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God’s Wisdom vs. Earthly Wisdom James 3:13-18

Welcome to Empowered Bible Study Ministries as we continue our study on the book of James.

You know, as you read the book of James, you can clearly see that James has a heart for his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. That, it is not enough to just say you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, but that we, as Christians; as followers of Jesus Christ, are to Mature in our Christian walk, meaning we are to show our faith in our walk. Last week we began James 3 as we saw that our speech and our conduct are evidence as to if we have the true saving faith or false faith. We saw that if Christ is truly in our hearts, then our speech and deeds would prove it. Matthew 12:34 "...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." NKJV Having focused on the difference between a true saving faith and a false faith, James now advances, in the last six verses, to a series of descriptions of contrasting the wisdom of God with earthly wisdom. God's wisdom helps to lead us on the right path. True wisdom is from God and when we seek God and live our lives for Him, the world sees a difference. I like how the Tyndale Bible Dictionary described wisdom:

"Wisdom was sought not for its own sake but always for its application to the meaning of life, because life—like wisdom—was God's gift. This emphasis in Hebrew wisdom meant that the virtues of the wise man or woman were never described in intellectual terms alone; they were those whose lives were characterized by understanding, patience, diligence, trustworthiness, self-control, modesty, and similar virtues. In a word, the wise man was the God-fearing man; his wisdom lay not just in a static attitude of reverence but rather in the conscious development of the mind toward wisdom in the context of godly living."

We can see how this fits right along with James teaching that our lives should show evidence of Christ living in us, right. Let’s read James 3:13-18 as we look at the contrast between God’s wisdom and Earthly wisdom:

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James 3:13-18 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. *But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there * 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (NKJV) So James sets the stage by posing a challenge to those who were considered wise among his audience. Again he says "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom." The Greek word for 'wise' (sophia) means skillful Whereas the Greek word for understanding means expert, skillful, or experienced. So James is exhorting those who claim the status of being wise, skillful and experienced to display their virtues in their behavior. Sounds familiar doesn't it. James continually tells us to walk the talk. Remember back in James 2:18: James 2:18 "But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (NKJV) *The word 'show' is the same word used in verse 13. Note the words 'let him show' comes from one Greek word: (deixatō); meaning living a life, to prove, or to reveal. In

other words, Walking the Talk! James firmly declares that only good conduct reflects true wisdom and practical understanding. This is the only tangible proof that one is wise or has understanding. Such conduct results only from having the fear of the Lord in your heart. Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever." NKJV Time and time again we are reminded that the Christian life is not idle, ladies, we need to be living a life that is pleasing to God. We are to be a walking example for others to come to know our Savior.

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As we saw in James 1:22 that we are to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” NKJV

My friend, James in Chapter three requires us to show wisdom and understanding in action rather than in words only. True wisdom is from God and will be revealed through our conduct, through the way we live. *Job 28:28 "And to man He said, "Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." NKJV As I said before, there were a lot of false teachers during this time period and so James in these verses wants us to know what true wisdom means. What he gives over the next few verses is more a description than a definition of wisdom. In fact, he has been describing it all along, with his talk of believing God, relying on God's goodness, doing what God's word says and living the righteous life that God desires. Now he will label this as wisdom and describe it further as a humble submissiveness to God which results in a life of goodness, purity and peace toward other people. (IVP) So there is a False Wisdom (Earthly Wisdom) which James discusses in: James 3:14-16 "But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." NKJV And there is a True Wisdom (Which is from God) which James discusses in James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (NKJV) So let's look at what characteristic attitudes James shows us that are the evidence of false wisdom and true wisdom? James begins by telling us in James 3:13 "...Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom" The Greek word for meekness is actually gentleness or humility.

