You, Too, Can Be Wise! James 3:13 18

Transcription

1 You, Too, Can Be Wise! James 3:13 18 An Expository Sermon The little fellow was being questioned about the story of Jesus birth. Finally he was asked what part he liked best. He thought awhile and then answered, The part about the Three Wise Guys. 1 This story will bring a smile to some because we know there is a great deal of difference between being a wise man and a wise guy. A wise guy is what we call a person whom we think wants to appear wise, but really isn t. We also have other select terms like wise acres, smart alecks, and know-it-alls. In the last part of James 3, James makes a similar contrast between wisdom-so-called and true wisdom. There can be great comfort in this passage for those of us who feel inadequate intellectually. Have you ever sat in a crowd surrounding someone who really seemed to know what he was talking about? Someone whose every word was apparently accepted as absolute truth? And have you ever wished that you could be that one speaking, the one with all the wisdom? I have entitled this lesson You, Too, Can Be Wise! 2 It doesn t matter how high or how low your I.Q. is. It doesn t matter how experienced or inexperienced you may be. It doesn t matter how much or how little formal education you have. You can be wise with the wisdom that counts. With these thoughts in mind, let us read James 3:13 18: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. If you follow James line of thought carefully, by David Roper you will discover what true wisdom is, and thus how you can be wise: I. TRUE WISDOM FINDS EXPRESSION (3:13) James begins: Who is a wise man and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom (James 3:13). We suggested at the start of the previous lesson that in this chapter James is primarily directing his attention to public teachers of the Word. The chapter began with these words: Be not many of you teachers, my brethren,... (v. 1). We further suggested, however, that James was not trying to discourage any from being teachers (Matthew 28:18 20) or even public teachers (Ephesians 4:11), but rather was trying to discourage individuals from becoming teachers from wrong motivations and without proper preparation. We noted the high respect teachers generally commanded in both the Jewish and Christian communities and thus the temptation to want the position of being a teacher without paying the price in preparation. This ties in directly with verse 13 as James asks, Who is wise and understanding among you? The term wise man was often used in the Scriptures to refer to one who was a teacher (see Luke 10:21ff.; 1 Corinthians 1:20; etc.). Understanding was also used to describe the sharer of information. Robertson in his Word Pictures in the New Testament gives the two Greek words involved and then says that in this context the first is used for the practical teacher and the second for an expert, a skilled and scientific person with a tone of superiority. 3 So James is asking, Who among you makes the claim of being a wise and skillful teacher, an expert in this field? Let me pause right here to stress that all of these qualities are good and most needed. We need wise and skilled teachers, even experts. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; yea, with all thy getting get under- 1

2 standing (Proverbs 4:7). But the context shows, as already suggested, that these wanted to be considered as wise, skillful, expert teachers without really being such. In the previous chapter, James had challenged his readers to show their faith by their works to give a practical demonstration (2:18ff.). Now that same challenge is given to those who professed to be wise and understanding: Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. The world has many tests for wisdom. There is the I.Q. test that measures several aspects of ability and intelligence. There is the paper test how many degrees you may or may not have. There is the verbal test whether you can demonstrate a shrewd mind by your sharp tongue and ready wit. But James says that the test that matters is the life test: Can you show by your good life that you are truly wise? In the verses that follow, James will give many practical ways to tell if our wisdom is genuine or not, but one thing is mentioned immediately. Did you notice this phrase at the end of verse 13: Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom? The ones James is addressing were apparently arrogant with their claims to superiority. James says that those who are truly wise are meek. Meekness is not weakness. Meek is the word the Greeks used to refer to a horse that had been broken to ride. It signified harnessed and directed strength. One writer calls it gentle strength. It is closely related to humility and is even translated as humility in the NIV. The truly wise person has nothing to prove to the world. He can be meek, humble, unassuming. In verse 14, James says, Glory not and lie not against the truth. In plain terms: Stop bragging about being a teacher and stop lying about how great you are. Instead of bragging about your wisdom, prove you are wise by the life you live. Today we might say, Put up or shut up! But how does one show that he is wise? To make clear what true wisdom really is, James spends the remainder of the passage contrasting true wisdom and wisdom-so-called. The same kind of contrast is made by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18 24: 2 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning will I bring to naught. