The Wisdom that Comes from Above: James Lesson 20

 Today is a special day for us at Grace Bible Church. It is Father’s Day and that makes is somewhat special. Today also marks the anniversary of the beginning of Grace Bible Church. We have been doing this for 33 years now. I can’t believe it has been that long. For the message today I considered doing something focused on Fathers. I also considered doing something that would challenge GBC as we move into our 34th year. And the conclusion at which I arrived was that there was a message that would be perfectly appropriate for both a Father’s Day challenge and an anniversary message for this church. Turn with me to James 3.

 Today we are going to learn about the wisdom that comes from above. You will immediately recognize that this is where we are in our verse by verse study through James. We get to challenge Fathers, celebrate the anniversary of GBC, and keep doing what we do almost every Sunday because this is a perfect passage. What do fathers need more than an understanding of the wisdom of God for their roles as men, husbands, and fathers? What does this church need more as we move forward into the future than an understanding of the wisdom which comes from God? Let’s read God’s word from James 3:13-18.

This passage gives us the test of wisdom. It is the seventh test of genuine faith we have been given by James. Genuine faith is a faith that is not only informed by the wisdom of God, but as we will see today, it is a faith that is formed from that wisdom.

He began this test of wisdom by asking us the question in verse 13. Who among you is wise and understanding? Who among you is skilled in understanding and applying God’s truth to the various issues and circumstances of life? James tells us how to find those who are wise and understanding. We simply look at those who are putting this wisdom and understanding on display. It will be seen in their good behavior and deeds and the gentleness of wisdom. They will demonstrate godly wisdom and biblical understanding through their deeds, words, and humble approach to life.

 James then gives us this very vivid contrast. Last week we saw the description of the person who lacks wisdom. This person is characterized by selfishness, deception, disorder, and evil. This is because they have embraced a wisdom that is not from above, or from God, but is earthly, natural, and demonic. It is from the world and this is the world that lies in the power of the evil one. It is natural, or fleshly, and it appeals to the sensual, natural desires of fallen man. It is demonic. It is from Satan. But Satan is a master at deception. He disguises himself as an angel of light and can also shroud his demonic wisdom by mixing it with enough truth so as to deceive many. By his deception he leads many from the path of true, godly wisdom.

 This is why we need these verses we will be studying today. All of us, but especially the men among us who have been charged with the responsibilities of spiritual leadership within our families, need to carefully examine the description of godly wisdom given by James, and we need to examine our wisdom against the backdrop of the holy word of God, and we need to take this test.

Remember when Solomon was given the opportunity to ask of God anything? God appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you?” Solomon’s request was, “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” It was very pleasing to God that Solomon asked for wisdom from God. God have Solomon wisdom that was unmatched in his time. 

 If we are going to use Solomon as an example, we really need to examine his example to the end. While Solomon started strong, did he necessarily remain as committed to walking in God’s wisdom as he should have? We know he did not. We know that he allowed his many wives to pull his heart from singular and steadfast devotion to God. Solomon clearly did not faithfully and consistently and steadfastly walk in the wisdom he had been given by God.

 So I want to pose a question this morning. Does the acquisition of wisdom guarantee an enduring walk in wisdom? If we discover and learn the wisdom which comes from God, will we always rightly apply that wisdom infallibly in every circumstance and stage in life? Not necessarily. It is possible for us to drift and stray and wander from the path of godly wisdom. Obviously, we cannot walk in wisdom if we do not have wisdom. But, it is also possible to acquire wisdom from God, and like Solomon, somehow wander from the wise path and find ourselves being influenced by wisdom that is not from above.

 This is possible for us as individuals. It is possible for fathers. It is possible for Grace Bible Church. So, today, we look at the wisdom from above, wisdom from God, not just for the purpose of learning what it is, but for the purpose of self examination. That is James’ mode of operation. He doesn’t give us all this for information purposes only. He gives it to us for examination purposes. He gives us test after test so we can examine our claim to salvation and verify its validity and value.

