV)
(Format Note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1998). James (163–183). Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press.)