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. Seeing that Jews ask for a sign; and Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Underline this thought in your mind: Man s wisdom and God s wisdom are not always the same. The wisdom of this world may count things of eternal importance as mere foolishness and thus show itself to be the most foolish of all. The wisdom that counts is the wisdom that comes from God. Listen carefully then as James helps us to identify true wisdom. II. THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD (3:14 16) James begins with the negative: But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and faction are there is confusion and every vile deed (James 3:14 16). Three points of contrast are given: origin, characteristics, and results. Notice first the origin of this wisdom. This wisdom, says James, is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish (v. 15). This is the wisdom-so-called, that which poses as wisdom but is not. (Today we would put the word wisdom in quotation marks.) This wisdom is not from above, not from God, but is rather earthly, sensual, devilish. Earthly it is of this earth, not of heaven. Intellectually, it is centered on this life. Sensual 4 it appeals to the flesh, to the natural man. This helps explain its popularity. It jus-

3 tifies men in much that they just naturally want to do. Devilish (literally demonic ) its ties are with Satan and his cohorts! This description strips away the layers of much that parades as wisdom and lays bare the true source. James first charges, Your wisdom only has limited value for it is centered in this world. Quite right, the worldly-wise nods, but after all, that is all there is. So James second charge comes, It is counted as wisdom by men only because it justifies them living on the level of animals. Now the worldly-wise bristles, Now don t start blaming me for the world s problems. But James has one last layer to remove, one last change to make: As a matter of fact, the real genius behind your twisted logic, your half-truths, your learned perversions are the demons of hell itself who are using your so-called wisdom to turn men from God s wisdom and to send them to their own eternal abode! Before the worldly-wise can ask, let me answer, Yes, there is a Satan who has demons as helpers and all are alive and well today. If you would have a sample of the devil s wisdom, go to Genesis 3:1 6 and see Satan using the serpent to persuade Eve and thus Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, using the appeal of the flesh, the appeal of the eyes, and the appeal of pride the same appeals he uses in his wisdom today (1 John 2:16ff.). Doubt it not for a moment: One who does not know the wisdom of God today can be just as confused, misled, and deceived by Satan s wisdom as Eve was in the long ago. If proof is desired, note the high percentage of our young people who lose their faith in state universities! But what is the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, devilish? It is that which is not true wisdom but poses as wisdom by using the designation of wisdom. The Greek word for wisdom is sophos which has become a part of our vocabulary in some very common words. There is, for instance, the word philosophy. This is a combination of two Greek words philou ( love of ) and sophos ( wise ). It indicates a love of wisdom. I have a friend named Dick Sztanyo who teaches philosophy and he would have me tell you quickly that philosophy is not wrong or bad within itself. Everybody has a philosophy of life how he looks at things, his particular viewpoint. Jesus taught the true philosophy the right way of looking at things, the right viewpoint. But having said that, let me state that most of what is called philosophy today is, to a greater or lesser degree, a perversion of God s truth about man and the universe in which he lives. No matter how learned an individual may be, if he leaves God and His Word out of his reasoning, his conclusions must always be warped and deceptive! Then there is the word sophisticated, directly derived from sophos or wise. Again this is a word whose root meaning is not necessarily bad. Certainly it represents the goal of many men and women. But the connotations of the word are all bad. The dictionary gives the primary meaning of the word as worldly-wise; deprived of natural simplicity; disillusioned. The secondary meaning is pretentiously wise; possessing superficial information. 5 Look at those phrases again: Worldly-wise, pretentiously wise, possessing superficial information, disillusioned, deprived of natural simplicity. Is this not practically a synonym for the wisdom that is earthly and sensual? As I read these words, my mind conjures up a vision of elegant men and women, blessed with physical possessions, having the time and opportunity to learn the social graces, but who are bored with it all and who are, therefore, always looking for some new experience from whatever source to stimulate their jaded appetites, as they look down their elegant noses at the masses who lack their sophistication. I am talking about those who are smart but not wise, who have a polished surface but no depth, form but no substance, who have reputations but no character, manners but no morals, manicured hands but calloused hearts. I am sure most of us could profitably learn a few more of the social graces, but let us never forget the warning of Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:3: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. But, as we are considering words relating to the Greek word for wise, the word that probably comes closest to what James is talking about is the word sophistry. This word is also derived 3

