James: Wisdom From Above

Wisdom From Above

James 3:13–18

Introduction

Last time in James, we dealt with the tongue.

James showed us that the tongue may be small, but it has tremendous power.

It can direct.

It can destroy.

It can bless.

It can curse.

And ultimately, it reveals what is happening in the heart.

Tonight James takes us one step deeper.

Because if the tongue reveals the heart, then we have to ask:

What is shaping the heart?

What kind of wisdom is controlling the way we think, speak, respond, and live?

That is the question James answers in verses 13–18.

And the great contrast in this passage is between two kinds of wisdom.

There is a wisdom that comes from below.

And there is a wisdom that comes from above.

One produces disorder.

The other produces righteousness.

One is driven by jealousy and selfish ambition.

The other is marked by purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, and sincerity.

So tonight the question is not simply:

“Am I wise?”

The deeper question is:

“What kind of wisdom is shaping my life?”

Let us read James 3:13–18.

I. TRUE WISDOM IS SHOWN BY THE LIFE

James 3:13

James begins:

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”

Notice how James starts.

He does not ask:

“Who knows the most?”

He does not ask:

“Who has studied the longest?”

He does not ask:

“Who can win the argument?”

He asks:

“Who is wise?”

And then he tells us how wisdom is recognized.

“By his good conduct let him show his works…”

That sounds familiar, does it not?

James keeps returning to the same principle.

In chapter 1:

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

In chapter 2:

“Faith apart from works is dead.”

Now in chapter 3:

Wisdom is shown by conduct.

James is relentless about this.

He will not allow Christianity to remain theoretical.

Faith must become visible.

Wisdom must become visible.

Spiritual maturity must become visible.

And James says true wisdom is seen in:

“the meekness of wisdom.”

That phrase is important.

Wisdom and meekness belong together.

Biblical wisdom does not make someone proud.

It does not make someone harsh.

It does not make someone arrogant.

The truly wise person does not constantly have to prove that he is right.

The truly wise person can be humble.

The truly wise person can listen.

The truly wise person can yield where truth is not compromised.

The truly wise person does not need to dominate every conversation.

That is because godly wisdom is not just about having information.

It is about having the character to handle truth well.

There are people who know a lot but are not wise.

There are people who can quote Scripture and still be arrogant.

There are people who are educated but not spiritually mature.

Knowledge by itself can make a person proud.

Wisdom teaches a person how to live.

So James says:

If you want to know whether someone is wise, watch the life.

II. THERE IS A COUNTERFEIT WISDOM

James 3:14–16

James now introduces the contrast.

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.”

Notice where these things live:

“in your hearts.”

Again, James goes beneath behavior.

He identifies two heart conditions.

Bitter jealousy

and

selfish ambition.

Bitter jealousy is not simply wanting something.

It is resentment over what someone else has.

It is being bothered by another person’s success.

It is comparison that turns sour.

It says:

“Why them?”

“Why not me?”

“They do not deserve that.”

Then James mentions:

selfish ambition.

This carries the idea of rivalry, self-promotion, personal advancement.

It is the attitude that asks:

“How does this benefit me?”

That kind of ambition can show up anywhere.

In business.

In politics.

In families.

And yes, even in churches.

A person can serve and still want recognition.

A person can lead and still want control.

A person can speak about God and still secretly want attention for themselves.

James says:

If jealousy and selfish ambition are controlling the heart, do not call that wisdom.

Then verse 15 becomes very strong:

“This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

James gives us three descriptions.

Earthly

It is limited to the perspective of this world.

It thinks only in terms of advantage, status, power, recognition, winning, and self.

Unspiritual

It operates from natural human desire rather than the Spirit of God.

Demonic

That is the strongest word of all.

Why would James go that far?

Because selfish ambition reflects the same spirit of pride, rebellion, and self-exaltation that has always opposed God.

James is warning us that not everything that looks clever is wise.

Not everything that works is godly.

Not every successful strategy came from God.

Not every powerful personality is spiritually mature.

