21.08.07
James(9): The Cycle of True Wisdom - James 3:13-18
Most everything goes in cycles – in biology, we talk of the water cycle – evaporation, precipitation and so on; in biochemistry we talk of Kreb’s cycles; in Chemistry we talk of Carbon cycles; in Church life we talk about cycles in the life of a particular church, whether it’s growth, steady-state, or decline. In James 3:13-18 we have an example of another type of cycle – the cycle of true, godly wisdom. And this cycle is seriously important! According to James, this cycle can make or break an entire church community.
The cycle of true, godly wisdom is explained in the second part of vs. 13 – we start from the end. True wisdom produces humility (or literally meekness). Meekness was a quality the Greeks hated – to them, to be meek was the same as being a servant – I think our society increasingly devalues the quality of meekness favouring assertiveness and self-confidence – but true wisdom is expressed in meekness – a putting of others before oneself. Meekness produces deeds – good actions which are in line with the servant heart of God. Good deeds lead to a good life – not just individual actions, but a whole lifestyle which is pleasing to God. Wisdom leads to good living. And what James is saying here is that the only true way to judge whether someone is wise or not is by their way of life – not by how much doctrine they know, but by the quality of their conduct. And that’s a challenge to us all – some of us may claim to be wise, but do our lifestyles match up to our claims?
James then proceeds to give us a solid example of two diametrically opposed cycles of wisdom and the impact they have upon the church community and church life. The first, from vs. 14-16 is wisdom from below; the second, from vs. 17-18, is wisdom from above. And as we go through them, let’s pray with the Psalmist – “Lord, search me and see if there be any wicked way in me”.
[A] Wisdom from Below (vs. 14-16)
Vs. 14-16 read like a horror movie of church life – but, regrettably, far too many churches, perhaps all churches, at some point in their lives, go through the stage described in vs. 14-16 where they are dominated by wisdom from below.
1. It’s Source (vs. 15b) – the source of this slasher-type wisdom is described in 3 ways, each one more severe than the previous. It is worldly in that it proceeds from the ways that this world thinks – it holds to the values of this sinful world. It is unspiritual, in that it has got nothing to do with the Holy Spirit at all – there is nothing of God in it – it all stems from our own imaginations. It is demonic in that it stems from the design rooms of hell’s research labs. Such people may think they are inspired to say and do the things they do – and they are right – they are inspired – but inspired not of God but of the world, their own sinful hearts and the devil.
2. It’s Actions (vs. 14) – James tells us that hell’s wisdom produces two rotten fruits – bitter envy and selfish ambition. The word used here for bitter envy is the same used in Acts 5:17 and Acts 13:45 to describe the way the Pharisees felt when many Jewish people were turning to Jesus. They weren’t getting their way – others were challenging their ideas and they didn’t like it. The use of the word bitter is a reflection of the impression left on people – this person’s actions leave a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth. Selfish ambition is a word the Greek philosopher Aristotle used to talk about the way in which rival politicians would create narrow factions – they would entrench themselves and woe betide those who didn’t share their views. It’s a church horror show – it’s the exact opposite of the meekness which true wisdom produces. But these are the actions of hell’s wisdom.
3. It’s Fruit (vs. 16) – hell’s actions lead to instability and every kind of evil practice. Instability is a word James has already used in 1:8 and 3:8 to describe the double-minded and double-tongued Christian. Double-minded Christians lead to unstable church communities – revolutions, political coups take place among the leadership – everyone is unsettled – and different factions are willing to pursue any kind of evil or foul practice just as long as they get their way. In short, there is anarchy. And why not – after all, isn’t that what the devil wants for the Christian church – anarchy? And so he uses Christians within the Church, particularly leaders in the Church; he fills them with hell’s wisdom and waits for his evil harvest – anarchy and chaos in the Church of Jesus Christ.
[B] Wisdom from Above (vs. 17-18)
If vs. 14-16 are a horror movie of church life, vs. 17-18 are a love story of church life. This is the way community life in the church should be – this is the way each of us should behave and act – actions and behaviour stemming from the above wisdom.
1. It’s Source (vs. 17a) – clearly, this is wisdom from above – and because it is from above, it doesn’t come from within us – it’s not something we naturally learn – it is something which God gives us – it is a gift of God. Proverbs 2:6 tells us, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” But we don’t really need the Proverbs quote to understand this from the Book of James, because he has already given us a fairly comprehensive analysis of the origin of true wisdom. In 1:17 James said, “every good and perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father”, and again in 1:5 – “if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.” Heavenly wisdom is a gift of God for which we must pray. It is not generated internally – it is given supernaturally so that none may boast of their superior wisdom or understanding.
2. It’s Actions (vs. 17b) – the most basic characteristic this wisdom is that it leads to purity – it is first pure – it is of the same innocent and blameless quality as a chaste virgin, not a promiscuous whore. Are you innocent and blameless – perhaps even striking some as naïve? That is the impact of godly wisdom upon you. This godly wisdom then produces seven qualities – seven qualities which remind us heavily of Paul’s discussion of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 6. This has led many commentators to reflect that because there aren’t many reference to the Holy Spirit in James’ letters, we should understand wisdom in James, and the Spirit in Paul, as being similar, if not identical concepts. These seven qualities are grouped in a 3-2-3 pattern based upon alliteration in the original Greek which I don’t have time to go into tonight. The first group are peace-loving, considerate and submissive – the exact opposite of Christians who are driven by bitter envy and selfish ambition. Loving and making peace is the most noble, the most dignified, the purest and wisest activity any Christian can ever be engaged in. The second group are full of mercy and good fruit – Jesus having frequently indicated that mercy is a key indicator of a godly person. The third group are impartial and sincere – the truly wise person will be transparently honest, trustworthy and utterly stable. The truly wise person will be someone you feel you can trust with anything and they will give you wise advice and counsel. What a difference then between the actions of heaven’s wisdom, compared to the actions of hell’s wisdom. I would hope we would all be searching ourselves asking whether these things are true of us, and if they aren’t – do we have and are we asking for God’s wisdom as opposed to our own?
3. It’s Fruit (vs. 18) – vs. 18 is very difficult to translate – I think the NIV has made a better job of it than most other translations. The root idea is that that of the sower of peace – those who sow in peace create an environment where righteousness can flourish, whereas those who sow in rivalry create an environment where every kind of evil weed chokes out righteousness. Anger cannot produce righteousness – James has already said that in 1:20 – “man’s anger cannot bring about the righteous life that God desires.” If we would promote righteousness in our church, we must first of all promote peace. This is why it always strikes me as odd why so many Christians try to drive a wedge in between peace in the church and righteousness in the church. They will destroy the peace of the church in order to press their claims for righteousness in the church, without realising that they have destroyed any hope of producing an environment where true righteousness can flourish.
Church life, if it is to be heavenly and not hellish, must be solidly based upon God-given wisdom – that wisdom which produces meekness and not bitterness. What about us? Will we be double-minded about wisdom as well as everything else? James says that single-minded sincerity in the Christian life demands that we live by God’s wisdom and not our own – that we, by the grace of Jesus Christ, get rid of the cycle of hell’s wisdom, with its jealousy and ambition; and adopt the cycle of heaven’s wisdom, with its meekness and purity. Pray then, for God to give true wisdom to us all. AMEN