Heavenly Wisdom

Ironically, our first parents, Adam and Eve, stumbled at the point of wisdom. Tempted by Satan to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they disobeyed God by reaching for the forbidden fruit in hopes of becoming wise:

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.  She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Genesis 3:6

This one act of disobedience brought sin to the entire world (Romans 5:12-21).

Reviewing the actions of Adam and Eve is helpful to us in our study of James’ text (James 3:13-18). We have by nature an inclination to chase after a wrong kind of wisdom, a godless wisdom, a counterfeit wisdom, a wisdom that “does not descend from above” but rather from below, a wisdom that is “earthly, sensual, (and) demonic.”

You might say that this is the kind of wisdom we have “by default.” It is part and parcel of our sin nature. Therefore, apart from regeneration and conversion, we will give expression to this wrong kind of wisdom through our words and deeds. What is within us by nature manifests itself outwardly.

Recalling the context of James’ teaching on the tongue aids our reflection upon the source of wisdom. You will recall from the last chapter (James 3) James’ pointing out the inconsistency of the way in which we use our tongues. With our tongue, “we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness (James 3:9).” And James illustrates this inconsistency by encouraging us to consider a natural spring from which flows two kinds of water, both good and bad.  

Two kinds of water flowing from one source is absurd because spring water can flow from only one source. Applied to the use of our tongues, the source of our words flows from the “source” of our hearts. Our words are a reflection of what is inside us.

Jesus taught this in Luke’s Gospel. He said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).” The tongue reveals what is in the heart. Or, to paraphrase a bit from Mark’s Gospel, “It’s not what goes in your mouth and into your stomach that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart and out of your mouth (Mark 7:15).” The words we speak are an indication of what’s in our hearts.

So James turns now to this matter of wisdom. He writes about two kinds of wisdom, each flowing from one kind of heart or the other. He describes both biblical wisdom and unbiblical wisdom, heavenly and earthly wisdom. The heavenly wisdom flows from a heart that has been changed by God. The other kind of wisdom flows from a godless heart, an unchanged heart, a heart James actually describes as demonic. James doesn’t pull any punches!  

Let’s endeavor to consider the kind of wisdom James says we should have: “wisdom that is from above,” biblical wisdom, or heavenly wisdom. We’ll consider three characteristics of this heavenly wisdom, but just the first one for today’s post:

Heavenly Wisdom Is Displayed By Good Conduct

Biblical wisdom is displayed, or shown, by the Christian’s conduct. Put another way: heavenly wisdom is not so much what one knows but how one lives.

This makes sense, given James’ emphasis on the practical expression of our Christian faith. We recall that this letter is a letter of action about living out the faith. James says, “Don’t be merely a hearer of the word, but a doer of it.” James is like someone from Missouri, the “Show Me” state! He wants us to show our faith, display it, and live it out. Heavenly wisdom is displayed by good conduct.

James asks, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” Perhaps some listening to the public reading of James’ letter would raise their hands in response. If so, we would expect James to say, “Put your hands down. You can prove you are wise and understanding by how you live.” To quote James precisely: “Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.”

The word “good” translates a Greek word that describes something beautiful. It is the same word found in our English word “calligraphy,” beautiful writing. In a sense, then, James is saying, “Do you want to know how you can tell whether someone has biblical wisdom? They are the ones who live beautiful lives before others.”

You don’t have to have physical beauty to live a beautiful life before others. Similarly, there are a lot of people who have physical beauty, but the way they live is ugly.

Remember that James is not teaching that an unbeliever is put in right standing with God by his conduct. He is not teaching that one is saved by his works, earning God’s favor and approval through good works. James is addressing those who have already embraced the gospel. He is writing to those who know that they cannot earn God’s favor because—in Christ—they already have it. And that is what motivates them to live out the Christian life, a beautiful life.

This godly wisdom is distinguished from what is best described as counterfeit wisdom, a wisdom that is not “from above” but is rather a godless wisdom from below. We’ll talk about that kind of wisdom next time.

**Excerpt from You’re Either Walking The Walk Or Just Running Your Mouth (Preaching Truth: 2020), pages 116-119, available here.