4 directly from sophos or wise, but it took on a certain meaning through the years because of the Greek Sophists who paraded as wise men, but who used logic and reasoning to their own ends. Thus the dictionary defines sophistry as subtly fallacious [or deceptive] reasoning or disputation and a sophism as a false argument intentionally used to deceive. 6 In the long ago Satan told Eve (loosely paraphrasing): Oh, you won t die! God is just trying to scare you off because He knows that if you ever eat of the forbidden fruit you will be as smart as He is and He doesn t want the competition! Nothing but lies but they sounded wise and sin came into the world. Satan still has his subtle lies, posing as wisdom and people still believe them because they want to. Here is a typical sampling: It s okay to do it. Everybody else is. If it feels good, do it. It can t be wrong if it feels so right. You should be allowed to do anything you want to. After all, it s your life and you re not hurting anyone else. Why are people always trying to change you? You are just the way you are and can t do anything about it. Those old fogies just don t understand that times have changed. We re not living back in the Victorian age or the dark ages anymore. Just be honest and sincere. God can t expect any more than that! As I think of sophos words, however, ultimately I come to sophomore and sophomoric. Without intending discredit to any second-year highschoolers present, let me note that sophomore comes from two Greek words, sophos ( wise ) and moros ( foolish the word from which we get moron). Here is the accurate designation for any display of wisdom that forgets God and the will of God: sophomoric as foolish wisdom or wise foolishness take your pick! This is the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, devilish, wisdom-so-called. But now, what are the characteristics of this kind of wisdom? The characteristics of this wisdom are found in verse 14: But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 7 First of all, this wisdom is jealous. The word 4 translated jealousy 8 can be used in either a good sense (2 Corinthians 7:7; 11:2; Galatians 1:14) or a bad one (James 4:5; 1 Corinthians 3:3; Galatians 5:20; Romans 13:13). In this context it is obvious James has in mind the bad sense. This is bitter jealousy. Why should this be listed first in the characteristics of worldly wisdom? It is first because worldly wisdom promotes self-interest. Man has dethroned God in his life and enthroned himself. What I want is the important thing. Any means to get me ahead are legitimate. Therefore, if someone has something I want, it is only natural that I should be filled with a consuming jealousy that produces a bitterness in my mouth, my stomach, my soul. None of us are immune from the poison of jealousy, whether we be the little boy who asks his parents to take his baby brother back where he came from, or whether we be the aging executive passed over for promotion. The late J. Edgar Hoover once said that jealousy is among the top ten reasons for doing wrong. Satan says, You have a right to be jealous. After all you deserve that honor not him [or her]. Never forget that is the wisdom that is earthly, sensual, devilish! The next characteristic continues the idea that the wisdom of this world is self-centered. The Greek word referred to the condition of heart of one who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted 9 one who would not hesitate to stir up trouble if he thought it would help his cause. The KJV translates the word as strife, the ASV as faction, the RSV (and others) as selfish ambition. As I studied on the meaning of the words associated with worldly wisdom, I was struck with the frequency with which the word politics came into the definitions. For instance, the word under discussion was used by the Greeks [in classical Greek 10 ] to describe a politician out canvassing for votes. 11 Thus one writer 12 says that in the first two characteristics of worldly wisdom, we have a combination of selfish ambition and party spirit the attitude that says, Promote yourself by any means and try to line up everybody on your side! I would not want to fall into the trap already discussed 13 of saying all politicians are crooked, but perhaps the type of campaign run

5 by certain types of politicians l4 can illustrate what James is talking about. But, more to the point, is it possible that we have, at one time or another, succumbed to Satan s wisdom and have caused strife and trouble by trying to line up people as for us and against us? Is it even possible that churches have been divided by men whose feelings have been hurt and who want to know, Who will stand behind me? Devilish wisdom lives on. Third, this wisdom is boastful. The last part of verse 14 commands: Glory not and lie not against the truth. Although I earlier tied these words to verse 13, it will not be out of the way to also think of these as suggestive of two more characteristics. The command begins: Glory not. The RSV has Do not boast. Guy N. Woods says that this means to boast of one s affairs to the hurt of another. 