James | Chapter 3

James 3:1-2

“Perils for preachers”

 

  • Introduction
  • 1 Judged for content
  • 2 Judged for character

Introduction

As already noted, the letter of James concerns itself with the spiritual maturity of the believer. He has brought forth the truth that the maturity of the believer is seen on how they do three things:

  1. Handle trials
  2. Avoid temptation
  3. Practice truth

The third chapter of the letter brings what initially seems to be an unrelated topic. But upon closer examination this admonishment to teachers is a continuation of the general warning in 1:19 about being “slow to speak” as well as the warning in 1:26 to “bridle the tongue” along with the warning in chapter 2:14-26 “about the substituting of mere words for works”. The problem was compounded in the structure of the early church that was modeled after the synagogue where there were many unofficial teachers given wide latitude to speak. The Jews highly honored their instructors, and the word Rabbi means, “My Great One”. It was taught that should your parents and your Rabbi both be kidnapped, and a ransom be demanded that it ought to be the Rabbi who is set free first and it was considered a blessing to provide for the needs of a Rabbi even above your own family. This was not an isolated problem in the early church that James writes about as the Apostle Paul had to bring it up in 1 Corinthians 3:4 when he mentions some of the congregation had a carnal affiliation with their teachers saying, “For when one says, I am of Paul, and another I am of Apollos, are you not carnal?” Such esteem was not only carnal for the church, but it also created in the hearts of those who were ambitious the desire to be a teacher where they could acquire public attention and be thought of as intelligent and a great speaker or teacher to be admired. Such ambition was fueled by the congregation’s esteem as they were seen as wise and having position and authority. Those teachers fell into a trap where their ambition made them increasingly more arrogant as they sought the applause of men. These teachers that James warns were of the type that the more they taught others the less they could be taught by anyone other than themselves and seeing how great they were at teaching they were no longer in need to learn! They simply “studied to teach and not to learn”!

            That is the background of this passage that we are about to look at and a simple outline of the passage will help us unlock its truths further for our own transformation albeit that the passage is most useful for pastor teachers like myself.

  1. 1-2 The warning: The perils for preachers
  2. 3-12 Three truths about the tongue: It is in this section that we will have more general truths for all to apply as we examine six-word pictures that are placed into three truths each containing two of the word pictures:
  3. 1-4 The bit and the rudder: The tongues power to direct
  4. 5-8 The fire and the beast: The tongues power to destroy
  5. 9-12 The spring and the fruit: The tongues power to delight

 

 

 Vs. 1 Judged for content

Vs. 1 First, it needs to be mentioned that such an admonishment is being made by the writer who based upon verse 2; where he includes himself with the words, “we all stumble in many ways”, is very aware of the seriousness of his calling. James is a teacher who is at this very letter warning other possible teachers about the perils of teaching. It is clear that James was well aware of the lure to teach others and while he does not wish to discourage people from the calling to do so, he does want to warn many from doing so for all the wrong reasons. There have always been people who “get into ministry” as Jesus has said “to be seen by others”. This ought to be a passage where those either in ministry or those who desire to be so, examine their hearts to see what lies behind their motivation. Is it to serve Jesus and His people or to serve their own needs and insecurities? Simply put I have no doubt that like Moses some need to be driven to ministry, but it is also true like in Simon the sorcerer others need to be driven out of ministry. I’m so thankful for the straight forth words of James about the realities of our calling to teach others as he mentions two perils for preachers that are unavoidable. In fact, if we pass the first peril it is certain that we will not ever escape the second. We first are warned by James that a person needs to consider carefully the God given responsibility to be “diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15). The phrase “let not many of you become teachers” has been interpreted “do not swell the ranks of the teachers”. Paul recognized the God given calling upon those called to be teachers in Ephesians 4:11-12 as given to the church for their equipping for the work of ministry and the building up of the body of Christ. What James wants to make sure is that the person called to do so never forgets the “responsibility” of their calling. The Bible teacher is a “spiritual surgeon” as they are called to handle the word of God like a scalpel as it not only has the power over life and death but eternal life and eternal death in the Holy Spirit. And with what Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 that “every idle word that men may speak we shall give an account of it on the day of judgment” it is a very sobering calling! The next thing that James tells those who were teaching that such an occupation will be under eternal review and our actions with regards to this Holy pursuit will not escape judgment! Before we take notice of what specific things will be judged we need to first determine what type of judgment James is referring to. The “stricter judgment” is in the context of Divine judgment as it is God’s word that we are to teach, and He alone has the right to judge those that are so called to dispense His Word by His power. But with that said, the word used for judgment is “krima” in the Greek and it is not used of adverse judgment while it is often used of an unfavorable outcome. It is most likely referring to Bema seat or the judgment seat of Christ where the believers works and not their sin will be judged as the sin has already been judged on the cross of Christ. Paul wrote of such a judgment for all believes in 2 Corinthians 5:10 where he wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Paul also told the church in Rome in 14:12 that “each of us shall give account of himself to God.” While all in the church will appear before Jesus in this judgment James makes it clear that the bible teacher will be under greater scrutiny. With that as a background to the warning James is about to write he mentions two specific perils to preachers:

