James part 7
Actions Prove Wisdom
Four years ago I found myself alone wandering the streets of London trying to figure out what happened to my tour group. I had followed the instructions given to me perfectly. I found my plane in Little Rock that was bound for Chicago. From there I trekked across O’Hare to find my connecting flight. I even had enough time before the flight to sample a Chicago deep dish. On the plane I spent the however many hours flying over the icy seas of Southern Greenland, over the lands of my ancestors, and landed safely in London. After going through customs (which is much easier in London than the US), I found my luggage and began the trek out of the airport and into the city. It was at this point that I realized I had no idea where my group was. I got my phone switched to UK service and double checked my email and texts. I made contact with the group leader, and I was ready with a destination. Unfortunately, I also needed a tube pass and directions to where I was actually going.
This is where the problem started to sink in my brain. I knew I spoke English, I was told England spoke English, but what was coming out of my mouth did not match what was coming out the mouths of the people around me. I had already had a problem figuring out what in the world the airport policeman was telling me when I was in customs. To this day, I can’t tell you what he said, only that he pointed out of the room which was my queue to leave. Now, surrounded by funny sounding Brits, I had to get directions. It wasn’t until I came across some British angel that pointed to a rack of maps that hope re-emerged. I had a map that showed which trains went where, so I could finally chart a course to reach my group.
A while later I emerged from the Underground with my luggage toting behind me. On the street I knew I was close. But then another problem surfaced. I had no idea where I was. My map was good for the Underground, but now I was standing in sunlight…or at least that London haze. I started off. I figured it couldn’t be too far, because I knew my stop was close to the cathedral everyone where everyone else would be. What followed was a hike around the city of London as I continued to search. I experienced the thrill of being an American tourist on his own walking the city streets as Londoners demonstrated their version of hospitality…sideways glances from faces that seemed to scream, “Oh, please don’t talk to me.”
I eventually did find my group, and more importantly the bus that would tote my luggage for me. It was on that first trek to the Underground that I quickly realized I overpacked. It was that trip that I decided the next time I would be taking an international flight that I would carry only a backpack and buy local clothes for extra changes of clothes. Whatever can’t fit for the flight home gets donated to a local charity or whomever wants them.
Something else that trip taught me is that sometimes we might be using the same words with people, but we can still be speaking two different languages. It’s true for American vs English dialects, but it is also true when it comes to matters of spirituality. It is essential when discussing matters of faith and God that we define terms. What do we mean by “God, Jesus,” and pertinent to our study of James, “Wisdom.” Our passage today is a short one—only six verses. However, this passage speaks volumes in terms of what it means to live in Christian Wisdom.
Let’s pick up where we left off and read James 3:13-18.
Wisdom from Above | James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:13-18
James begins with a simple question, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Who in your life would you say is wise? What makes them wise? Is it their head knowledge? Is it their outlook on life? James tells us true wisdom is proven by “good conduct” and “works in the meekness of wisdom.” In other words, the proof is in the pudding.
True wisdom is discerned by a person’s lifestyle.
He then distinguishes between heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom, and this is where we can get confused. Earthly wisdom sounds good—not as James describes, of course, but when we are out and about, talking with our neighbors, co-workers, and family, sometimes their advice sounds really good. But if their advice stems from earthly wisdom, then ultimately, it is not good. So how can we know? We seem to be speaking the same language. We are using the same words. And yet, when we discover what heavenly wisdom looks like, it is a different language altogether from earthly wisdom.
Learning to live in heavenly wisdom is like learning to live in a whole new country. Everything looks like it should be the same, and yet it is altogether different from what we know.
Let’s take a look at how James describes earthly wisdom first.
He says it yields bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. Notice, earthly wisdom is focused on self. It’s all about you and your needs, your wants, your everything. Perhaps you have noticed that in the last several decades, really going back to the 50s (though these attitudes have always existed after the Fall), America has seen an exponential rise in “Self.” Everything is about self-esteem, self-care, self-improvement, and self-fill-in-the-blank. Since 2020, the predominance of businesses, medical institutions, gurus, and public officials who advocate for “self-care” has skyrocketed under the guise of “responding to COVID.” I do not want to dismiss the myriad of health problems associated with a pandemic, but I also can’t help but notice the excessive rise in selfish attitudes permeating our culture. Of course, one could find some redeeming qualities of the self-help phenomena, but it is well worth noting,
Earthly wisdom focuses on self above the desires of God.
Second, James says to not “boast and be false to the truth.” Boasting is connected to selfishness, of course, but James adds in the dishonesty of earthly wisdom. Earthly wisdom rarely, if ever, relies on the truth. Rather than seeing things as they are, the focus is on what the self would prefer. This manifests in a few ways. One is in the “virtue” of positive self-talk or “claiming your truth.” Rather than acknowledging the reality of a given situation, earthly wisdom says we should claim what we would prefer. The second way is how earthly wisdom says we should not show our weaknesses or failures. It is better to boast of our successes than dwell on our failures in earth’s eyes. In either case, the desire for something better than what is overshadows the truth of the matter. This desire will lead us into confusion and selfishness which is exactly what demonic forces desire.