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'Let him show' is a Greek imperative mode - meaning that this is a command So James is commanding us to show good conduct that our works are done in the humility of wisdom. James then describes in verses 14-16 the characteristic attitudes of false wisdom. We can understand why bitter envy and selfish ambition are the characteristic attitudes for a false wisdom because they are the opposite of the humility entailed in admitting your need and relying on God for the wisdom that you lack. Envy reveals a motive of jealousy, selfish ambition exposes the sinful desire for personal glory. The wisdom of the world exalts man and says 'Promote Yourself' and robs God of His glory. 1 Corinthians 1:31 That as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." NKJV We are not to be self-seeking or envious as it says in Philippians 2:3 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." NKJV James goes on to say "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there" This wisdom that causes confusion and every evil thing is from Satan. Don't be deceived by it. Satan will try to tell you 'hey you deserve that promotion' and put all kinds of thoughts in your head, but remember everything we do, everything we are, is from God. If God wants you to have a promotion, then you will have it. If it is not in His plan, then He has something that is better for you." Don't fall into Satan's trap. In Verses seventeen through eighteen James gives us the characteristic attitudes of True Wisdom from God. James 3:17-18 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (NKJV) Notice James says 'the wisdom that is from above is FIRST PURE.James is deliberate to state a foremost characteristic of the wisdom from above is 'first of all pure' and only then the other qualities.

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His term 'pure' speaks of holiness and provides the immediate contrast to 'every evil practice.’ God is holy; therefore, the wisdom from above is pure. Then James continues to name the other characteristics: peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, and full of mercy and good fruits. These characteristics show a person who cares for others, it is a picture of humility put into practice. Man's wisdom leads to competition, God's wisdom leads to peace. We must be gentle and forbearing in dealing with people. The last thing that we must do is to criticize, condemn, censor, neglect, and ignore people. We must reach out to the world with the gospel, and must treat people with a loving gentleness. Full of mercy reminds us of James' urging to be merciful in James 2:13 "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.". Good Fruits: People who are faithful are fruitful. If you are truly living your life for God, your life will bear the fruit to prove it. The last two characteristics listed in verse seventeen are 'without partiality and without hypocrisy'. We are not to show partiality or favoritism to anyone nor are we to be hypocrites. We are to practice what we preach; we are to walk the talk. Then James concludes in verse eighteen: James 3:18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (NKJV) The Christian life is about sowing and reaping, we reap what we sow. A farmer cannot expect to receive a harvest if he doesn't plant the seed. If we live in God's wisdom, we sow righteousness and peace, and we reap God's blessing. Wisdom is a promised result in the life of a maturing Christian who seeks it. James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” NKJV

A mature Christian who seeks God's wisdom will have a consistent testimony that is wholesome and edifying. My friend, Satan will try to whisper the world's wisdom in

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your ear and make it sound very appealing. But remember you have the Spirit of the Living God living inside you as a perpetual resource in your daily life to help you overcome Satan’s temptations. Paul said in Galatians 5:16 "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” NKJV James is describing for us the mature Christian whose wisdom is from above, whose righteous living remains pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, impartial, and not hypocritical. Such a believer is not self-serving but fruitful, reflecting a stable living testament to the Lord Jesus Christ. If our individual lives could reflect these characteristics, then we would be able to penetrate this world's darkness with the light of Christ. We can be a beacon to those whose lives have been wrecked on the shores of sin, failure, and disappointment. Since true wisdom comes from outside ourselves and from God himself, we have to examine where our reliance is placed. Do we Fully Rely on God? It makes sense of what James has prescribed for a life of faith. It requires an active prayer life - to ask for wisdom as James 1:5 commands. It requires a conscious dependence on God in the humility prescribed in James 3:13. You can have all the head knowledge you want, but you have to have God's wisdom to be able to use that knowledge correctly. It is said that knowledge enables us to take things apart, but wisdom enables us to put things together and relate God's truth to daily life Let's seek God's wisdom and continue to grow in our Christian walk.

I have enjoyed studying God’s word with you and look forward to being with you again as we continue our study on the Book of James.

Until then, God bless To view this study and archives on the book of James go to: http://thestudyofthebookofjames.blogspot.com/

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