WISDOM: TRUE AND FALSE

JAMES 3:15–18

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere

(James 3:17).

For the ancient Greek, wisdom was abstract learning, but in the Bible, wisdom consists of learning how to understand God’s Word and live a godly life. Much Greek philosophy consisted of speculation divorced from life. Such “wisdom” is merely opinion and debate, not submission before revealed truth. The Jews of James’s day had fallen into the Greek trap, with their oral law traditions which they endlessly debated. James speaks against both Greeks and Jews to say that biblical wisdom is simple and practical.

It is typical of James, and of the Bible, to insist upon the moral foundation of true wisdom. False wisdom, he says, arises out of bitter envy and selfish ambition. The person who is selfishly ambitious becomes angry when others are advanced beyond where he thinks they ought to be. He becomes envious and then bitter. His philosophy becomes a way of justifying his bitterness and hate. This is ultimately true of all non-Christian thought and philosophy. If we look underneath the “great philosophies” of atheistic philosophers and thinkers, we will find hatred of God and hatred of man at the root.

Such philosophies come from an unholy trinity. They don’t come from heaven, where the Father reigns (“Our Father, who art in heaven …”) but from earth, where the Father is rejected. They don’t arise from the Spirit’s influence, but are unspiritual. They are not taught by Jesus, the Word of God, but by the devil, the ape of Christ (James 3:15).

The wisdom that comes from the heavenly Father has the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, as discussed by Paul in Galatians 5. James says that such wisdom is pure, not envious. It is peace-loving, not contentious. It is considerate of others, not domineering. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is impartial and sincere. In fact, James’s list is even closer to the list of beatitudes that his earthly brother Jesus gave in Matthew 5: pure, peacemaking, merciful, and the like. The true Christian philosophy set out in the Sermon on the Mount starts with these fundamental characteristics, and James gives a hearty Amen to Jesus’ teaching at this point.

CORAM DEO

Colossians and Philemon

Look up the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 and compare them to the characteristics of true wisdom in James 3:17. Can you match up all eight? More important, are these characteristics present in your life of faith? Ask God to show you your weak areas and by His grace to begin making you strong.

For further study: Eccl. 7:11–14, 19–25; 9:13–18

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