15 This ties in with the characteristics already noted. If one is guided by worldly wisdom, he will be self-centered, envious of the success of others, and selfishly ambitious to promote his own cause. What more natural way to do this than by boasting? And how natural, while we are boasting, to run down others to make ourselves look even better. All the time Satan is saying, But after all, if you don t toot your own horn, no one else is going to toot it! Does this make you think of any political commercials you have heard? Or, to make personal application, does this make us think of any boasting or running down of others we may have done lately? Fourth, it is deceitful. Finally James says in this verse, Lie not against the truth. When the self-seeking, ambitious man begins to boast, first facts are exaggerated, then half-truths and selective truths appear, and finally he gets down to what Grandma called bald-faced lies. As an illustration of this, I again say watch the deterioration of some political campaigns as time nears for the elections. I liked a recent article by Senator Robert C. Byrd on this point. He noted that if TV mouthwash commercials are not truthful, they are pulled off the air but political commercials can apparently say whatever they please. He noted that political advertising should be scrutinized just as hard as mouthwash commercials for lies, misstatements, and other excessive claims. 16 Is it possible that we fall for the wisdom of this world, that we get sold on the idea that success is everything? I must make the team. I have to be asked out by the most attractive boy. I must have a house as nice as my friends. I have to make it to the top. So I push and pull, scratch and claw, lie and cheat, use any dirty means at my disposal to achieve my goal as Satan rejoices. And if we sell ourselves so cheaply, what is the end result? Listen to verse 16: For where envying and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. Envying and faction those are the characteristics of self-centeredness we have just been about. And in what does this earthly wisdom result? The text gives two fruits: First there is confusion. The word translated confusion is a hard word to translate. It refers to the disorder that comes from instability. It comes from the same root as the word unstable in 1:8 and the word restless in 3:8. Different translations use various words to translate it: disorder, unrest, disharmony, rebellion, tumult, unquietness. After thought, I can t really improve on the general word confusion. Second, there is cheapness. The KJV then refers to every evil work. Some who are self-seeking will literally stop at nothing to accomplish their evils! But the word evil here is not confined to that which is obviously evil or ungodly. The ASV and RSV use the word vile instead of evil. The Greek word refers to that which is cheap, gaudy, worthless. 17 This includes immorality, but also refers to the cheap, valueless things with which the worldly-wise must fill their lives. Do you want a commentary on the meaning of these words? Just look at the world around you. You will see a world that is largely influenced by worldly-wisdom by worldly philosophy, by worldly sophistication, accepting the sophistics of Satan. And what is the result? Confusion and every vile deed. 18 Confusion, disorder, immorality, cheapness, emptiness. But again let us try to make personal application. Those of us who are teachers (and in one way or another that should take in every Christian) need to check the results of our teaching. Elders used to check the results of the teaching and preaching for which they are responsible. If 5

6 the results are not what is desired, then there might be something wrong with the teaching, and if the teaching is not right, then there must be something wrong with the wisdom and understanding of the teacher or preacher. But now let us go to the positive. Let us see the wisdom that you can have, that every child of God can have, the true wisdom. III. THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE (3:17, 18) James says, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace (James 3:17, 18). Again we note three points of contrast between wisdom-so-called and true wisdom. First, notice the origin of true wisdom. The wisdom of this world is earthly, sensual, devilish (v. 15), but true wisdom is from above (v. 17). This brings to mind a verse already studied: But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). As we studied that verse, 19 we suggested that the word wisdom signifies the gaining of divine insight. We further suggested that every means of gaining this divine insight is from God: studying the Bible (Proverbs 1:2; 2 Timothy 3:15), listening to those who are close to God (Proverbs 10:31), experience and God s providence, and finally, as James 1:5 stresses, going directly to God in prayer and asking for wisdom. True wisdom is from above. Without a closeness to God, any claim to wisdom is mistaken, untrue, and deceptive. How can you be wise with the wisdom that counts? First of all, you must stay close to God and His Word! But next, what are the characteristics of this wisdom from above? The wisdom of this world is: (1) jealous, (2) self-centered, (3) boastful, (4) deceitful. In contrast, our text gives seven characteristics of true wisdom. James Jewish readers would have been familiar with the number seven signifying perfection or completeness. First of all, the wisdom from above is pure. James begins, The wisdom that is from above is