Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 20, 2015 G-I-G-O (JAMES 3:13-17) 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. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 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. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. Introduction: GIGO stands for Garbage In, Garbage Out. It means that if invalid data is entered in a computer program, the resulting output will also be invalid. So if a program asked you to enter a letter of the alphabet and you decided to be funny and enter 3.14159, there is a good chance the results you would get back would be pretty messed up, or garbage. Because we computer users aren't always smart enough to enter valid data, programmers have to take extensive measures to prevent GIGO errors. In essence we see two major programmers in James 3:13-18, one is evil and one is good. Let s see how we can turn Garbage In, Garbage Out to Good In, Good Out. I. The BIG Question (3:13) A Simple, Straightforward Answer! 3:13 Wise (sophos) may have a general meaning here, but was also used as a technical term among the Jews to refer to a rabbi or scribe. Understanding (epistēmōn) may be translated as knowledgeable or full of understanding and may refer to an expert (one who has specialized knowledge and training). James addresses teachers in 3:13 and all Christians (which include teachers) in 3:14-17. While wise and understanding may be applied to all believers, James clearly limits the application to teachers by adding the phrase
among you (indicating a group within a group). Then, the teacher is unmistakably in view with the usage of the third person plural ( let him ). However, James switches back to the second person plural you in verse 14 to indicate all Christians. The same dynamic between teachers and all Christians (greater to lesser argument: if it s true for a specialized group, then it s true for the general group) is present here and in 3:1-2. Teachers and all believers are to reflect godly wisdom by their lifestyles (speech, thought, deed). Let him show (deixato) is in the aorist tense which implies urgency here. Humility (prautēs) may also be translated as meekness or gentleness. Prautēs is opposite of insisting upon one s own way in a haughty or indignant manner. Applied to others it involves kindness, gentleness, and mildness, and accepts opposition with a calmness of spirit. Applied to God it refers to humility which involves accepting His will and ways without complaining and resistance. QUESTION: Does the humility in 3:13 refer to being humble before God or gentleness in relating to others? ANSWER: Gentleness and sensitivity in relating to others. This view fits in well with the general subject of this passage that deals with getting along with others ( disorder in 3:16; peace loving, considerate, full of mercy, impartial in 3:17; peacemakers in 3:18). Also, humility is said to come from wisdom (literally, meekness of wisdom ). It is more likely that gentleness to others springs from wisdom than humility before God. In fact, wisdom springs from humbly acknowledging our needs to God (see 1:5: If you lack wisdom, ask God ). So oftentimes this principle works out to be so true The more pushy we are the less success we get, while the more gentle we are the less rejection we get. Let s calm down and trust God! II. A BIG Mess (3:14-16) Perverted Wisdom! 3:14 Do not boast about it is literally Stop boasting, which is a command to stop action that has already begun. It s ridiculous to think that someone would boast about being selfish or envious. Rather, the boasting is the outward manifestation of an attitude filled with its own self-importance (i.e., selfish ambition ). Envy or jealousy springs up when that self-importance is threatened. James, then, is prohibiting the outward manifestation of boasting as a way to get to and eliminate the inward attitudes of envy and selfishness. [Do not] deny the truth is literally Stop lying against the truth. It is more likely that the truth being lied against is objective teaching (hypocrisy) rather
than subjective experience (rationalization). ( Truth has an objective sense in 1:18.) Also, James affirms the consistency of wisdom (intellectual truth) and a godly lifestyle ( Let him show it by his good life in 3:13). Verse 13 points out a positive example of consistency in profession and behavior, while 3:14 brings out a negative example of hypocrisy (inconsistency in profession and practice.). 3:15 From heaven (anōthen) is literally from above. Unspiritual (psuchikē) may also be translated as sensual or soulish and refers to unregenerate human nature. Of the devil (daimoniōdēs) is literally demonic. 3:16 Disorder (akatastasia) may also be translated as unruliness and may have a connotation of anarchy and political turmoil, referring to a restless, unsettled state. Evil (phaulos) has a connotation of being worthless and contemptible. QUESTION: Do the words But if you harbor... in 3:14 imply that it is possible for true Christians to have earthly as well as heavenly wisdom? ANSWER: Yes and no! Reasons for a No Answer: God is the source of heavenly wisdom in 3:17-18, 13; Satan is the ultimate source for earthly wisdom in 3:14-16 ( of the devil or demonic ). One cannot be a true Christian and be of the devil, so he must have the heavenly wisdom to be of God. Also, we have seen in 2:26 ( faith without works is dead ) that a Christian s life will show that he belongs to God, as well as in 3:13 ( Let him show... by deeds ). Reason for a Yes Answer: The second person plural ( you ) is used in 2:14, 16, showing that the true Christians James is writing to ( among you ) have bitter envy and selfish ambition. Conclusion: The pattern of a true Christian s life will reflect heavenly wisdom, yet there is a struggle with earthly wisdom (cf. 3:2; for we all stumble in many ways ). James is affirming that a pattern of heavenly wisdom is a reality, but the perfection of it is not attainable in this life. 3:14-16 There are seven characteristics mentioned about depraved wisdom showing the full extent and completeness of its evil. These characteristics may be organized as follows: - Source of evil earthly, unspiritual, of the devil (3:15). [These characteristics roughly correspond to the similar concept of the world, the flesh, and the devil.] - Mindset or basic attitudes of evil envy and selfish ambition (3:16, 14).
