James will discuss the two ways of wisdom – earthly and heavenly. He describes wisdom for both approaches. It is hard to define wisdom. It’s best definition comes through description rather than definition. This is what James will do. The same thing happens in the Old Testament wisdom literature. Wisdom is described instead of defined there also.

James 3:13. James begins with a rhetorical question, looking for those who believe themselves to be wise and understanding. This is the group he targets about Christians. Some commentators understand that James is still talking to teachers from James 3:1. However, there and here, he can be speaking to a group of Christians that considers themselves to be wise out of all Christians in his congregation. Like the people who think of themselves as teachers, these are people who fancy themselves wise people. This does not mean James thinks they are wise or anyone else does. This is their opinion of themselves.

“Wise and understanding” are two ways that wisdom and wise people are described in the Bible. The word for understanding is only used here once in the entire New Testament. However, it is used in the Old Testament (Septuagint) twice in Deuteronomy when Moses is choosing the leadership of the tribes (Deuteronomy 1:13, 15). Understanding is a key word in the Old Testament wisdom words such as wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and skill, to name a few. James is drawing on this Old Testament phrase about the wise and understanding leaders of Israel.

He gives an imperative command here, although most English versions have something like “Let him show.” It is hard to give a command in the third person. Another way to translate this for effectiveness is in the first person, “Show it.” James says the only way you can prove you are wise is by showing it through how you live, your good conduct. Wisdom paradoxes and parables will not do. Abstract sayings prove nothing about your wisdom. Wisdom is about action. Show you’re wise by making godly decisions and following through. He must do works in gentle or humble wisdom. This is not wisdom that shows off. It shows up.

Each way of wisdom has a character about it, a certain noticeable personality, so that you can see it coming from a mile away. Heavenly wisdom is meek or gentle in its application, doing good things and good works. Doesn’t that remind you of James 1:17 where James says that God only gives good gifts from heaven? The connection is that an only good God has an only good path to wisdom that leads us away from the methods and results of the earthly or worldly wisdom.

This is similar to what James said about faith and works. You show your faith by your works. You show your wisdom by good conduct and the way you live. People cannot see faith or wisdom. But they can watch how you act and what you produce.

James 3:14. James continues with a conditional sentence as a test for the true wisdom of the person claiming to have wisdom. He allows for the sake of argument that they have bitter jealousy and self-ambition in their hearts. If that is the case, they cannot boast and lie against the truth. He will go on to explain why this is not a wise stance to take. Aside from it going against Christian ideals, it does not represent Jesus well. This wisdom comes from the world.

Look at how earthly wisdom works. These methods do not consider others. They are self-oriented and self-consuming. To be jealous is to be unhappy with yourself. To be ambitious is to assert your desire over others’ desires. To boast is to encourage yourself instead of others. And to exaggerate is to tell yourself a minor lie instead of to fess up to the truth. The word for bitter in bitter jealousy here is the same word used when James was talking about bitter (or salt) water in James 3:11. How interesting that he would use that term to describe a type of speech and a type of attitude, both of which are undesired.

The four methods of earthly wisdom are very closely related. Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition speak of that one desire, the pride in oneself, that permeates everything you do. James is talking about our attitude, not our works. This is the stuff under the hood, not the miles on the engine. This is what we’re made of, not the stuff we make. It’s an attitude and a way of thinking and living instead of just what we do. But rest assured, what we do will come out of our attitude, and people can see our attitude in what we do.

Boasting and being false to the truth are essentially saying the same thing. To boast is to exaggerate or tell others or yourself that something is better than it is, or more important than it is. To bear false witness about anything or to lie against the truth is to ignore what is in plain sight, to deny or suppress what everyone knows is really there. These are methods of the darkness for sure!

James 3:15. James says this kind of wisdom does not come down from above like heavenly wisdom or the good gifts that come down from the Father (James 1:17). Instead, this kind of wisdom, earthly wisdom, has a different source. James describes it in three ways.

It is first earthly wisdom. This means that it did not have a spiritual or heavenly origin. It came out of the hearts of people. It was crafted by the world. It takes advantage of its surroundings. The second description of earthly wisdom is that it is unspiritual. It could also be described as natural wisdom. It is a wisdom of the body, not referencing or relying on the spiritual. It is for this life and world, and this would only. The third description James gives is the most unsettling. He calls it demonic, or from demons. Its source is in the demonic. Everything contrary to God has made this wisdom. We see it in the world system because that is controlled by Satan and his demons. The word James uses to describe the bardic is only used here once in the entire New Testament.

We live in a society, a culture, which tends to ignore the spiritual in favor of the natural or material. Our sciences are only beginning to open up to possibilities that are not so measurable and material. Science has many answers and helps us understand many things in our world. But it does not and will not present to us the most complete picture of life, and it will not answer every question we could ever have.

James 3:16. James summarizes his description of earthly wisdom this way: jealousy and selfish ambition exist, they will cause disorder and every evil practice. Have you ever stopped to wonder why we have to regulate certain things in the economy or practices for doing certain things to gain wealth? If there was no regulation, people would be running wild and destroying other people’s lives without a second thought. There is such a thing as too much regulation, we must have some.

Disorder and chaos are contrary to God’s attributes. He is a God of order, as Paul affirms in the end of the discussion on spiritual gifts (2 Corinthians 14:?). God seeks that which does not cause confusion, seek to undermine understanding, and leave people with misconceptions. How neat that James includes the practices and doing along with the attitude of disorder. He says every vile practice, which contradicts God’s character in 1:17 mentioned earlier, that God only gives good gifts and is all about good conduct and doing good. This earthly wisdom is antithetical to God’s character and ways.

Earthly wisdom cannot be confused or mixed with heavenly wisdom, just like speech! James is drawing a line in the sand, demanding that we can’t have it both ways. We can’t habitually commit evil acts and expect to be called children of God. We can’t say things that break down a person’s reputation and expect that we are part of the Kingdom community. We can’t accept the methods of this world we live in and cheat our way out of moral purity. It makes for easy recognition which side every person is on, based not only on what is said, but what is done, not only on who we are inside, but what we do on the outside.

James 3:17. Now James describes heavenly wisdom, or wisdom from above seven ways. Here are the seven descriptions James gives:

1. Pure. This goes against the double mindedness, double speech James has discussed earlier (James 1:8; 4:8; 3:9-12). Pure means the absence of mixing and combining. Heavenly wisdom does not mix with worldly wisdom.
2. Peaceable. Other English versions have peace-loving or peaceful. This is willing to make peace as long as it does not compromise doctrinal beliefs, violate conscience, or harm others.
3. Gentle. This word appears 5 times in the New Testament (Philippians 4:2; 1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 3:2; James 3:17; 1 Peter 2:18). This is the quality of not getting your own way, not throwing the book at an offender, courteous, and tolerant.
4. Willing to adopt another position. Other English versions have reasonable, accommodating, and considerate, easily persuaded in light of reasonable and truthful claims (seeking truth). This word is only used here by James once in the New Testament. That makes it harder to describe, but the idea is of a person who is open to another person’s views or ideas. This person does not hoard everything for himself.
5. Full of mercy and good fruit. Although this has two components, they are separated by and, and therefore related. Mercy is withholding penalties that a person deserves. It is a good fruit. Good fruit can refer to either character or deeds.
6. Unwavering. This is either the idea of being impartial or unwavering. Here, it probably means unwavering and is the picture of the person who does not doubt. It trusts in God’s wisdom ways.
7. Genuine. This word has ideas of sincerity and without pretense. It is the opposite of being a hypocrite. People can trust your word and your character. They do not have to wonder if you are treating others differently than them.