Pursuing Wisdom

When you think of a wise man what images do you conjure up in your mind?  Do you see an old man with a long white beard in deep thought?   Do you think of a computer geek wearing coke bottle sized glasses, who can fix any problem that arises on your PC?  Perhaps, you think of the 4.0 student you were friends with in college that was so smart he aced his tests without hardly any studying!  None of those images captures the idea of Biblical wisdom.

The book of James has much to say about wisdom.  Writing from a Jewish perspective, wisdom is a key concept in James’ thought-life.  Wisdom is something that believers are to seek and reflects a quality of spiritual life.  Wisdom isn’t raw intelligence, theoretical knowledge, abstract thinking, even though wise people may possess some of these characteristics.  Wisdom, from the Jewish perspective, is entirely practical.  It is the ability to take knowledge of Scripture and apply it to everyday life situations.

The acquisition of wisdom starts with a relationship with the Almighty.  Proverbs 9:10 says, “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  The book of Proverbs has much to say about wisdom and is a great book of the Bible to study in tandem with James.  The thing about wisdom is that there are two varieties existing; one is true wisdom from God the other is false wisdom.   James says there is wisdom from above, which is God’s wisdom, but there is another type of wisdom which is described as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.  One is from above and the other is from below.  The wisdom from below is a fake, phony wisdom that counterfeits God’s wisdom.  Believers need to be familiar with God’s wisdom so they can sharpen their skills of discernment and identify the true from false brand of wisdom.

In James 3:13-18, James contrasts the two varieties of wisdom for his readers.  The big difference between the two is that where the wisdom from below is present there is disorder and every evil practice (James 3:16).  In other words, this type of wisdom breeds chaos, brings division, and hurt feelings.  This wisdom is selfish and motivated by personal gain and advancement, not the welfare of other people.  It is wisdom that is rooted in human boasting and pridefulness.

On the other hand, God’s wisdom from above involves eight virtues:
Pure
Peace-loving
Considerate
Submissive
Full of mercy
Good fruit
Impartial
Sincere

The person who possesses these virtues would be the embodiment of wisdom.  He would be a mature Christian who is displaying the fruit of the Spirit.  Where you have these virtues existing in a disciple of Christ, and are lived out in his daily life you have someone who is a peacemaker!   James considers the embodiment of wisdom to be  peacemaking (James 3:18).  The man who restores relationships, preserves unity between people, has a calming influence on people, imparts blessings, and enriches people’s lives is a peacemaker.

Would you consider this to be true of you?  Would people in your life consider you to be a person that fits this description?  This is what disciples of Christ are to strive for—being one who imparts blessings to others so they can grow in Christ!  Jesus said “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9).”  God bless the peacemakers!  Stayed tuned for more about wisdom and peacemakers in my next blog.

Blessings,

Dr. Bruce