On Christmas Eve 1985 this article appeared in Our Daily Bread:
In the early 19th century, a war-weary world was anxiously watching the march of Napoleon. All the while babies were being born. In 1809, midway between the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, William E. Gladstone was born in Liverpool; Alfred Lord Tennyson in Summersby, England; Oliver Wendell Holmes in Boston; Felix Mendelssohn in Hamburg, Germany and Abraham Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky. People’s minds were occupied with battles, not babies. Yet 175 years later, is there the slightest doubt about the greater contribution to history — those battles or those babies? (December 24, l985).
No one knew how influential those babies would be in 1809. Who could know that they would influence the course of history? What is it that marks a person of great influence? James is concerned about the power of influence in chapter 3. He began the chapter warning that every person has the power to influence others and we must all be accountable for the kind of impression we leave. Winston Churchill recognized this when he wrote, “One mark of a great man is the power of making lasting impressions upon people he meets.”
I. THE PERSON OF POSITIVE INFLUENCE ... v. 13
James describes the person who can make a positive and lasting impression in v. 13 - ”Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” True wisdom is distinguished from intellectual cleverness. Genuine wisdom leads to a good life demonstrated by good deeds. Here is an individual with spiritual and moral insight. His life is an attraction for God. “His works, not his words, are the acid test of his wisdom” (D. Edmond Hiebert, The Epistle of James, Tests of a Living Faith (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), 228].
An old mountaineer from Kentucky once said, “I don’t ask the Lord for faith enough to move mountains. I can probably get hold of enough dynamite to do that. I ask the Lord for enough faith to move me!” Be an influential person by living the life of faith. Be wise with God’s wisdom and show it by a good life. This is not the conventional wisdom of the world today. Joe Bayly, shortly before he died, warned in a newsbrief to the Baptist General Conference, “The church is becoming increasingly more worldly. Parents in church want their kids to make more money than they did or succeed in business, instead of becoming missionaries or ministers” [Joseph Bayly, “Highlights, November 1985 (Monthly Newsbriefs from Baptist General Conference Educational Ministries]. He called for an emphasis on the development of Christian character.
The only credential that James is interested in is the quality of a person’s life. He doesn’t prescribe a course of conduct, or tell us what we must actually do. He describes the kind of people we ought to be no matter what we do. He points out the dominant characteristics of an influential life.
Two wisdoms are contrasted—two ways of living and influencing people. These contrasting lifestyles are relevant to each of us. We all have realms of influence in other’s lives. You are influential at home, in your office, at school, or wherever you spend your time.
One feature of positive influence is mentioned before James quickly turns to negative influences. Humility is the dominant feature of the wisdom from above. The person with this characteristic serves quietly and faithfully, and leaves the results to God. That is the last way the natural man seeks to gain influence. He is described in the next verses.
II. THE PERSON OF NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ... vv. 14-16
Rather than humility the person with a powerful negative influence is driven by the motives of “bitter envy and selfish ambition.” Chuck Swindoll says, “Envy is felt when we mourn empty hands because we don’t have what someone else has. Jealousy is felt when we have full hands and are threatened because we fear someone will take away what we have” [Charles R. Swindoll, James: Bible Study Guide, (Waco: Word Publications, 1983), 56.]. Sadly, churches and church leaders are not immune. We feel strongly about our doctrines and the causes we believe in. Too easily those strong feelings are perverted into personal feelings against a brother.
This sharpness of spirit in our personal relationships causes us to be too concerned for our position or rights. The symbols of status, titles, and positions on organizational charts mean too much to us as we climb to the summit of “Success.”
When we seek to carve out positions of prominence for ourselves we have fallen into the unwise “wisdom of the world.” The truly wise wait for God to open doors and to promote them, but worldly wisdom causes trouble. When you must boast and pervert the truth to promote yourself your thinking is distorted, and wrong thinking produces wrong living. The world is in a mess because people will not accept the wisdom of God. We “deny the truth!” We change our standard to accommodate our own shortcomings. I can cut six inches off a yardstick and tell you I’m six foot tall, but I have only deceived myself.
James says, “such wisdom does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil” (v. 15). It is superficial or “earthly.” It is limited to human perspective. It can’t save a troubled marriage or heal a damaged life because its horizons are only human. It may indulge the sensual, but it disappoints the spirit. The New English Bible describes it as “earth-bound.”
It is “natural” or “sensual” (KJV). This simply means that life is controlled by human rather than spiritual impulses. God’s Spirit is disregarded. He would prompt godly thinking and behavior, but instead we become like the character in a novel that was described, “Edith was a little world, bounded on the north, south, east, and west by Edith.”
Worldly wisdom is ultimately demonic (v 15). People who disregard God’s perspective of life come under Satan’s control. The world system is committed to the objectives of fame, power, and pleasure. Those are the very motives to which Jesus refused to sell out at the temptation. The person who follows worldly wisdom and success may appear to be astute and brilliant when in reality he is misguided and dangerous.
Whenever we promote ourselves we line up with the philosophy of the world, and the result is always chaos and disorder. “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice” (v. 16).
