13Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
18And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
COMMENTARY
13. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
We like to think of ourselves as wise, and we are quick to justify our role in conflicts. But James is just the kind of counselor we need – one who will not allow us to deceive ourselves and who will bring clarity to the issues. For Christians who want to learn true spirituality, James cuts to the chase.
James has given his readers a sobering picture of the certainty of judgment and their vulnerability in that judgment because of the terrible evil they do with their language. It leads to one of the fundamental questions of life anyone must face. How can I hope to purity my behavior when it flows from my evil inward character. How can my heart be changed from its selfishness? Is there any hope for me?
Now James addresses this hope saying, there is a spirituality available from God. This is to be distinguished from Paul’s focus in Romans 3. Paul would write about the impossibility of attaining a righteous standing before God. By a self-reliant observance of the law – and then about “a righteousness from God apart from the law” through Jesus Christ. James is writing about the impossibility of living the Christian life (for example, controlling our tongues) by our resources. Aspects of this spirituality will include gaining wisdom from God, asking for God’s provision, living in friendship with God, drawing near to God, and being lifted up by God. It is all from God; it is all attained by reliance on God. It is a spirituality that comes because God “gives us more grace” – “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (4:6). Though his focus is different than Paul’s emphasis in Romans 3, James’ message is just as much of a statement of God’s grace.
The first thing Paul wants his readers to know is brought to light in a question; “Who among you is wise and understanding?” When James invites people who are (supposedly) wise and understanding to step forward and identify themselves, he is returning more explicitly to the topic of “teachers,” which he addressed in the above paragraphs. He is primarily speaking to those who think they are wise enough to teach others. James wants to inform them of what true wisdom means, and what James discloses is more of a description than a definition of wisdom. Still, he describes it as humble submissiveness to God, resulting in a life of goodness, purity, and peace with other people. James will explain this with three aspects of wisdom.
“The Nature of wisdom?” Before we get into this, the impact of the question, “Who among you is wise and understanding?” must be faced. Some do not concern themselves with true wisdom but only want the status of being thought wise. James’ question will expose them for what they are. However, the question is an invitation to those who aspire to be wise, and his answer will divulge the way to achieve their aspirations.
Then we must submit to James’ answer about the requirement of true wisdom. In line with his previous instructions, James again requires actions that support words. Who claims to be wise? Let him show it by living a life of goodness. Today the phrase “a life of goodness” (or “a good life” has come to mean a prosperous, pleasurable life. That is not what James means, for he is talking about another matter: moral goodness – “good conduct” or “good behavior.” Genuine wisdom, like faith, is a practical matter; it shows itself in how one lives. James says, “Let him show by good behavior his deeds by the humility of wisdom.” Wisdom, then, is not something I will merely possess in my head; if I am wise at all, it is something I will demonstrate by my conduct.
Finally, the personality of wisdom should be taken to heart; the wise deeds will be done in humility. Humility is the character trait underlying the Christian behavior described in the entire letter; this is the trait to cultivate if one would take James’ teaching to heart. Therefore, James’ idea of humility – “meekness” and “gentleness” -- is worth exploring. Today these traits connote
a touch of weakness, gentleness, and passivity, which is not valid in James’s requirement of active obedience. The Christian virtue of humility is modeled after the ministry of Christ, who served others, sacrificed himself, and placed Himself wholly at the Father’s disposal in perfect trust and obedience.
This seems to be James’ own concept of obedience. Humility is first the teachability by which we accept “humbly” the Word of God in 1:21. But James emphasizes that humbly taking God’s Word entails doing His Word. Humility is, second, a submissive readiness to do what the Word says of deeds done in … humility. Third, James shows in our current passage that in humility toward God, we will become humble (and gentle) and live at peace with one another. The opposite of humility is an unwillingness to learn and a refusal to yield: the bitter envy and selfish ambition that will result in disorder. For James, humility surrenders oneself in ready teachability and responsiveness to God’s Word, resulting in a good and unselfish life of peace with other people.
The problem James is addressing, then, is not that teachers are spreading false doctrine. James addresses the issue of arrogance, which can be present even when correct doctrine is being taught. Friends, I can be correct in my doctrine down to the last detail, and I can be consistent in my orthodoxy; I can have the reputation of having a thorough grasp of theology and be regarded as a protector of the faith, and my teaching may still be earthly, unspiritual, of the devil, resulting in disorder and every evil practice by stirring up suspicion, slander, distrust, and contention within the Christian community.
