James 3:13 ¶
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him
shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace of them that make peace.
True wisdom, James says, is evidenced by good
behavior as communications here is linked with works and meekness, not putting
on airs that you know more than you do. Bitterness, envying, and strife
contradict such wisdom. The sensual, devilish, as James puts it, wisdom from
below fulfills itself in envying and strife in the assembly, which is confusion
and just plain malicious and wicked and leads to other very bad things.
God’s wisdom, on the other hand, is peaceable
and gentle and the person who possesses it is reachable and can be talked to
about disagreements, is filled with mercy and beneficial actions, no preference
of one opinion or person over another and without hypocrisy. The peacemaker in
the assembly plants peace and God’s righteousness is on that person who makes
peace.
These are powerful statements from James
about what we say and our behavior within the church. What is your church like?
What are you like within the church?
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