 There are four things we will see in our study of this passage today. We will see the source of wisdom from above. We will see the substance of wisdom from above. We will see the symptoms of wisdom from above. We will see the sharing of the wisdom from above. 

Let’s begin with the source of wisdom from above. God is obviously the source of wisdom. James calls it wisdom from above in verse 17.  Back in James 1:5 we were promised, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” Not only is God the source, He is pleased when we ask of Him this wisdom. God is pleased enough when we seek His wisdom that He promises to give it when we ask. That is a very powerful promise. While I think James, in chapter 1, may be telling us that God will give us the wisdom we need to successfully navigate the trials of life, nonetheless, God is pleased when we seek wisdom and He promises to give it.

 The wisdom from above is the wisdom of God, given from God. We could spend month examining what the Bible reveals about God. We could spend a lifetime examining what the Bible reveals about the source of wisdom. James says a lot in a couple of words. This is wisdom from above. It is wisdom from God. 

 What is the substance of the wisdom from above? By substance I mean, “What is it really?” The name “wisdom” implies something we might know. It implies an intellectual understanding. Is this what it really consists of?

Let me begin by making this really obvious observation. This description is of wisdom from above, but it isn’t only a description of wisdom from above. It is a description of the walk of one who is informed and guided by the wisdom from above. By walk, we all know what I mean. This is a description of the wisdom from God and at the same time a description of the life and manner of living of the one who walks according to the wisdom that comes from God.

 Let me take you back to verse 13 for a moment. James gives an imperative to “let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” This is a command to put godly wisdom and biblical understanding on display. As we come to verse 17 we see the details of what it will look like. This is so helpful. This will make it easy for each of us to draw an accurate conclusion regarding our own walk. If it is a walk in the wisdom from above it will be a walk characterized by these things that characterized the wisdom from God.

 We can then draw this conclusion. Wisdom is not just something we know. It isn’t simply a matter of understanding something. It isn’t just an intellectual accomplishment. Because of what we see here we know that wisdom is so much more than a level of understanding or knowledge. The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. James does not say that wisdom from above is knowing about purity, peace, gentleness, reasonableness, mercy and good fruits, and not wavering and knowing what it means to be without hypocrisy. The wisdom from above doesn’t just inform us about these things. The wisdom from above makes us these things. When we are wise with the wisdom from above these are the qualities that define and describe who we are, not just what we know.

 The substance of wisdom from above is salvation. When one acquires the wisdom from above, one has acquired genuine salvation. If what I just said is true, and I will show you from the Scriptures that it is true, then the converse of what I just said is also true. When one acquires the wisdom which comes from God, one has acquired genuine salvation. The converse of that is also true. If one does not have the wisdom that comes from God, one does not have genuine salvation. Or, if one does not have salvation from God, one will not have the wisdom from God.

 Turn to 1 Cor. 1:30. Read verses 26-31. Zero in on verse 30. “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus…” Being in Christ Jesus can refer to nothing but being truly born again, being regenerated, being transformed by the saving work of God through Christ. This is what it means to be saved. It is to be in Christ and by His doing you are in Christ Jesus if you are truly saved.

 Look further at this verse. “…who became to us wisdom from God…” This means that we who have Christ have divine wisdom, or wisdom from above. Someone may want to argue that this means that Jesus just came to show us God’s wisdom and that it doesn’t mean that we become wisdom from God. Here is my argument against that interpretation. Look further. “… and righteousness,” Did Jesus come to show us righteousness, or did Jesus come to make us righteous? If Jesus does not make us righteous, how will we stand justified in the presence of holy God? Jesus also became for us “sanctification.” Jesus also became for us “redemption.” This means that Jesus became for us the whole work of salvation, including the making us wise with the wisdom from God.

 This is why when Jesus is describing the builder whose spiritual house withstands the test of judgment, He calls him a wise builder. He builds his spiritual house with the wisdom from above. This is why Jesus calls the five virgins with oil for their lamps wise virgins because they were prepared when the bridegroom came. To be wise with the wisdom which comes from God is to be a true convert. This should also be obvious to us from verse 17. No unconverted person is capable of producing purity, or being peaceable, or gentle, or reasonable, or full of mercy and good fruit, or without hypocrisy.