A person may be persuasive and still be wrong.

A person may be successful and still be carnal.

A person may get his way and still dishonor God.

Then James says:

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

That is the fruit.

Bad wisdom produces bad fruit.

James does not leave us wondering how to recognize it.

Look at what it produces.

Jealousy and selfish ambition produce:

disorder.

Confusion.

Conflict.

Tension.

Division.

And then James says:

“every vile practice.”

In other words, when self takes control, all kinds of sin begin to follow.

That is true in a home.

When everyone asks:

“What do I want?”

instead of:

“What is right?”

conflict follows.

It is true in a church.

When ministry becomes about position, control, recognition, or preference, disorder follows.

It is true in a friendship.

It is true in leadership.

It is true in business.

Whenever self becomes king, peace begins to disappear.

That is why James is so direct.

He is not simply talking about being smart.

He is talking about the source of our decisions.

III. WISDOM FROM ABOVE HAS A DIFFERENT CHARACTER

James 3:17

Now James gives us one of the clearest descriptions of godly wisdom in the New Testament.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

Notice the phrase:

“wisdom from above.”

That tells us its source.

This kind of wisdom does not originate in us.

It comes from God.

And James gives us a list of its characteristics.

Let us walk through them carefully.

FIRST — PURE

James says:

“first pure.”

Purity comes first.

That matters.

Godly wisdom never asks us to compromise holiness in order to make peace.

Biblical wisdom is not peace at any cost.

Truth still matters.

Righteousness still matters.

Purity means clean motives.

A pure heart is not manipulating.

Not pretending.

Not using spiritual language for selfish ends.

It asks:

“What honors God?”

SECOND — PEACEABLE

Then James says:

“peaceable.”

Godly wisdom seeks peace.

It is not constantly looking for a fight.

Some people seem to live in conflict.

Every relationship becomes a battle.

Every disagreement becomes personal.

Every issue becomes a hill to die on.

James says wisdom from God does not live that way.

A wise person wants peace.

Not fake peace.

Not compromise.

But genuine peace.

THIRD — GENTLE

Then:

“gentle.”

This does not mean weak.

Gentleness is strength under control.

It is the ability to stand for truth without becoming harsh.

It is the ability to correct without crushing.

It is the ability to lead without bullying.

There is a tremendous difference between being strong and being rough.

Jesus was strong.

But He was also gentle.

Biblical wisdom produces the same spirit.

FOURTH — OPEN TO REASON

This may be one of the most convicting phrases in the passage.

“open to reason.”

In other words:

teachable.

Willing to listen.

Willing to consider.

Willing to admit:

“I may have missed something.”

There are people who cannot be reasoned with.

They do not listen.

They wait for their turn to speak.

They assume disagreement means disrespect.

They believe changing their mind is weakness.

James says:

That is not wisdom from above.

A wise person can listen without feeling threatened.

A wise person can receive correction.

A wise person can learn.

That is spiritual maturity.

FIFTH — FULL OF MERCY

James says:

“full of mercy.”

That makes sense because James has already talked about mercy.

Godly wisdom does not merely ask:

“What is deserved?”

It also asks:

“How can I show mercy?”

A merciful person understands weakness.

A merciful person remembers how much grace he has received.

A merciful person does not take joy in another person’s failure.

Mercy is part of wisdom because wise people know they stand by grace too.

SIXTH — FULL OF GOOD FRUITS

James says:

“full of mercy and good fruits.”

Again, James comes back to fruit.

True wisdom produces something visible.

If someone claims to be wise but constantly produces chaos, broken relationships, pride, and bitterness, James tells us to examine the claim.

Wisdom from God produces good fruit.

It helps.

It heals.

It strengthens.

It brings righteousness.

SEVENTH — IMPARTIAL

James says godly wisdom is:

“impartial.”

No favoritism.

James already dealt with partiality in chapter 2.

Godly wisdom does not treat people differently based on wealth, status, usefulness, or influence.

It is consistent.

It does not bend truth depending on who is standing in front of us.