14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
“The source of wisdom.” The wisdom James wants his readers to seek is said to come from heaven (from above). “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. It is” used in John 3 to describe being born “again” or born “anew.” The sense is indicated by the verb “come down” and by the contrast to be adjective in 1:17, where every good and perfect gift was said to come from above and then explicitly from the Father. Wisdom is now declared one of those special gifts from above and then explicitly from the Father.
“The Source of Wisdom.” But the divine origin makes the gift more important than mere location. Earthly origin, in recurrent New Testament usage, implies inferiority to the heavenly origin. James makes this more specific: bitter envy and selfish ambition are also unspiritual, denoting a natural source devoid of God’s supernatural Spirit. Finally, to leave no doubt about envy’s evil source (jealousy) and ambition, James says they are demonic: of the devil. James intends to point us to a pearl of wisdom from heaven, in contrast to wisdom from hell, a knowledge far superior to any wisdom we find in ourselves naturally and undoubtedly superior to anything that comes from demons.
Since true wisdom comes from outside ourselves and from God Himself, we must examine where our reliance is placed. It makes sense of what James has already prescribed for a life of faith. It requires from us an active prayer life – to ask for wisdom as 1:5 commends. It requires of us a conscience dependence on God – in the humility prescribed in 3:13. True wisdom can only be had by people who live in active reliance on God.
16For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
“The Expression of Wisdom.” What will genuine wisdom look like in a person’s life? James describes both the false wisdom and the true, and in each case, he lists identifying attitudes and actions.
Regarding false wisdom, we can understand why jealousy (envy) and selfish ambition are the characteristic attitudes: they are the opposite of the humility entailed in admitting one’s need and relying on God for the wisdom one lacks. The adjective “selfish” describes a harsh stance of demanding to be recognized as wise instead of being willing to learn. The noun jealousy reveals the motivation as envy. The second noun, “selfish ambition,” expresses the sinful desire for personal glory – wanting a teacher’s status so that others will have to learn from me. It is valuable to remember that James has been addressing people who gather in Christian assemblies and function as teachers. His words shine a spotlight on the craving for self-glorification in many who work in Christian ministry.
The resulting actions of false religion are also identified: disorder and every evil thing. James always sees the connection between inward stance and outward practice. Genuine faith will manifest itself in deeds, and the same principle holds true in the contrasting demonic realm. The devil’s false wisdom will manifest itself in practices of disorder and every evil thing.
17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
In 3:17, James deliberately states a foremost characteristic of the wisdom from above. It is first of all pure and only then the other qualities. His term pure speaks of holiness and provides the immediate contrast to every evil practice. The first and foremost reason for valuing wisdom is that it will lead people to do what is morally right. Today, it is more urgent than ever before that Christians learn James’ passion for purity. Will we do what is right simply because it is the right thing to do?
In 3:17, James lists other attitudes and behaviors of the wisdom from above. Peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere fill out a picture of humility put into practice. The first three of these traits are terms that James uses only here in his letter; they describe people who can yield status, care for others, and are willing to submit and learn from others – all in contrast to the bitterness, envy, and selfish ambition of false spirituality. The remaining traits weave some of James’ earlier instruction into this picture. Full of mercy reminds James’ readers of his urging to be merciful in 2:13. The terms for impartial and sincere are both built upon the root for judge – a vital concept already in the Epistle.
18And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James summarizes in 3:18 (literally): the “fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” This connects peacemaking and righteousness (cf. Jesus in Mat. 5:9,10) and suddenly reveals why the disorder in 3:16 is so abhorrent to James. The disorder’s opposite is not a morally neutral order but a morally sufficient peace. James wants peace for the church because peace is the context in which righteousness can flourish. This is the opposite side of what James said in 1:20, that human anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Again, James writes out of a passion for righteousness.
CONCLUSION
How to Know and Love Jesus!
Sierra is an only child. Her mother had fourteen miscarriages before she was born. Her parents adored her. She adores her parents. Sierra is now in her twenties and still loves to spend as much time as possible with her parents.
She told me that she and her fellow pupils were asked whether they thought their parents loved them more than they loved each other. Most of them replied that they thought that was the case. However, Sierra replied that she thought her parents loved each other far more but that this very bond of love made her feel secure and so loved.
At the heart of the Christian faith is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to know and love Christ.
What is this relationship like? The Bible describes it using human language and human analogies. It is a relationship of the closest possible intimacy. It is like that of a parent and child (Luke 1; Romans 8). But Paul goes even further in terms of familiarity: he refers to Christ as our husband and the church as his bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; see also Ephesians 5:22–33).
(2 Cor. 1:2)For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
(Eph. 5:22, 23) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.