- Basic practice or actions of evil disorder and every evil practice (3:16). The basic pattern here is this: Source Attitude Action. III. A BIG Blessing (3:17-18) Enlightened Wisdom! 3:17 Pure (hagnos) implies the absence of sinful attitudes and motives. Considerate (epieikēs) may also be translated as kind, gentle, or humane. It describes someone who is fair and generous, rather than harsh/exacting in dealing with others. Submissive (eupeithēs) is literally easily persuaded or yielding to persuasion, but not in a negative sense of gullibility or caving into the pressure of others where the truth or morals are compromised. Rather, it involves openness to reason and willingness to yield, instead of a stubborn self-seeking attitude. Here the characteristic of being submissive has other people, rather than God, as its object. All seven of these ingredients in verse 17 deal with the subject of relating to others. God ( heaven ) is the source of true wisdom, and these characteristics are the outworking of that wisdom. Submissiveness here refers to a reasonable willingness to give in or yield to others, rather than a selfish insistence on one s own way. Mercy (eleos) involves showing love to someone who is helpless, weak, in distress. Impartial (adiakritos) refers to not showing partiality/exhibiting prejudice (see 2:1-4). Sincere (anupokritos) is literally without hypocrisy. There is a logical connection between these seven ingredients of heavenly wisdom. First, top priority is to be given to purity that has to do with motivation. The seventh characteristic of sincerity also deals with true blue motive (genuine not pretense) a synonym of purity. The third ( considerate ) and fifth ( full of mercy and good fruit ) ingredients are also synonymous and deal with kind actions toward others. The second ( peace loving ) and sixth ( impartiality ) characteristics deal with key attitudes of how to treat others (with peace and not a prejudice which encourages factionalism). Finally, that leaves submissive as the middle characteristic that stands by itself. To summarize, here is how these seven ingredients fit together: 1 - Pure
MOTIVE 2 - Peace loving ATTITUDE 3 - Considerate ACTION 4 - Submissive 7 - Sincere 6 - Impartial 5 - Full of mercy and good fruit 3:18 Peacemakers (tois poiousin eirēnēn) is literally for those who practice peace. Harvest of righteousness is literally fruit of righteousness. Righteousness (dikaiosunē) refers to a lifestyle (thought, word, and deed) that is pleasing to God. Personal Applications I googled the phrase how to develop a positive attitude and 2,620,000 results came up! There were all sorts of ideas, many very sane and others quite weird. Here are some helpful ones: - Improve your health. Eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and get enough rest. It's hard to be positive when you're feeling exhausted and run down. - Hang around positive people. They will rub off on you. - Beware of television, radio, newspapers, and the computer. What kinds of messages are they bombarding you with daily? Try to keep your exposure to negativity at a minimum. - Take time to play. Relax and don t let stress keep you uptight. I have a list that I think reflects the message of James 3:13-18: 1 PRAISE to the God of heaven who graciously grants wisdom to us. 2 PRAYER to our loving Lord, trusting in Him rather than our own will power. Also, POUR out your heart to the Almighty, especially your negative thoughts and emotions. 3 POSITIVITY comes from uplifting thoughts, not the gutter. 4 PATIENCE is a virtue, so give others grace and space (even the benefit of the doubt).
5 PEOPLE influence us, so soak up their positivity. Also, get refilled ASAP by those who are negative and drain you. 6 PREPARE for spiritual warfare. Evil wisdom is of the world, the flesh, and the devil. 7 PACE yourself. Don t expect too much too fast. All of us need forgiveness. It s clear that selfish ambition and envy are two general, negative attitudes that will influence and discolor everything that a person does. We need to constantly take a spiritual inventory of our attitudes and motivations, especially keeping an eye out for these two evil desires which are so prominent in our society. More specifically, in this age of standing up for MY rights this passage really goes against the grain of society. Especially the term submissive! As a general rule we need to take the attitude of giving in to others, unless the truth is compromised or God s will is violated. This is more easily said than done, since we naturally want what is best for us. We need to see that practicing these seven ingredients for heavenly wisdom is in our own best interests as far as God is concerned. What is our priority in life: selfish ambition which has a demonic origin or a reasonable and peaceable submission to others which pleases God? Let s stick with the latter, and do our best with God s grace to grow in this heavenly wisdom. You may feel like saying, Impossible! That s way too hard! Who can do it? The answer is this: Certainly not you and me, since we all have our flaws (see James 3:2: We all stumble in many ways ). However, there is Someone who is totally perfect who gave His life for us as the perfect sacrifice for sin our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Because of His love and grace, we have new life through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Walking in divine GIGO (Grace In, Good Out), Pastor Steve Waterman