  1. 1 Content: The first eternal review will be upon the content of what we teach. What we teach will be judged as it has the power to persuade people, to direct them and influence them. Jesus said that such teachers that cause one of these little ones to stumble it would be better for that teacher never to have been born. The teacher must be on guard to teach the truth and not his opinion, stories, or antidotes. He must not teach either his prejudices or presumptions. He must not lessen or add onto the truth even if it reduces his popularity. He must not teach his version of the truth but God’s version of it. The sobriety of this ought to strike the heart of anyone who thinks of doing such a calling in their own ambition to be seen of men. While it is a great privilege to answer the calling to teach the Word of God by the Spirit of God, it is something that those of us called to do so, should take seriously recognizing the threefold reality of the balanced work between preparation, perspiration and inspiration!

 

2 Judged for character

  1. 2 Character: If we have taken seriously the first aspect of James warning and have prayed earnestly that what we have been studying has been rightly divided we will come to the second peril of all preachers in the words of James, “For we all stumble in many things.” It is here that not a teacher except Jesus has ever been able to stand as there will in this life always be a huge gap between the truth I have been called to teach and my own lack of character. I am always the person who needs to apply the truths of the passage the most. It is a profound mystery how God can cause a man to understand what He is saying with great clarity and how little of that understanding I turn around and apply in my life. It isn’t as if I don’t hear the truth or understand the truth as I’m neither deaf nor ignorant…no I am just disobedient! James tells the teacher that not only his words are under review but what those words have produced in his life are also being judged. We bible teachers cannot say, “Do as I say not as I do!” Or character must be transformed by the words we study and are called to share. While no teacher except Jesus is faultless it ought to be the aim of every teacher that above merely communicating truth to others, they ought to serve as an example as those that APPLY THE TRUTH in their own lives. We who say that the church needs to love one another, do we who say such things indeed love one another?

James, does seem to recognize the impossibility of ever measure up to the perfection of the word of God when he adds “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect or maturing man, able also to bridle the whole body.” What he admonishes is that the teacher makes sure that they don’t mix their communication and contradict the clear teaching of the word by later speaking in ways that do not reinforce the truths they have just spoken. It is this teacher who having done so is able to direct their life around God’s word and not after the world.

 

 

 

James 3:3-12

“Teaching on the tongue”

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 3-4 The bit and the rudder: The tongues power to direct
  • 5-8 The fire and the beast: The tongues power to destroy
  • 9-12 The spring and the fruit: The tongues power to delight

Introduction

James’ letter concerns itself with the spiritual maturity of the believer. And the third chapter of the letter brings a closer examination of the admonishment to in 1:19 about being “slow to speak”. Having covered the specific warning for preachers in the two perils for teachers; James now gives the more general admonishment in verses 3-12 as we discover three truths about the tongue looking at the six-word pictures that are placed into three truths each containing two of the word pictures:

  1. 3-4 The bit and the rudder: The tongues power to direct
  2. 5-8 The fire and the beast: The tongues power to destroy
  3. 9-12 The spring and the fruit: The tongues power to delight

Solomon’s book of wisdom known as Proverbs is packed full of the blessings and pitfalls in our conversations.

Prov. 11:9 “With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor.”

Prov. 12:6 “The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood.”

Prov. 18:8 “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”

Prov. 18:21 “Death and life are in power of the tongue.”

Prov. 25:15 “A soft tongue will break a bone.”

Lives have been elevated and cast down by the tongue. Nations, companies, churches, and families have been destroyed by the tongue. That tiny instrument in our body has destroyed more lives as well as blessed more people than any other part of our body.

Vs. 3-4 The bit and the rudder: The tongues power to direct

Vs. 3-4 The first word pictures James combines are found in verses 3-4 as he describes them as: “We put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we may turn their whole body.” And verse 4; “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a small rudder wherever the pilot desires.”