first pure. The word pure literally means un- 6 mixed in other words, it does not have some good and some bad. It refers to singleness of purpose, putting God and His ways first (Matthew 6:33; 22:37). This fidelity to God is manifest in purity of heart and mind, in purity of teaching, in purity of life. Notice that this purity is to be first: first pure, then peaceable, and so on. There are those who believe in peace at any price, that there is no higher purpose than living at peace with all men. But James says that purity must be first on the list. Some think of themselves as peacemakers when in reality they have signed a non-aggression pact with the devil. Peace that is procured by sacrificing one s convictions on the plain teaching of God s Word can never have the approval of God. The wisdom that is from above is first pure. But then following closely is the quality of being peaceable: The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable. Stress is placed in this passage on peace: The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace (v. 18). We saw earlier in this lesson that the wisdom of this world is concerned with self; we shall see in our next lesson that the wisdom of this world results in competition, rivalry, and war. In contrast the wisdom that is from above is concerned about others and results in peace. It is unfortunate that there are those who have exalted peace above purity. It is also unfortunate that some, who proclaim their desire for doctrinal and moral purity, have not learned how to be peaceable. In days past the battle cry for Purity! has been used to justify everything from the Spanish Inquisition to splitting churches over matters of opinion. It is not sufficient to have the message of God if we have the manner of Satan. Most have heard of the great black preacher now gone to his reward, Marshall Keeble. Marshall Keeble pulled no punches in his preaching. He called names; he denounced sin. But he did so in love. One day during the invitation, a man came storming down the aisle. When he reached brother Keeble, he hit him with a blow that knocked him over the communion table. He then spit in Keeble s face. Brother Keeble pulled out his handkerchief and began wiping his face. He looked up at the man and said, I wish I could wipe the hatred from your

7 heart and the sin from your life as easily as I can wipe this spittle from my face. The man broke down in tears. Before the evangelistic effort was over, he was baptized into Christ. Paul gave us this challenge in Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. Paul knew that it was not possible to live at peace with all, but he challenges us to do our best, as far as we can without compromising truth, to live at peace with all men. Blessed are the peacemakers, said Jesus, for they shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9). The third quality of the wisdom from above is gentleness. Men who have the wisdom from above will be, in the true sense of the word, gentlemen. And women who have the wisdom from above will be gentlewomen. But what is this thing called gentleness? Unfortunately, gentleness is not greatly sought after today, especially among men. The Greek word translated gentle in the KJV is a hard word to define. The NIV translates it as considerate. The amplified Bible uses three words to translate it: courteous, considerate, gentle. It seems to refer to how we deal with people, a practical demonstration of hating sin but not hating the sinner. As the loving mother deals gently with the bruised child, as the compassionate nurse deals gently with the suffering patient, so we need to deal gently, so gently with those with whom we come in contact. So many are emotionally bruised, spiritually suffering, looking for that gentle touch of genuine concern. The fourth quality of the wisdom from above is described in these words in the KJV: easy to be entreated it is open. The Greek, which is found nowhere else in the New Testament, is translated by the RSV, open to reason, and by the Amplified Bible, [willing to] yield to reason. The one who has true wisdom does not think that there is nothing left for him to learn. The good teacher remains teachable. I am calling this being open having an open mind and an open heart. Some mistake stubbornness for conviction and a closed mind for consistency. The most important application of this quality is in our relationship with God: We must remain open to His will. In secular writings the Greek phrase here referred to the soldier ready to obey, asking no questions. When applied to our attitude toward God, this quality could be summarized by words like yielding, submissive, and obedient. But I believe this quality is also important in our relationship with other people. This was probably in the minds of the KJV translators when they wrote, Easy to be entreated. The truly wise person does not leave the impression that he knows it all. Rather he remains open to suggestions, instruction, even criticism. Proverbs 9:8 bears this out: Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee: reprove a wise man, and he will love thee. (Italics mine.) Perhaps a good summary word here would be the word approachable. The truly wise person is open first and foremost to God, but also to others. Next, the wisdom that is from above is merciful full of mercy and good fruits. This is generally considered a single quality mercy being the motivation and good fruits the result. This relates to James