Wisdom from God James 3:13-18

“For the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10, NASB).

Watching television news and special programs about issues that we face in the world can be frustrating for me. You see, on these television programs I see people that are supposedly experts in their fields giving their insights and opinions about various issues. Often, I find that the opinions of these experts simply do not line up with what I know to be in the scriptures. If these people are experts in their fields, what are the reasons that they often disagree? If the experts are wise, why do they not agree among themselves? Why do they not agree with the Word of God found in the scriptures? Is the wisdom of humanity different from the wisdom that comes from God? If so, why are they different? This article examines one small portion of scripture that is centered on wisdom that we find in the book of James.

Before we examine our scripture passage, we need to give some definition of the word that we will be discussing. This word wisdom is found throughout the scriptures in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Since Bible Commentaries and Bible Dictionaries give various perspectives based on a particular scripture, let me give my own definition. For me, wisdom is having right knowledge of facts and knowing how this knowledge ought to be used. So, now I have answered my own question, why do wise men often disagree? When we see experts disagree it is often the case that their knowledge is different. They may use different methods to analyze the knowledge that they have. In like manner, there is a difference between the wisdom that comes from God and the wisdom that comes from the world. James is advising his audience to live by wisdom that comes from God.

In chapter one James tells his audience that they will have trials, and their faith will be tested. These trials and testing will help them to mature in their faith if they have wisdom while enduring their trials. James says that we do not always know what we should do. Some trials present circumstances that we do not know what to do about them. James gives this advice: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1:5, NASB). Further, if we wish to know God’s wisdom, we must make God the source of knowledge that we utilize and depend upon. “He must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (v. 6). The wisdom that comes from God is incompatible with the wisdom that comes from humanity. The right outcome results from a single-minded approach. “For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (v. 7). Let us return to our scripture passage of emphasis, James 3:13-18).

James says that the wise person is one who shows by his behavior his deeds (v.13). Earlier, James emphasizes that one’s faith is shown to be authentic by the works that he and she does because this shows that they believe what they say (Jas. 2:14-26). James gives us two examples. Using Abraham a man declared to be righteous (vv. 21-24), and Rahab, a prostitute (vv. 25-26) James shows us that faith is proven by works. The righteous man demonstrates his faith by offering his son Isaac. The prostitute is justified, that is, she is brought into a right relationship with God by sending the spies on a safe route because she believed in the God of the Israelites. We can say that a faith that is based on the wisdom of God leads to good works that God ordains.

In verse 14, James begins to describe behaviors that come from God above and the wisdom that comes from the world below. First, let me say something about the word ‘above” and the word “below.” We usually think of these words as saying something about the physical location of a thing. I believe that James is using these descriptions as metaphors for a higher order of ethics and moral behavior. Those ethics and moral behaviors that come from God above are of a higher order than those ethics and moral behaviors that come from the earth below. James is assuring his audience that they will have a better life if they live by the wisdom of God only. They cannot synthesize the wisdom of God with the wisdom of humanity. Trying to do so will result in their life being like “the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (1.6).

Our world is driven and guided principally by the wisdom that comes from the earth. I say this because of how people talk to each other and how they talk about each other. The wisdom that comes from the earth drives division and competition. James writes, “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (3:15-16). James next describes the wisdom that comes from God above.

James writes: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (vv. 17-18).

Those of us that call ourselves Christian must learn two important things that James is telling us. First, the wisdom of God comes only to those who fear the Lord. We do not possess God’s wisdom naturally. Instead, we naturally learn and live by the wisdom that comes to us by earthly wisdom.

In the books of Romans and Galatians the apostle Paul describes the differences in terms of living by the flesh as opposed to living by the Spirit. The two are incompatible so we must know the difference. Second, the wisdom of God and the wisdom from the earth is demonstrated in not what we say only; rather wisdom is demonstrated though our behavior. Yes, there are hypocrites that talk one way and do something different. This hypocrisy will be revealed in time because the Lord will make hypocrisy known by how we respond to life crisis that come our way.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that puts us all under pressure. We are seeing both the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of the earth being displayed in the behaviors of people. Christians, we must examine us. Are we guilty of trying to synthesize Godly wisdom with earthly wisdom? Do we know the difference between the two? James tells us that we can know the difference between wisdom that come from above and the wisdom that comes from the earth. We can know the difference if we ask the Lord for wisdom.