To start with, James dispels the myth that was first recorded in 1862 in the Christian Recorder that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never harm me.” The connection James is using is that the “Sticks and stones” are the horse’s bit and the ships rudder and words inevitably steer our lives to actions! Our words and conversation have the power to direct action both us and in others. Jesus warned of this in Luke 6:45 when He said, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” During World War II there were posters printed and placed all over America with the warning to all citizens “Loose Lips Sink Ships!” When we don’t direct our conversations what we say can cause our bodies to have to defend what our lips said.

The second thing that James use of this illustration does is to cause the reader to realize how small the bit and rudder are, yet can exercise such control over the whole. The length of the bit corresponds to the width of your horse’s mouth which averages around 5″ or 5 1⁄2″. That little “bit” controls an animal that averages 6’ in length and 2000 pounds and can travel at 55 miles per hour. The small bit allows the rider to control the direction of a 2000-pound animal traveling a t 55 mph. The bit enables the rider to overcome the contrary forces of the animal and to direct the horse in the proper direction and pace! It has been said that apart from the bit a horse is no service to a man. To be of service, the horse needs direction and with the bit it gains not only direction but through it discipline. But the horse cannot bridle itself, this must be done by the rider. One author put it this way, “Just as a man’s mouth is the test of his character, so the horses’ mouth is the place to control him.” “The tongue is like a bridle, which like with a fiery horse we need a curb in our bit so that when we pull against the bit it hurts us before it hurts others.” A person with an unbridled tongue can serve no purpose to themselves others and most importantly their Lord. The Greek use of this illustration goes beyond just the idea of just “restraining a person” to leading and directing a person. It is never enough to stop us from doing harm as the goal of Jesus is to cause us to be directed by our speech to be a blessing.

            Though horses were far more known to James’ readers they weren’t ignorant of ships either. James adds analogy of the ship to point two more truths about our mouths: First James says, “although they are so large” and the context is not on the mouth or rudder but rather what it controls, the ship which when compared to the rudder is enormous in size. The size of the rudder is on an average 2-10% of the underwater hull depending on the speed and type of hull. The second point James illustrates is that the opposition against the rudder are far greater than with the horse as he says that ships are “driven by fierce winds”. Ships must overcome winds and currents that without a rudder would naturally be the navigation of the ship. We all face the currents of our old nature and sin as well as the winds of the world that both desire to blow us off course and sink us if we don’t allow the Lord to pilot our ships through the control of the rudder of our mouths. It takes the strong hand of Jesus in both illustrations to keep us on course, so we don’t say the wrong things or the right things the wrong way. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, then He is the Lord of our lips as well! The bit and the rudder have the ability to direct and when we allow the Lord to have control, we will never be a runaway horse or a shipwreck!

Vs. 5-8 The fire and the beast: The tongues power to destroy

  Vs. 5-8 The second set of illustrations James uses are found here in verses 5-8 with the tongue being equated to a fire in verse 5-6 and a beast in verses 7-8. These two illustrations are to emphasize the power that our conversation has to destroy and how little it takes for it to rage out of control. My family lives in fire country and almost every year we see how a spark can set our mountains on fire. James says that “the tongue is a little member and boasts great things”. The link with the destructive nature of the tongue with its “boasting” is vital to understand the source of why it becomes so dangerous. In a word it’s the arrogance and haughtiness of the heart that fans its flames. Paul warned of this to the believers in Rome when he wrote in Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” The outcome of not doing so is stated, “See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” Every year this illustration is seen; my grandparents old house along 11,000 other homes and 85 lives all destroyed in Paradise California. The “Camp Fire” destroyed 19,000 structures did 2 billion dollars of damage, displaced 50,000 people, and reduced the population of the town from 26,000 to 3,000. That destructive nature of the tongue has claimed far more lives and split up far more communities than even this fire. Proverbs 26:20-21 reminds us that “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife.” The tongue can “heat things up” stirring up the coals. Furthermore, James says that such unbridled tongue is used by satan as it “sets on fire the course of nature; and it is SET ON FIRE BY HELL.” I believe that there are four similarities with fires and our uncontrolled tongues:

  1. Both start small and grow: Fire creates heat that defiles what it touches. Even that which is not torched directly is ruined by the smoke! There is residual damage even when the fire doesn’t burn directly as it can taint how we view those it burned.
  2. Both burn and hurt all that it touches: There is nothing so hurtful at times than people’s words and comments. Jesus heard such words about Himself while we walked the roads of Israel. He was called gluttonous and a winebibber, when he performed miracles to heal others, they said he did so by satan’s power. When he was on the cross for the sin of humanity, they taunted Him and mocked Him.
  3. Both spread the more fuel you feed it: The more fuel you give it the faster and further it travels even if you weren’t the spark that started it. A person’s life and reputation can be destroyed that even time cannot reverse. Just because something is “true” about another person doesn’t qualify our spreading the story to others. The only person we should talk too about others is God.
  4. Both destroy more as they spread: The words we speak and write have the power to destroy lives. For every word in Hitler’s book Mein Kampf (My Struggle) 125 lives were lost. Words have caused wars and destroyed lives, broken hearts, and ruined reputations. We need to make sure that as followers of Jesus we do as Paul admonished in Col 4:6 to let our speech “be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.”