earlier statement that the truly wise person will show his wisdom by his good life and his good works (v. 13). There is no way that one can separate mercy and good fruits. Mercy refers to the capacity to be moved by the needs of others. Since the wisdom from above is not self-centered, it has that capacity. But if it is true mercy, it will always result in good fruits as we actually try to help those who are in need. It is not enough to talk about being a good neighbor, as did the lawyer; we must be willing to be a good neighbor, as was the Samaritan (Luke 10). Let me pause here to stress that true mercy does not take into account the worthiness of the one in need. Mercy is closely related to grace or unmerited favor. It is easy to have mercy on one who is suffering through no fault of his own. It is not too hard to have mercy on one who is suffering because of his own mistakes, but who is truly sorry, truly penitent. But it is hard to have mercy on those who are suffering because of their own shortcomings, who are totally impenitent and who even blame others for their problems. And it is hardest of all to have mercy on those who are suffering, who are blaming us for their troubles. But the truly wise remains full of mercy and good fruits. The ASV translates the sixth quality as without variance it is consistent. Impartiality is an important characteristic; James had much to say 7

8 in chapter 2 against partiality and prejudice (vv. 1 13). But the quality spoken of here includes more than impartiality. This is another of those Greek words difficult to translate. Almost every translation uses slightly different words. The Amplified Bible uses no less than six words or phrases to try to express the complete thought: wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned, free from doubts [and] wavering. This is the opposite of the confusion that results from worldly wisdom (v. 16). This is the characteristic of a truly wise person who knows what he believes and knows why he believes it and who lives in a manner consistent with those beliefs completely dedicated to the Lord and completely fair in dealing with others. A few minutes ago I noted that some think they have convictions when really they just have closed minds. On the other hand there are those who think they have open minds when in reality they are merely gullible lacking real stability, accepting almost anything. They are described by Paul as children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness (Ephesians 4:14). It is not easy to have strong convictions and still remain open to reason, but the truly wise person has achieved that balance. Thus he is able to be at peace with himself because he lives the consistent life. The final characteristic given by James ties in with this consistency. The wisdom from above is without hypocrisy ; it is sincere (v. 14). This is not so with true wisdom. The word hypocrisy originally referred to wearing a mask as actors did in plays in those days. Some who wanted the position and prestige of being public teachers wore the masks of wisdom, understanding, and expertise. But those who were truly wise needed no such pretense. They had paid the price in preparation preparation of heart, preparation of life, preparation of mind, preparation of skills. They were precisely what they appeared to be. They were without hypocrisy. Would you be truly wise? Then strive to develop these seven qualities in your life! The last contrast between the wisdom of this world and the wisdom from above is the result. 8 After giving the characteristics of the wisdom from above, James says, And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace (v. 18). The fruit of earthly wisdom is confusion and every vile deed (v. 16). The fruit of heavenly wisdom is righteousness. In this context, righteousness refers to a good life. It means basically the same as the good behavior spoken of in verse 13. (The KJV has good conversation. ) If one is truly wise, the result will be a beautiful, God-pleasing life. James expresses this thought by using an illustration he has used before 2O that of sowing seed And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. First notice the sowers are them that make peace. As already noted, the truly wise man is peace-loving and a peacemaker. Second, the proper growing condition is peace: Righteousness is sown in peace. Proper growing conditions are necessary to the germination and growth of a seed. Planted in fertile soil and given rain and sunshine, a seed will grow. Plant that seed in dry lifeless soil and the seed remains lifeless. Even so righteousness cannot grow where there is confusion and every evil work. But in an atmosphere of peace with God and man, righteousness can thrive. Third, the seed planted is righteousness itself. At first glance the passage strikes us as peculiar: the fruit of righteousness is sown. We do not think of planting fruit; we plant seed. So some translations 21 add the word seed to the verse. But the original text reads basically like the KJV translation the fruit... is sown. But think for just a moment: In plants that bear fruit, where is the seed usually to be found? It is found in the fruit. In fact in some cases (as in planting potatoes), in order to plant the seed, we actually plant the fruit. So what is the point? Like begets like. One person living a righteous life will inspire others to live righteous lives. Fourth, the fruit produced is righteousness a life that produces peace, uplifts men, and pleases God! How America needs this quality today! Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). But what is the source of righteousness? The source is not the philosophies of men, for these result only in confusion and every evil work. Right-