 Listen, when God’s wisdom is dispensed and bestowed upon someone there is a recognizable and undeniable difference in that person. Was this not true of Joseph? Where did Joseph get the wisdom he possessed to save the nation of Egypt, and more importantly, his own family from famine? He got that from God. That is the clear testimony from Genesis 41:38-39. It was Pharaoh who said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are.” The wisdom from God marked Joseph indelibly. It did the same thing for Daniel and his three friends in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Daniel 1:17 says, “God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.”

 Where God’s wisdom is imparted there will be undeniable evidence of its existence and effects on the life of the one upon whom it has been bestowed. It will be on display. The absence of God’s wisdom will also be evident.

 I want to point out something else that we should notice from these verses. There is a loud and clear beatitudinal tone to this description of the wisdom from above. These descriptions are found in several of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus in Matthew 5. The wisdom from above is first pure. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matt. 5:8. The wisdom from above is peaceable. Matthew 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” The wisdom from above is gentle. Matthew 5:5 says, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” The wisdom from above is full of mercy. Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. James certainly had the Beatitudes taught by Christ in mind as he describes the wisdom from above.

 What do the Beatitudes of Jesus teach? Jesus was teaching the way of salvation. Jesus was sharing the gospel of the kingdom. Matthew 4:23 says, “Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.” What was the gospel Jesus was preaching? Matthew gives us the Sermon on the Mount as an example of the gospel Jesus preached. Was it the gospel of today where we are told to A – Admit we are sinners, B- believe in Jesus, and C – Confess Him in a prayer and ask Him into our hearts?

 Jesus was sharing the gospel of the kingdom in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount and as He was sharing this He was sharing the wisdom from above. He was preaching the true gospel. He was preaching a gospel that genuinely saves and produces evidence of conversion. Any other gospel is a false gospel that produces false converts who do not have the wisdom from above.

 God is the source of this wisdom. We have established that. Salvation is the substance of the wisdom from above. James gives us the symptoms. The wisdom from above is first pure. God’s wisdom is pure. This means it is perfect, holy, and completely free from any defilement or impurities. It is blameless. It conforms in every way to Him who is perfect, holy and completely free from any defilement or impurity.

 James qualifies this by emphatically asserting that the wisdom from above is “first” pure. The word is “proton.” It means above all. It emphatically means that God’s wisdom is first of all pure. Because wisdom from God is first pure, we can easily discard anything sinful, any defilement, any compromise to God’s holy standard as something that does not come from God. Anyone who tries to make our holy God into a benevolent, accepting, non-judgmental father figure is employing a wisdom that is not from above. God’s wisdom is first pure.

 God’s wisdom is then peaceable. The word means “disposed to peace, or making for peace.” As we have already established, because it is first pure, then peaceable, it will not compromise. Isaiah 57:21 clearly states, “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” Those who hope for peace with God while continuing in iniquity are self-deceived.

 James is emphasizing the fact that wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable because he is contrasting the wisdom from above with the wisdom that is not from above. These are not slight differences. They are complete opposites. James leaves no room for confusion or doubt. He is perfectly clear. So then, if there is a formula for peace that bypasses purity, or denies the need for purity, or redefines purity, we will know that this is not wisdom from God. And we need to exercise discernment because godly wisdom will make us discerning. And we need not apologize for applying discernment. Only God’s wisdom will be first pure then peaceable. The wisdom from below will seek to establish peace without purity.

 God is the source of peace because He is the God of peace. God is the author of peace. God gets to define it. God alone dispenses it. He bestows it on the righteous alone. Only the righteous can experience it because it is first pure, then peaceable. If peace is not there, the righteousness is not there. If the righteousness or purity is missing, the peace will be missing. God bestows His peace on those who love and obey His commandments. This is why Solomon, in his instruction to his son in Proverbs 3 said, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.”