James connects the first with verse 7-8 and “every beast” bird, reptile, and creature in the sea. The link has to do with how humanity has been able to tame these wild animals but has never been able to master their own tongues. The point of James is to show that without the help of God we cannot control out tongues. When a person harnesses “fire” they end up with “power”! When a person “tames” an animal they have a “worker” instead of a destroyer! At Babylon when the tongue was loosed it cursed God and praised their own self worship and the only thing that could save humanity was its confusion. But when God controlled the tongue at Pentecost the words praised God and 3000 souls were added and escaped the fires of hell. Saints the difference is that Satan lights his fire with lies and hate, God lights His fires with truth and love, so what kindles your speech?

Vs. 9-12 The spring and the fruit: The tongues power to delight

Vs. 9-12 James concludes these illustrations with an observation of the inconsistency of our conversation. We “bless God” and then turn around and “curse men” who have been in the likeness of God. Both blessings and cursing’s coming from the same fount. The source of water can bring refreshment and blessings to a parched soul, it can clean, enable things to grow and a host of other blessings to humanity. There three things that water and the right words have in common:

  1. Both are life giving: Or words can be used to bring forth life however we have all witnessed the destructive nature of water as well when it is not controlled.
  2. Both are refreshing: A cool drink of water refreshes, we need water and cannot live more than 3 days without it. Paul said that he was refreshed by the saints because of their words.
  3. Both can cleanse: In the Old testament tabernacle water was used to cleanse the priest’s hands and instruments as well as the sacrifice. The bible speaks of being cleansed by the washing of the word of God.

James further explains that it is the source of the spring that determines the usefulness of the water and that it doesn’t matter what a person says is the source of their words we will be able to see what the source is buy what it produces in those it touches. The final pairing with water is that fruit and the truth is the type of fruit will always determine the tree! The most important part of a tree is its root system and as such we all ought to be rooted and grounded in love. If our tongue is inconsistent with our profession, then we know something is wrong with us. If the fruit is different than they type of tree we say we are than we aren’t the tree we claim to be. Such a strong admonishment ought to leave the reader of this passage evaluating their own hearts to see where we truly are so that God can cleanse our hearts and take control of our mouths!

James 3:13-15

“Faith works through wisdom”

  • Introduction
  • 13-15 Wisdom’s origin

Introduction

In the first part of chapter three James warned about presuming to be teachers and one of the allures to those who would be so ambitious is so that others would think them wise. First, we need to recognize the difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge enables people to take things apart, but wisdom enables people to put things back together that have been taken apart! The reason for these words by James is that those who are so inclined can cause far more damage if what they teach goes beyond knowledge to worldly wisdom instead of Godly wisdom. But how can we know?

  • What is wisdom?
  • Is it just conformity to truth?
  • Is it just accumulation of facts?

 

How can the follower of Christ determine if what they are hearing from the pulpit or reading in Christian material is mere human intellectual brilliance, impressive knowledge and recall of information or biblical truth? James makes the point in this section that wisdom is essential for a godly life, but such wisdom doesn’t come from the world and can only come from God. Godly wisdom is inspired depth-perception that enables a person to hear what God hears and see what God sees. It is a vertical thrust of the mind and heart of God into the horizontal level of human affairs. James had said that the use of our speech reflects the condition of our heart and now he informs his readers that only Godly wisdom can offer spiritual maturity to the believer. Foresight is always better that hindsight, but INSIGHT is always the best! James tells us that there are three contrasts between human wisdom and Godly wisdom that we can use:

  1. Its ORIGIN
  2. Its OPERATION
  3. Its OUTCOME

This morning we will examine the contrasting origins of the two types of wisdom in the world today.