9 eousness rather comes by conforming to the will of God, by studying God s Word and obeying it, coming to see things as God sees them. CONCLUSION We thus come to the close of the discussion of earthly wisdom versus the wisdom from above. We have seen the two contrasted as regards origin, characteristics, and result or fruit. We also come to the close of chapter 3 which was directed primarily to those of us who would teach God s Word publicly. It is significant, I think, that James has spent so much time on teaching and has not said one word about how to make a lesson plan, how to lead a discussion, or how to operate a projector. Don t misunderstand me. Teaching skills are important. I have spent much of my life trying to train men and women in such skills. It is possible that such skills are even suggested in our text in the word knowledge (v. 13). 22 But the emphasis of this chapter is on the life that the teacher must live. As important as skills may be, it is more important that one know the Book and live by that Book! If a choice must be made, on the one hand, between a godly man ignorant of the fine points of teaching, and, on the other, a highly trained and proficient educator not totally committed to God s way, give me the godly man to teach my children! 23 But as we prepare to close this lesson, let me return to the theme originally proposed: You, too, can be wise. I would encourage all present to develop whatever intellectual capacity God has given you; I believe this is part of being good stewards of our blessings. But even more importantly I would urge you to gain the wisdom that really counts. You can do this by going to the right source. This wisdom is from above. Stay close to God by Bible study, prayer, and meditation, and by close association with God s people. You can do this also by developing the right qualities of life. Think of others more and yourself less. Strive to be pure, peaceable, gentle, open, merciful, consistent, and sincere. And you can do this by aiming for the right result. Earthly popularity and success are fleeting and disillusioning. Make it your goal to be right in the sight of God and to live the Godpleasing life, a life of righteousness. It is my contention that every individual present who can understand my words can do all these things can study the Bible, pray, stay close to God; can develop God-pleasing qualities; can live the righteous life. Thus it is my contention that, with the help of God, you can, therefore, be wise with the wisdom that really counts, the wisdom from above. The only question is whether or not you want to badly enough and whether or not I want to badly enough to pay the price. May God help us all to be wise with the wisdom from above! Footnotes 1 You can use your own judgment about stopping to point out that the Bible does not give the number of the wise men (magi). 2 An alternate title is this: You Can Be Wise, Man. 3 A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 6: The General Epistles (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1933), p This is an interesting use of the word psyche or soul but there seems little value in discussing it in a homiletic setting. 5 Funk and Wagnalls Modern Reference Library, vol. II. 6 Ibid. 7 Here we have a condition of the first class, which assumes that the statement is true. It could be translated Since ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart,... 8 From the root word for zeal. 9 Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the Epistle of James, New Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Co., 1972), p J. W. Roberts, A Commentary on the General Epistle of James (Austin, Tex.: R. B. Sweet Co., 1963), p Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Mature (Wheaton, Ill.: SP Publications, Inc., 1978), pp Ibid. 13 This was discussed in the lesson Three Rules for Successful Living (James 1:19, 20). 14 As this is being written, the U.S. is nearing another election. 15 Woods, p Byrd, Let s Have More Truth in Those Political Ads, TV Guide, October 16, 1982, p My interlinear translates the word as worthless. 18 One listener told me that this also described working conditions where he was employed! 19 This was discussed in the lesson The Proving Ground of Our Faith (James 1:5 18). 20 See James 1: NASV, etc. 22 See my earlier comments on this verse. 23 Of course, the ideal situation is to have teachers who live the life and who are growing in teaching skills and this challenge needs to be constantly held before our teachers. 9

10 A simple chart like the one below can be developed to contrast the two wisdoms of the passage. It should also be noted that a slide series, The Untamed Tongue, by Winston Atkinson Visual-Aid Notes (Gospel Services, Inc., Houston, Texas), has twelve slides relating to verses 13 through 18 of chapter 3. YOU, TOO, CAN BE WISE! James 3:13 18 WISDOM OF THIS WORLD WISDOM FROM ABOVE Earthly Sensual Devilish ORIGIN From Above Jealous Self-centered Boastful Deceitful CHARACTERISTICS Pure Peaceable Gentle Open Merciful Consistent Sincere Confusion Cheapness RESULTS Righteousness Copyright, 1983, 2001 by Truth for Today ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 10