Notice what this kind of wisdom will inevitably lead to according to James. Verse 16 states jealousy and selfish ambition will lead to "disorder and every vile practice."
Earthly wisdom inevitably leads to disorder and the compounding of sin.
The problem with sin is that its consequences are not felt right away. When we think of "the big sins," those are easy to point at and say "Look at how evil you have become!" However, nobody wakes up one day and says, "I think I'll ruin my life today!" Instead, there are a long series of little sins, little mistakes, and little selfish decisions that lead to such a state. Proverbs 20:17 says,
Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel.
Proverbs 20:17
The meaning of this proverb is quite simple. Sin seems great at first. It is only later the consequences start to feel bitter. Earthly wisdom, the way that seems right on earth, works in this way. It seems like we are doing the right and smart thing at the time, but later, when the consequences of selfishness start to set it, we discover how far astray we have been led. The little decisions do not seem "demonic" at first, but in time, and especially when we have learned to live in heavenly wisdom, we discover just how demonic they really are.
Now, let's take a look at heavenly wisdom.
First, James says heavenly wisdom is first pure. It is a holy wisdom. Heavenly wisdom does not deal in ulterior motives. "Yes" means "yes," and "no" means "no." Gifts are given for the sake of the receiver not the giver. Honor is given because honor is due, not for selfish gain later. The fruit of heavenly wisdom is holiness and that is entailed in the word.
Heavenly wisdom always deals in truth and leads to holiness.
From this purity, heavenly wisdom leads to a series of traits that are reminiscent of Paul's list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Look at James 3:17 again.
Heavenly wisdom leads to:
peace
gentleness
openness to reason
mercy
good fruits
impartiality
sincerity
Compare this list to the results of earthly wisdom:
Earthly wisdom leads to disorder, but heavenly wisdom leads to peace.
Earthly wisdom leads to quarrels, but heavenly wisdom leads to gentleness.
Earthly wisdom leads to selfishness, but heavenly wisdom leads to openness to reason.
Earthly wisdom leads to vile practices, but heavenly wisdom leads to mercy and good fruits.
Earthly wisdom leads to jealousy, but heavenly wisdom leads to impartiality and sincerity.
Sometimes, in the moment, it can be very difficult to discern whether we are using earthly or heavenly wisdom. After all, they are both a type of wisdom. Earthly wisdom seems fine on the surface. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: What do we truly desire in our life--godliness or selfishness? Do we prefer to further our own kingdoms or God's Kingdom? That is how we can discern the right path. Earthly wisdom will always help us further 'us'. It will help us look out for #1. We may have to sacrifice our families, friends, or other good things in our life, but at least we'll be able to say we are doing well. Heavenly wisdom calls us to humble ourselves and let God exalt us when the time comes. James will return to this point in chapter 4. Today, the point is simply this:
Discerning between earthly and heavenly wisdom requires us to look beyond the here and now and at the consequences of our decisions--earthly leads to selfishness, and heavenly leads to holiness.
Having established earthly vs heavenly wisdom, James leaves us with a proverb in 3:18. For those who choose righteousness and heavenly wisdom, we have this principle:
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 3:18
It is a more specific version of the principle found throughout Scripture--we reap what we sow. If we want peace and righteousness in our lives, and we want to see peace and righteousness in those around us, we must sow seeds of peace by making peace. When we are ready for peace in our relationships, we will seek reconciliation. That may require us ridding ourselves of selfishness and jealousy, but that must be done if we want peace.
In order to walk in heavenly wisdom, we have to choose peace, mercy, gentleness, impartiality, and truth. We cannot act according to what we selfishly want, but act according to what God wants from us. Choose the higher standard. It can be difficult, but it is the same kind of difficulty we face when living in a foreign country. Of course everything is different, "we aren't in Kansas anymore." However, if we stick close to our Savior and follow His Spirit, we will learn the language, learn the customs, and find ourselves in a far better place than we ever thought possible.
But I should also point out, I am not English. I do not live in London nor do I ever plan on living there. As an American, I live as an American. When I was in the UK, and should I return, I followed the customs as necessary, but I do not follow those same customs where I live. However, should I go live in the UK and change my citizenship, then I would alter my lifestyle completely because I would be a whole new person.
When we decide to follow Christ, we aren't just visiting God's Kingdom. We change our citizenship. We become new creations and new people. If we want heavenly wisdom, we have to receive it from our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Today is the day to change your allegiance from this world to Heaven's.