 

Vs. 13-15 Wisdom’s ORIGIN

In verse 13 James writes that wisdom’s chief characteristic is visible in our behavior not our words as it is seen in our works described as the “meekness” of wisdom. Meekness does not mean “weakness” in the Greek. Instead, it describes a stallion who has been broken so that its power is now under control. The meek person doesn’t selfishly assert themselves to be the center of attention instead they want only God to receive the glory. Their heart is that God’s visibility would be made clearer through their invisibility! For the sake of continuity, it will be necessary to take apart the passage to enable us to better examine James points and contrasts, the first of which is the contrasting origins of the two types of wisdom. In verses 15 and 17 James describes the two wisdoms that he is going to contrast as one comes “from above” and the other does not but is instead in verse 15, “earthly, sensual, demonic”. We must not confuse the worlds knowledge with the world’s wisdom. There is a great deal of knowledge that man has discovered and we have all benefitted from it. But there hasn’t been anything of value from the world’s wisdom. Man may unlock the secrets of the universe, but he doesn’t know what to do with what he has unlocked. It seems looking at the world’s wisdom that whatever they have “discovered” has turned against them. Over a 100 years ago poet Henry David Thoreau warned that we had, “improved our means to unimproved ends!”

  1. God’s wisdom: God’s word tells us plainly what the difference it has with the world’s wisdom:
  2. Results: 1 Cor. 1:18, 20 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” “Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe? The disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”
  3. Appeal: 1 Cor. 2:14 “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Man’s wisdom comes from “reason”, while God’s wisdom comes from “revelation” and the difference that makes is that man’s wisdom comes to nothing while God’s wisdom will endure forever!
  4. World’s wisdom: To further distinguish the contrast James reveals three things about humanities wisdom in verse 15 calling it “earthly, sensual and demonic”. What is interesting to note is the direct correlation between James words here with regards to the origin of the world’s wisdom with Paul’s words on what guides fallen humanity in Eph. 2:1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” We have three enemies the (world system, our fallen nature and satan) and according to James these are the same three areas that worldly wisdom is aimed at our weaknesses!
  5. Earthly: The world’s wisdom concerns itself with words; God’s wisdom concerns itself with works. In Rom 1:21-22 Paul wrote of the contrast saying that, “Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The Tower of Babel is an example of man’s attempt to reach God through his own wisdom and result was the same as it is today, confusion!
  • The world’s wisdom operates through the human mind by man’s intelligence; God’s wisdom operates by the Holy Spirit’s words.
  • The world’s wisdom brings foolishness and ignorance of God; God’s wisdom brings knowledge that leads to salvation and eternal life.
  1. Sensual: The Greek word here is where we get our word for “psychology” and is contrasted with God’s wisdom being spiritual! Thus, the comparison is the soulish wisdom that appeals to the emotions and feelings versus that which is of the Holy Spirit and appeals to our new redeemed heart. Proverbs 14:12 reminds us that, “There is a waythat seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” There are four things that are always true about the natural man:
  2. Their spirit is dead therefore they cannot respond to God.
  3. They are against the things of God.
  4. The things of God are foolish to them.
  5. They lack the ability to examine spiritual things. They are like a blind man in an art gallery.

These four truths about the fallen nature of man make them vulnerable to worldly wisdom and contrary to Godly wisdom.

  1. Demonic: The use of the word “demonic” reveals who’s behind it all. Jesus said of satan in John 8:44 that, “You are of your father the devil, and thedesires of your father you want to  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” People have been believing his lies since he told Adam and Eve that they would be like God in wisdom if they disobeyed Him. The amazing truth is satan has been using the same lie causing the same destruction of souls ever since. Satan’s wisdom is the dominating influence upon human thought in the world. In entertainment, universities, and media he is the leader and purveyor of human wisdom as he influences the vast majority of humanity to hell! The Apostle John in 1 John 2:15-17 tells how this wisdom operates in fallen humanity saying, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” It is in “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” that satan’s wisdom makes its appeal. Saints, the wisdom of the world belongs to the old life NOT the new life in Christ! Paul pointed out this truth in his letter to the Ephesians saying in 2:1-5 that, “you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

Next week we will continue our examination of the contrast between worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom by looking at the contrast in operation and outcomes of these two different types of wisdom. We will see four distinct characteristics of the world’s wisdom and nine characteristics of Godly wisdom. Lastly, we will compare the outcomes. Our study will better enable us to determine which of these two types of wisdom we are listening too.

 

 

 

James 3:14, 16

“This wisdom doesn’t descend from above”

  • Introduction
  • 14, 16 Four characteristics of worldly wisdom’s

Introduction

In chapter three James makes the point that wisdom is essential for a godly life, but such wisdom doesn’t come from the world and can only come from God. As I said last week; Godly wisdom is inspired depth-perception that enables a person to hear what God hears and see what God sees. It is a vertical thrust of the mind and heart of God into the horizontal level of human affairs. The outline of this section reveals that there are three contrasts between human wisdom and Godly wisdom that we can use to determine what type of wisdom we are listening too:

  1. Its ORIGIN
  2. Its OPERATION
  3. Its OUTCOME

Last week we examined the first of those, “ORIGIN”. This morning we will examine the last two. “OPERATION” as James contrasts the two types of wisdom in the world today. We will see four distinct characteristics of the world’s wisdom and when we come back to this text, we will examine the nine characteristics of Godly wisdom. Finally, we will compare the outcomes. Our study will better enable us to determine which of these two types of wisdom we are listening too.