EIGHTH — SINCERE

Finally:

“sincere.”

No hypocrisy.

No mask.

No double life.

That connects powerfully with what we just studied about the tongue.

The sincere person is not one person at church and another at home.

Not one person around the pastor and another around coworkers.

Not one person in public and another in private.

Sincerity means genuine.

Real.

Consistent.

James says that is what wisdom from above looks like.

IV. WISDOM CAN BE RECOGNIZED BY ITS HARVEST

James 3:18

James closes with another picture.

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Now James gives us an agricultural image.

You sow.

Then you reap.

And the seed determines the harvest.

If you sow jealousy, pride, rivalry, and selfish ambition, what do you reap?

Verse 16 already told us:

disorder and every vile practice.

But if you sow peace, gentleness, mercy, sincerity, and purity, what do you reap?

righteousness.

James is showing us that wisdom has consequences.

The wisdom we live by does not stay inside us.

It creates an environment around us.

Some people walk into a room and create tension.

Others create peace.

Some leaders create fear.

Others create trust.

Some homes are marked by rivalry.

Others are marked by grace.

The difference often comes back to the kind of wisdom being practiced.

James says:

The wisdom you sow determines the harvest you reap.

That is true individually.

It is true in a marriage.

It is true in a church.

It is true in leadership.

It is true in relationships.

THE CONNECTION TO THE TONGUE

Now let us connect this back to where we were in verses 1–12.

James first asked:

What does your mouth reveal?

Now he asks:

What kind of wisdom is producing what comes out of you?

That is the connection.

The tongue is the symptom.

The heart is the source.

And wisdom is the operating principle beneath it all.

If earthly wisdom controls the heart, eventually the mouth will reveal jealousy, pride, rivalry, and anger.

If wisdom from above controls the heart, eventually the mouth will reflect gentleness, mercy, peace, and sincerity.

So chapter 3 is really one connected argument.

The first half deals with speech.

The second half deals with the wisdom behind the speech.

THE “AH-HA” MOMENT

Here is the great insight of this passage:

James does not define wisdom primarily by intelligence.

He defines wisdom by character.

In our culture, wisdom often means:

smart,

educated,

experienced,

knowledgeable.

James says:

That is not enough.

You can know a great deal and still be foolish.

You can quote Scripture and still be proud.

You can win arguments and still be unwise.

You can be successful and still operate from selfish ambition.

Biblical wisdom is truth lived with godly character.

Here is a line I want us to remember:

Wisdom is not measured by how much truth you can explain, but by how much truth has shaped the way you live.

That is James.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

So tonight, instead of asking:

“Am I wise?”

Let us ask:

What kind of fruit is my wisdom producing?

Does my life produce peace?

Or conflict?

Do I listen?

Or do I always need to be right?

Am I gentle?

Or harsh?

Am I merciful?

Or critical?

Am I sincere?

Or do I become a different person depending on who is around?

Is there jealousy in my heart?

Is there selfish ambition?

Do I serve because I love God?

Or because I want recognition?

These are difficult questions.

But they are exactly the questions James wants us to ask.

CLOSING

James gives us two kinds of wisdom.

One comes from below.

One comes from above.

Earthly wisdom produces:

jealousy,

selfish ambition,

disorder,

and sin.

Wisdom from above produces:

purity,

peace,

gentleness,

reasonableness,

mercy,

good fruit,

impartiality,

and sincerity.

The difference is visible.

The fruit tells the story.

So the question tonight is not:

“Do I think I am wise?”

The question is:

“What kind of harvest is my life producing?”

And if we see jealousy, pride, rivalry, harshness, or selfish ambition, the answer is not simply:

“Try harder.”

We need God’s wisdom.

James already told us earlier in this letter:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…”

So perhaps that is the best way to close.

“Lord, give me wisdom from above.”

Wisdom that is pure.

Peaceable.

Gentle.

Teachable.

Merciful.

Fruitful.

Impartial.

Sincere.

And let that wisdom shape my words, my decisions, my relationships, and my life.

Amen.