Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of and familiarity with the facts gained through experience or association. Knowledge can be acquired by education. But an educated person is not necessarily wise. Not long ago.. I read about a college graduate who tried to sue the administration for not giving him wisdom.
Wisdom is the "ability to discern inner qualities and relationships." It's insight into the nature of reality. Wisdom, as the Bible defines it, cannot be acquired; God gives it out of the riches of His grace. Wisdom enables the child of God to apply spiritual truth to the emergencies of life.
Divine wisdom enables him to make decisions as God would make them.
Solomon said, "wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it" (Proverbs 8:11). He also observed: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).
Unfortunately, a counterfeit wisdom often passes under the guise of real wisdom, and so James distinguishes two kinds of wisdom--earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom; natural, human wisdom and divine wisdom.
The philosopher Seneca was right when he said, "many might attain to wisdom, if they were not assured they already possessed it". James addresses his remarks to a similar group of people. They were putting on airs of superior wisdom and actually boasting about it in the hope of securing prominent places of church leadership.
They reflected an attitude which is common in our churches today. "Nobody can sing, teach, preach, or moderate like I can." They profess to be wise, but in reality they are fools. A fool tells what he will do; a boaster tells what he has done; the wise man does it and says nothing.
Everyone wants to appear wise; but few people really are.
To professed wise men, James poses a question: "Who is a wise man...among you?" (James 3:13). In effect, James calls for proofs to substantiate pretensions to wisdom. He has just developed his argument about the inconsistencies of which the tongue is capable (vs. 1-12), and now he challenges the man who claims, either by word or deed, to be wise.
Paul asks nearly the same question in 1 Corinthians 1:20 and goes further to say.. in God's site.. this kind of "wise", man is only a fool.
Sermons and lectures are insufficient evidence of true wisdom. Words must be wedded to works and saying to acceptable service. The man who thinks he has wisdom must show it "out of a good conversation" before he can convince anyone of his claims.
No man is wise who doesn't behave in a manner pleasing to God and in conformity to His Word. James indicts Christians who say they are wise but do not show it in proper attitudes and actions. He demands exhibitions of it, not just expressions; demonstrations, or declarations. "Conversation" refers to the mode and manner of life. The best evidence of wisdom is a practical goodness and generosity.
Moreover, real wisdom shows itself in a manner of behavior chiefly marked by "meekness". Meekness is not natural to fallen humanity. The ego craves attention and recognition. Ordinarily the meek are not advanced to positions of prominence.
How far do the meek get in the business world of dog-eat-dog? As the world views it, success depends upon self-assertion, aggressive competition, and personal persuasiveness. Meekness cannot accomplish worldly ambitions, and so worldlings regard the meek as spineless people--the milk-toast personality.
Jesus Christ was meek (Matthew 11:29). He promised a special blessing upon the meek (Matthew 5:5). Elsewhere Scripture views meekness as a vital part of Christian conduct. Paul exhorted the servant of the Lord--the pastor-teacher--to follow after meekness (2 Timothy 2:25).
Spiritual Christians are supposed to restore an offending brother in the spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1). Every believer should be able to give a reason for his inward hope with meekness (1 Peter 3:15).
The child of God has nothing of himself of which to boast. What he is he is by the grace of God. What he has he has by the grace of God. If he is a wise Christian, it's owing to God's grace and not to any achievement on his own part.
If he has an intelligent grasp of God's truth, God must have the credit, for He grants to the Christian such understanding (Ephesians 1:17, 18; 3:14-19; Colossians 1:9,10). James assails any wisdom which pretends to be something by itself--independent of God.
Any man who boasts in his wisdom virtually denied the wisdom came from God. And any man whose conduct doesn't conform to his pretended wisdom has proved he has only a counterfeit wisdom.
"Bitter envying and strife" are certain proofs of a false wisdom--a so-called wisdom. "envying" ought to be rendered "evil zeal." It refers to ardor, enthusiasm and burning interest.
When the Holy Spirit fires zeal and controls it, the church burns with a holy ardor. But if enthusiasm is the product of the flesh nature, it feeds upon destroying others and leads to fanaticism.
James calls it "bitter" zeal. The zeal which aspires to deprive others of their talents, status, spiritual accomplishments, or anything else is better known as jealousy.
Jealousy is the term we use for those wicked feelings and attitudes that spring up in our soul when someone else receives the recognition we wanted or even deserved.
The comparison to envy is strife--party spirit or faction. The word comes from a verb meaning "to electioneer for office." It implies politicking--seeking to curry favor by underhanded methods. Uncontrolled ambition for prominence in the church has led more than a few Christians to resort to all kinds of chicanery to win their ends.
They stop at nothing to get in office. Of course, other Christians lack the audacity to engage in open campaigning, but they desire for recognition lies in their hearts, and they believe they are better qualified than the man who actually fills the office.
They secretly begrudge him his appointment, and so they are as guilty as the man who obtains votes out of carnal appetite for ecclesiastical power.
Such practices indicate a kind of wisdom--a subtlety, a satanic sagacity--but let no one mistake this kind of cunning and crafty intelligence for divine wisdom.
The devil is a master at artful deceit. He has the ability to put his information to work toward purposeful ends. He is wise was well as intelligent, but he has prostituted his original wisdom to evil designs. His demons are also wise in wicked schemes, and they assist men to apply their intelligence to ungodly pursuits.
Hence James calls this wisdom "devilish" or "demoniacal" (James 3:15).
James calls this wisdom "earthly" because it cannot rise above the temporal and the material. It begins and ends with earth. It makes of earth a paradise and works to make a pleasant land out of a sin-cursed planet. James calls it "sensual" because it appeals to the natural sentiments and instincts of man.
From start to finish its sole object is man in his natural state--his condition before regeneration. Earthly wisdom panders to man's depraved emotions and can succeed in establishing good relations with other men--but not with God.
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