Vs. 14, 16 Four characteristics of worldly wisdom’s

Vs. 14,16 As noted the two types of wisdom is Godly wisdom that James notes in verse 17 “is from above” and we will see that it has 9 characteristics with regards to its operation. The second type of wisdom that is available to both fallen humanity and redeemed humanity appeals to three areas of our fleshly nature, “Earthly” that appeals to our natural reason and intellect which is contrasted against our spiritual nature. Second “Sensual” and as we saw that word in the Greek is where we get our English word for Psychology which reveals to us that worldly wisdom appeal to our emotions and feelings. Lastly, James says that it is “Demonic” and as such we see that it appeals to our pride and arrogance. This being the case James elaborates further by telling his readers that we will be able to determine worldly wisdoms influence over us by seeing four characteristics of its operation in our lives. First note, that there are two lists, one in verse 14 and the other in verse 16 but some of these correspond to better clarify the characteristic of worldly wisdom:

  1. Bitter, envy: These words in verse 14 and 16 in the Greek carries the meaning of selfish ambition and zeal. It ties into James thought about teachers who were ambitious for the position and title. The world rewards ambition and self-promotion, it tells you that you are better than the next person and deserve to be advanced, or have special treatment over others. Even Jesus’ own disciples were prone to being influenced by this type of worldly wisdom as we are told in Luke 9:46 that they argued among them about who would be the greatest. Later Jesus gave the Godly wisdom explanation to how to achieve greatness in Matthew 23:11-12 when He said, “he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will behumbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” It can be very easy to get on an ego trip under the guise of spiritual zeal where we begin to see our rights pushing against our wrongs! The wisdom of this world makes us jealous and insecure of others where we want to glorify in our talents, position, and identity instead of glorifying in who we are in Christ. When we are steeped in the wisdom of this world we rob ourselves of security and steal the praise of God for the praise of ourselves! Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth about this as they were carnal in their application of worldly wisdom, so he said in 1:29-31 “Let no flesh glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” We can see whether our spiritual zeal is carnal or spiritual in whom we want to see get the credit and the glory! Do we do as Paul said in Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those that rejoice, and weep with those that weep?” Or is it that we weep for ourselves if those that are advancing are rejoicing and do we rejoice when those same folks are weeping? There is far too much fleshly self-promotion, selfish ambition, and human glorification in the church, and it all comes from the application of worldly wisdom! To accomplish this people, push over others to promote themselves.
  2. Self-seeking do not boast: In the Greek this word was used of a politician who was out “canvassing for votes” as they were trying to really people together to support them. We would recognize this influence of worldly wisdom as manipulation to influence people in order to get what we want. The world will apply manipulation to be above the people they are befriending. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3 that we are to not “Let anything be done through strife of vain ambition, but in lowliness of mind lest each esteem others better than themselves.” You can tell what a person’s true relationship is with God by noticing their relationship is like with other people. If they are boastful, argumentative, trouble making, drama making and competitive people then they are getting their wisdom from the world not from God. Oh, they may be busy in the church, active in service and maybe even in a leadership position but they are not getting their wisdom from God but rather from the world. Paul had to address such a thing in the church in Corinth as they had regressed to “person identification” to promote themselves in 1:12-13 when he wrote, “it has been declared to me that there are contentions among you…that each of you say, “I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas, or I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” “Do not boast”, it is clear there is a direct correlation between self-seeking and arrogance as pride always is attached to our self-seeking. The wisdom of the world always loves to brag about itself as we saw above in Corinth. When God’s wisdom is being used by us the outcome is always the opposite as we don’t wish to be praised instead, we seek God’s glory and our humility! We won’t be comparing ourselves to our fellow believers as all we want to see is Jesus and we won’t get a clear view of Him if we are hogging the mirror!
  3. Lie against the truth, Confusion: The next two examples of following worldly wisdom are “lying against the truth” and “confusion”. The progression is that self-seeking and arrogance will lead to us having to lie and exaggerate in our attempt to gain an advantage over our fellow saint. A person’s life is never to viewed in their own biographies and press releases. It can only be viewed in how they treat others. The more we lie to promote ourselves the more “confused” we will become as these are linked together for good reason. The word “confusion” in verse 16 in the Greek is a word that means to “disturb” and is used to describe “anarchy”. James used it in 1:18 to describe a “double-minded man” who is “unstable in all their ways”. “Unstable” is the same word as the one used here for “confusion”. Whenever we use worldly wisdom, the outcome is always instability which always leads to mental and emotional confusion. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 14:33 that, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” Confusion is always a sign that we are following worldly wisdom instead Godly wisdom!
  4. Every evil thing: The word in the Greek for “evil” doesn’t mean “bad” instead it means “worthless” or “good for nothing”. The point James is making is that the wisdom of this world isn’t necessarily “evil”, but it is always “worthless” as it comes to no value. Isaiah said in 29:14 that “For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent man shall be hidden.” The wisdom of this world divides people it never brings people together it is “good for nothing.” Instead of producing peace and fellowship it produces strife and bitterness. It has nothing to do with a person’s lack of intelligence and everything to do with what wisdom they are submitting to. Put a person who is getting their wisdom from the world into any church or bible study and the outcome will be division and strife within the personal relationships. What they possess is from the devil and not from God and the work they are involved in is satan’s work instead of God’s. Paul wrote of this in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians in chapter 12:20 saying, “For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you as I wish, and that I shall not be found by you as you wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults…” Paul makes a list of those 8 things that William Barclay called the, “marks of an unchristian church.” One of the reasons why people have rejected Jesus is because of their experience in Church, we simply don’t live like our Lord told us too.