Years ago, a radio station received a strange request from a shepherd living on a lonely ranch in the Western United States. The letter asked, “Will you please strike “A” on the piano in your studio? I am far from a piano, and the only comfort I have is my fiddle. It is out of tune. Will you strike “A” so I can get it in tune again?”
When we try to gain influence through self-promotion we get our lives out of harmony with God. Moral conviction in our lives may have been like a finely tuned instrument at one time, but indulgence and neglect have caused the life to go flat. There is disorder and all kinds of evil. There may not be the clashing disharmony of an immoral life-style, but there is subtle dissonance of sinful thoughts and selfish attitudes. The result is the same—your life is lived off-key.
III. THE PRODUCTS OF GOOD INFLUENCE ... vv. 17-18
The person of positive influence is characterized by good conduct and humility (v. 13). Godly wisdom, the source of true influence, produces a harvest of at least seven results.
1. It is pure. This quality is first in the list, and also first in importance. God is perfect in his holiness. Not even the slightest degree of sin taints his character. Many Christians are content to not sin very much. But any sin, however small it may seem, is an affront to God.
No one chooses a restaurant that is associated with filthiness. Fast food restaurants were not usually known for cleanliness until McDonalds made it a primary corporate value. Now American’s believe that “McDonald’s food is clean and sanitary and healthy—for any class of people.” The Disney Corporation did the same thing for amusement parks. Disneyland now appeals to even an upper-class clientele. The clean environment of the park tells customers that they are visiting a respectable, acceptable, wholesome place just like home [Frederick G. Harmon and Garry Jacobs, The Vital Difference, (American Management Association, 1985), 178].
We create acceptance for the gospel by moral cleanliness. The person with a spiritual impact will be morally pure, but his motives will also be righteous. He will be undivided in purpose. His values will be obvious. He will serve God wholly without seeking to promote his own private interests.
2. It is peace-loving. Worldly wisdom causes contention, rivalry and strife. It divides and alienates. True wisdom soothes and unites. It promotes peace. This is more than just passive contentment. It actively guards against alienating others or creating ill will. By nature most of us battle with others and even bait them into disagreements.
Take the sting out of arguments instead of inviting them. Become a peacemaker. Start by practicing this wisdom in your home. Chuck Swindoll tells how one man, married for fifty years, applied this principle in his marriage:
Someone asked the gentleman the secret of such 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 something,” she’d jus’ tell me an git it off her chest. And if I was mad at her about somethin”, I was to a take a long walk. I s’ppose you could attribute our happy marriage to the fact that I have largely led an outdoor life” [Charles R. Swindoll, Dropping Your Guard (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 93].
3. It is considerate. This word is translated, “gentle,” “forbearing,” “courteous,” “reasonable,” and “kindly.” It is a great word of character description, used often in the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) to describe God’s kindness toward those with whom He has reason to be harsh and judgmental.
Those who follow God’s wisdom will demonstrate this godlike quality. They will not insist on every legal right but exercise love’s leniency to those who rightfully could be expected to pay a price or receive a punishment. He chooses the way of wisdom when it forfeits his rights. He has learned to be tolerant, even willing at the proper time to give in.
4. It is submissive. The last word you would use to describe an influential person according to the world’s wisdom would be “submission.” It is also translated, “open to reason” and “yielding to persuasion.” It describes a person who is willing to listen to the opinions of others. He is not gullible, but agreeable. The Spirit of God produces openness and teachability when He controls the heart.
5. It is full of mercy and good fruit. “Mercy” is more than pity; it is compassion that takes action in a practical way.
Mercy is extended to the undeserving. It is one of God’s attributes. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:8-10).
We often say of the needy, “It’s his own fault. He brought it on himself.” But “he does not treat us as our sins deserve.” God’s mercy ranged wide, not only when we suffered unjustly, but when our suffering was our own fault. Our mercy should reach even those who brought trouble on themselves.
We can all feel pity for the innocent. But mercy is to be shown to the guilty as well. But mercy is merely an attitude. James, as always, insists on action. So he will not leave the quality of mercy alone. He calls for “mercy and good fruit.” The fruit is the action.
6. It is impartial. Spiritual wisdom is consistent in its treatment of others. It doesn’t take one position with powerful people and another with the weak. It doesn’t offer favoritism based on circumstances, but is guided by scriptural principles regardless of the situation. This person makes sound, biblical decisions and stands by them.
7. It is sincere or without hypocrisy. It amuses me that the church is often charged with hypocrisy, when pretence is a hallmark of worldly wisdom. So many in the business world are attempting to be two different people. They maintain an outward life for appearance’s sake but the heart of the “real” person is secret and very different.
In the ancient Greek plays an actor would place a large, grinning mask in front of his face and quote his comedy lines while the audience roared with laughter. Then, slipping offstage, he would grab a frowning, sad, mask and quote his tragic lines as the audience moaned and wept. The actor was called a hupocritos, a person of two faces. True wisdom is genuine. It doesn’t need to work under a mask since it has nothing to hide.
Our society honors intelligence and cleverness. Christians must confirm that these values are the truly enviable, enduring ones. The contention and bitterness of a dog-eat-dog society has no place in the Christian community, so James concludes, “Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (v. 18). This relational peace is unknown in competitive society. True wisdom preserves peaceful relationships without violating God’s standards, and promotes a righteous lifestyle.