 The next symptom is “gentle.” It describes one who is unassertive and yielding. This clearly cannot indicate that one is yielding and unassertive when pushed to compromise. This wisdom is first pure, then peaceable. It will not yield to sin and be pushed easily into compromise. Paul uses this word in Titus 3. This will provide us some insight into what it means so let’s turn there. Read 3:1-11. 

 Being gentle involves being understanding to those who are enslaved in sin. Being wise means understand that those who are enslaved to sin are going to sin. Unless they are delivered by the power of God they will not change. Being gentle involves being the earthly expression of the kindness of God and loving the entangled sinner. It does not mean that we are forced to embrace those who are arrogant and factious. If they prove to be perverted and sinning and have no interest in the truth, we warn and admonish about twice. Then we walk away.

 The wisdom from above is also reasonable. This is the only place this word is used in the New Testament. This makes it harder to shed additional light on its meaning. It describes one who is teachable and compliant, not stubborn. It was used in secular writings to describe someone who willingly submitted to military discipline, accepting and submitting to whatever was required of him. The Greek scholar Spiros Zodhiates says this word means “easily persuaded.” Obviously, this would mean that this person is easily persuaded regarding the truth of God’s word and compliant to its demands. Godly wisdom sees God’s righteous standards as the only reasonable option.

 The wisdom from above is full of mercy. Godly wisdom makes us overflow with compassion. It activates our capacity for pity. This will make us sympathetic to those who suffer pain and hardship. It will also manifest itself in a willingness to forgive those who wrong us. 

 The wisdom of God also makes us full of good works. Our deeds, our conduct, our works will be “agathos” meaning benevolent, profitable, and useful.

 Unwavering is another word used only here in the New Testament. It describes one who is without uncertainty. There is no indecision or inconsistency, no doubting or vacillating. 

 Without hypocrisy is not hard to understand. The original meaning of the word was “inexperienced in the art of acting.” The wisdom of God makes us genuine, real, true, sincere. There will be no pretense. We won’t be wearing a mask to hide the truth about who we are. We will be transparent, honest, and real.

 My dad was not a biblical scholar. He struggled until the day he died with the concept of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. He struggled with that because of his own struggles with sin. He never saw himself as good enough. He thought he needed to do more. Even not being a scholar, my dad recognized these words as indicative of not just wisdom, but of a person who has been converted and transformed by that wisdom. In the margin of his Bible he wrote next to these words, “My wife Ronnie.”

 Finally, James describes the sharing of the wisdom from above. We could say this is the sowing of the seeds of God’s wisdom. The literal reading of verse 18 says, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” I don’t have a problem with the way the NASB translators have added the idea of seed because with fruit, where the fruit goes, so goes the seed.

 If the seed of God’s wisdom is sown it will produce the fruit of righteousness. When the fruit of God’s wisdom is produced, it always manifests itself in righteousness. It will always be sown in peace by those who make peace. The sowing and producing picture is used by James here to indicate the cycle of sowing, growing, and reaping. The biblical principle of we reap what we sow is a fixed principle.

 Here James makes a point that must be acknowledged. The seeds which produce the fruit of righteousness will be the seeds of God’s wisdom, the wisdom from above. These seeds will be sown in peace by those who make peace.

 If someone is angrily shoving the truth of God’s word down your throat and demanding compliance, they are not sowing the seeds of righteousness. They are not sowing in peace. I know men who are like this. They demand submission. They love to quote chapter and verse when they want their wife to bend to their whims.

 Men, husbands, fathers, happy Father’s Day. I want to challenge you to be a man of godly wisdom, a man of wisdom from above. I want you to know the wisdom that comes from God as its source. I want you to make sure you have experienced the substance of that wisdom which is the salvation found through faith in Christ. I want you to examine your life to see if the symptoms of godly wisdom are what characterize you walk through this world. I want you to be a man who shares the wisdom of God with those in your sphere of influence as one who makes peace.

Let’s pray.