Next time we get into the text we will again look at the operational characteristics of wisdom in our life but this time it will be the “Nine characteristics of Godly wisdom”. Then we will conclude with the last way we can determine which of the two types of wisdom is influencing us as we will see the outcome of the two types of wisdom.

James 3:13, 16-18

“The wisdom from above”

  1. Introduction
  2. 13, 17 Nine characteristics of Godly wisdom’s
  3. 16-18 Origin determines outcome  

Introduction

We conclude chapter three of James as we continue to examine the point that wisdom is essential for a godly life. The key for the believer is to personally determine which of the two types of wisdom (Worldly and Godly) they are listening too. To do this James gives his readers an outline of three contrasts between human wisdom and Godly wisdom that we can use to determine what type of wisdom are influencing them:

  • Its ORIGIN
  • Its OPERATION
  • Its OUTCOME

We have covered the “ORIGIN” as well as the four distinct characteristics of “worldly wisdom” noticing the “OPERATION” of worldly wisdom in our lives.  This morning we will conclude our study with the “nine characteristics of Godly wisdom”. Then lastly, we will compare the outcomes. We noted that “worldly wisdom” is so effective as it appeals to our old fallen nature as the apostle John wrote of in 1st John 2:16 and laying that over what James tells us in 3:15 we note the appeal of worldly wisdom directly corresponds to the fallen nature of man:

  1. Earthly: “Lust of the flesh”; It appeals to our natural reason and intellect which is contrasted against our spiritual nature.
  2. Sensual: “Lust of the eyes” This word in the Greek is where we get our English word for Psychology which reveals to us that worldly wisdom appeals to our emotions and feelings.
  3. Demonic: “The pride of life” as such we see that it appeals to our pride and arrogance.

Vs. 13, 17 Nine characteristics of Godly wisdom’s

Vs. 13, 17 As, already noted these characteristics both of worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom are scattered amongst the 6 verses but are still quite easy to pick out. When James asks here in verse 13, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” he is asking a very important question and so the reader not miss his point he goes on to answer his own question saying that a person demonstrates this by their life being Godly with these 9 characteristics that will go into making up “good conduct as their works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” In verse 17 James gives us a very interesting point as to the trajectory of wisdom as he says that “from above” but in the Greek it is literally “Is COMING from above” which reveals that these nine characteristics are not in “one-time allotments” that can only be procured on the installment plan. Instead, James paints the picture that Godly wisdom with these 9 characteristics come in from above in a “steady flow” as God keeps lavishing down upon all His children His wisdom to all who will listen and apply it. Also note that James describes these 9 characteristics in two categories the first 7 are positive and the last two of what isn’t to be found when Godly wisdom is on display.

