The Test of Wisdom
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Refreshing our memories
Refreshing our memories
James wrote this epistle to challenge his readers to examine their faith to see if it was genuine saving faith.We breakdown the whole book as a series of tests:
The Test of Perseverance in Suffering (1:2-12)
The Test of Blame in Temptation (1:13-18)
The Test of Response to the Word (1:19-27)
The Test of Impartial Love (2:1-13)
The Test of Righteous Works (2:14-26)
The Test of the Tongue (3:1-12)
Our study for today:
Our study for today:
Shortly after Solomon was inaugurated king over Israel the Lord appeared to him in a dream at night and said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ What a blank check opportunity! What would you ask for? What would be the priority of your heart? Scripture tells us that Solomon made an honorable and noble request: ‘Give to Your servant an understanding heart’ (, NKJV). Solomon asked for wisdom. And later, in , he extolled the value of wisdom for making life beneficial and worthwhile.
Shortly after Solomon was inaugurated king over Israel the Lord appeared to him in a dream at night and said, ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ What a blank check opportunity! What would you ask for? What would be the priority of your heart? Scripture tells us that Solomon made an honorable and noble request: ‘Give to Your servant an understanding heart’ (, NKJV). Solomon asked for wisdom. And later, in , he extolled the value of wisdom for making life beneficial and worthwhile.
So, it comes as no surprise that wisdom plays an important role in James’ worldview. Remember, he presents it as the key to understanding life’s varied experiences (1:5). It is likely that James here in 3:13–18 continues to address especially the teachers from verse 1. They carried a grave responsibility, as the section prior to this one demonstrated, and they needed wisdom to know what to say and how to say it. Genuine wisdom is contrasted with spurious wisdom in this passage. The author highlights three truths about false wisdom and three truths about true wisdom.
True wisdom has to be demonstrated
True wisdom has to be demonstrated
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
B. Dale Ellenburg and Christopher W. Morgan, James: Wisdom for the Community, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Focus Christian Publications, 2008), 131.
Three key words here:
Good behavior - As with faith (2:17), wisdom and understanding that are not demonstrated in righteous, godly living are devoid of spiritual value.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 169.
Deeds - James admonishes readers to show their wisdom and understanding by their good (implied) deeds, by all the particular activities and endeavors they are involved in.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 169.
Gentleness - For believers, gentleness is to be willingly under the sovereign control of God. Gentleness is a God-honored character trait, a fruit of the Spirit (). It is never bitter, malicious, self-seeking, self-promoting, arrogant, or vengeful.
Gentleness is a God-honored character trait, a fruit of the Spirit (). It is never bitter, malicious, self-seeking, self-promoting, arrogant, or vengeful.
False Wisdom
False Wisdom
The Motivation: Selfishness
The Motivation: Selfishness
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
There is nothing more characteristic of fallen, unredeemed men than being dominated by self. James is therefore saying that, if a person claims to belong to God and to have the wisdom of God, but his life is motivated and characterized by selfish ambition and bitter jealousy, he is simply lying against the truth. Whatever he might claim, he cannot be saved. He is a living lie.
The Characteristics: Fallen
The Characteristics: Fallen
15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
First, such wisdom is earthly, in that it is limited to the present, material world of time and space. It has no place for God or the things of God. It has no place for spiritual truth or illumination. As James has just noted, this wisdom is motivated by pride, selfish ambition, arrogance, self-centeredness, self-interest, and self-aggrandizement. It spawns a society whose watchwords are “Do your own thing,” “Have it your way,” and “Look out for number one.” It pervades philosophy, education, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, and every other dimension and aspect of contemporary human life.
As James has just noted, this wisdom is motivated by pride, selfish ambition, arrogance, self-centeredness, self-interest, and self-aggrandizement. It spawns a society whose watchwords are “Do your own thing,” “Have it your way,” and “Look out for number one.” It pervades philosophy, education, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, and every other dimension and aspect of contemporary human life.
Second, false wisdom is natural, sensual, fleshly. It relates only to the fallen, unredeemed man, who is wholly corrupted by the Fall and separated from God. It originates in the “natural man [who] does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” ().
Third, false wisdom is demonic. Although it is human, earthbound, and fleshly, its root source is Satan himself, working through his demonic fallen angels, who rebelled with him against God in ages past. Satan has always promised wisdom to those he tempts, asserting that God’s Word should be doubted and his own accepted, which was the essence of his temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
The Results: Evil
The Results: Evil
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
james
Reiterating the two motives behind false wisdom, namely, jealousy and selfish ambition, James says that wherever they exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Both disorder and every evil thing are obviously broad terms that cover a multitude of specific bad results, which there is no need to delineate in detail. But they certainly include anger; bitterness; resentment; lawsuits; divorce; racial, ethnic, social, and economic divisions; and a host of other personal and social disorders. They also include the absence of love, intimacy, trust, fellowship, and harmony.
True Wisdom
True Wisdom
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 175.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 175.
The Source: Heaven
The Source: Heaven
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
Unlike the false wisdom just depicted, true wisdom comes from ‘above’ (anōthen), or from God.
john 3 3, 7
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
B. Dale Ellenburg and Christopher W. Morgan, James: Wisdom for the Community, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Focus Christian Publications, 2008), 135.
The Characteristics
The Characteristics
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
1. Pure - Hagnos (pure) carries the idea of being free of contamination or defilement.
2. Peaceable - The truly wise don’t perpetrate conflict by their selfishness, but produce peace by their humility
3. Gentle - Epieikēs (gentle) has no satisfactory equivalent in English, but it carries the ideas of equitable, seemly, fitting, fair, moderate, forbearing, courteous, and considerate.
4. Reasonable - Willing to yield without rancor or disputing. It is teachable, compliant, and not stubborn. It was used of a man who willingly submitted to military discipline, accepting and complying with whatever was demanded of him and of a person who faithfully observes legal and moral standards.
5. Mercy - The believer who is full of mercy evidences his saving faith and transformed life not only by forgiving those who have wronged him but by reaching out to help them in whatever ways are needed.
6. Good fruits - It refers to every sort of good work or deed. A believer demonstrates his genuine faith by his authentic good works.
7. Unwavering - Adiakritos (unwavering) is used only here in the New Testament and literally means not to be parted or divided, hence without uncertainty, indecision, inconsistency, vacillation, or doubtfulness.
8. Without hypocrisy - ‘Without hypocrisy’ or ‘sincere’ closes this telling description of true wisdom. It refers to being straightforward and is used to qualify love in and .
B. Dale Ellenburg and Christopher W. Morgan, James: Wisdom for the Community, Focus on the Bible Commentary (Great Britain: Focus Christian Publications, 2008), 137.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 179.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 179.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 179.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 179.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 178.
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 178.
The Results: Peace
The Results: Peace
John F. MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1998), 177.
18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Results of True Wisdom
There is an inexorable causal relationship between godly wisdom, genuine righteousness, and peace. Godly wisdom produces a continuing cycle of righteousness, which is planted and harvested in a peaceful, harmonious relationship between God and His faithful people and between those people themselves. As Isaiah declared, “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever” (Isa. 32:17).