  1. 13 Meekness: Godly wisdom is not “weak” as some suppose that the word “meek” means. Quite the contrary the Greek word for “meek” is one used to describe a wild stallion who has been broken so that it’s power and strength can now be under control and harnessed. One of the chief ways in which Godly wisdom manifests its-self is that person who is in possession of it seeks only the glory of God and not recognition for its use. Instead, the person has the “right use of power and knowledge” as their right attitude will go along with right actions!
  2. 17a Pure: James lists first because God’s wisdom is like His nature and as such is based upon His holiness. The Greek word means, “case, free from defilement”. God has no double standards, there is in Godly wisdom no phrase that says, “Do as I say not as I do!” Neither is there any hidden motives it is transparent with nothing under the surface, what you see is what you get in Godly wisdom as Godly wisdom will always lead us to purity whereas worldly wisdom will lead us to sin.
  3. 17b Peaceable: Worldly wisdom leads to competition, rivalry and fights whereas Godly wisdom leads to peace that is based upon holiness and not compromise. It is interesting to note that in the priority of these characteristics’ “purity” proceeds “peace” as the peace of the church is never more important than the purity of the church. In fact, where the church remains pure it will remain peaceable. God’s wisdom never suggests to “cover up” sin to keep peace it says to “confess” sin and you will have peace. Peace that that stems from purity is approachable and never self-righteous as we will share the process not just the victory. This kind of peace comes from Godly wisdom as it realizes that true peace comes from knowing that in God there is far more power than whatever storm presses against us. Isaiah wrote of this in 26:3 saying, “You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is steadfast on you.”
  4. 17c Gentle: The Greek word carries the idea of “moderation without compromise” and “gentleness without weakness”. Gentleness is the characteristic of servants and of Jesus as He described Himself in Matt. 11:29 as being “gentle and humble in heart”. Paul told a young pastor in Titus to “speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Strife is the world’s wisdom, but gentleness comes from Godly wisdom.
  5. 17d Willing to yield: This word is only found here in the New Testament and describes Godly wisdom as having a conciliatory spirit that wants to listen to reason. It is a military term that means “willing to take instructions”. When a person is applying godly wisdom and they are in charge they are “gentle” but when they are under authority they are “willing to take instructions”. View characteristics are greater than being teachable as without such a heart to learn we will go no further than where we are at.
  6. 17e Full of mercy: To be “FULL” of something means biblically to be controlled by it, thus Godly wisdom in our lives is seen by us being “controlled by mercy”. This reminds yet again that Godly wisdom is demonstrated by our behavior not just spoken of in our words. Our walk must match our talk, which in the case of mercy towards others is seen in not giving them what they deserve and in grace giving them what they don’t deserve.
  7. 17f Full of good fruits: Godly wisdom will also lead a person to be controlled by “good fruit”. Those who are faithful to apply Godly wisdom will be fruitful in their works towards others. Godly wisdom produces a full life whereas worldly wisdom produces an empty life. Godly wisdom is always practical, it changes not only our lives but the lives around us impacting in and through us towards others.
  8. 17g Without partiality: This term in the Greek is used to describe someone who is not discriminatory towards others or themselves. Godly wisdom leads a person to not have a double standard one that favors them and the other that discriminates against another. Worldly wisdom makes a person a politician, but Godly wisdom makes a person a saint! Worldly wisdom speaks well of a person one day and ill of him the next and does so only to gain advantage for themselves. There is a singleness of mind that comes when we apply godly wisdom. The wisdom from above produces a strength from above!
  9. 17h Without hypocrisy: The word means “without masks” not a phony! They are people of sincerity if they have Godly wisdom, “speaking the truth in love”, as Eph. 4:15 says. Godly wisdom is living without drama and scheming, free in the security and identity of the Lord.

Vs. 16-18 Origin determines outcome

Vs. 16, 18 The final contrast is the contrasts between “Outcomes” and we immediately realize that “ORIGIN DETERMINES OUTCOMES”. Worldly wisdom can only produce worldly results as verse 16 indicates where we read, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” It ought to be clear from this verse that God is not among these four things as wrong thinking will always produce wrong living. The amazing thing is how many times we think that if we continue to listen to worldly wisdom that appeals to “Lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” that we will come up with different results. That my dear friends the definition of insanity where we continue listing and doing the same things but keep on expecting different results. This is the reason the world is in such a mess is that the majority of humanity is only listening to worldly wisdom that is appealing to their flesh but never are able to see that it is never going to grant them right results! The word “confusion” in verse 16 in the Greek is a word that means “disorder that comes from instability” nothing will lead to confusion faster than envy and self-seeking. And confusion sets the table for “every evil work” or worthless work. Contrast that with the “fruit” of Godly wisdom. The first thing we note in verse 18 is that “fruit” is a product of a life lived in Godly wisdom as such our fruit as the seeds to produce more fruit as we sow the fruit with the seeds to produce more and not the seed’s. So, from Godly wisdom comes Godly behavior that not only produces peace for us but for those around us as well.