It is no enough to have knowledge; we have to have wisdom to be able to use knowledge correctly. There are brilliant people that are engineers and doctors and yet they still can’t manage their own lives

¹³ If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ¹⁵ For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ¹⁸ And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. – James 3:13-18

In these crazy times of our life there is a common question that just keeps stirring; being wise, do the right thing, wear a mask, don’t go out. Don’t be afraid, don’t get anyone else sick, and the challenges of life will always bring a person to seek wisdom. (What to do when we know a lot).

Can you describe the difference of wisdom and knowledge?

Knowledge enables us to take things apart, but wisdom enables us to put things together and relate God’s truth to daily life.

There is a “heavenly wisdom” that comes from God, and there is a “man-made wisdom” that does not come from God. Whatever does not come from God is destined to fail, no matter how successful it may seem at the time.

The Bible has many examples of the folly of man’s wisdom.

• The Tower of Babel
• Abraham heading to Egypt in famine
• King Saul putting his own armor on David
• The disciples when dismissing the crowd to find their own food
• Roman experts that wanted to set sail with Paul

We all have three enemies in our life; the world, the flesh, and the devil.

There is a “wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 1:20–21). Do not confuse the world’s knowledge and the world’s wisdom. Certainly, there is a great deal of knowledge in this world, and we all benefit from it; but there is not much wisdom.

“Improved means to unimproved ends.” – Henry David Thoreau

Because the world has turned from God, it has lost its wisdom. Every increase in man’s knowledge only magnifies the problems. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).

Satan successfully deceived Eve, and continuing through the entire Bible, there is a “wisdom of Satan” at work, fighting against the wisdom of God. Satan is cunning; he is the old serpent! He has wisdom that will confound and confuse you if you do not know the wisdom of God.

James describes a “wisdom that is from above” (James 3:17). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). The Christian looks up to heaven for all that he needs. His citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), just as his Father is in heaven (Matt. 6:9). His treasures are in heaven, not on earth (Matt. 6:19ff). He was born from above (John 3:1–7) when he trusted Jesus Christ. The believer’s home is in heaven (John 14:1–6) and his hope is in heaven. He sets his affection and attention on things above, not on earthly things (Col. 3:1–4).

What is Christian Wisdom?

Contrast in Operations

The origin of true spiritual wisdom is God. To get your wisdom from any other source is to ask for trouble. There is no need to get the counterfeit wisdom of the world, the wisdom that caters to the flesh and accomplishes the work of the devil.

The wisdom from above, God’s wisdom, operates in a different way from the wisdom that is “earthly, sensual, devilish.” Since they originate from radically different sources, they must operate in opposite ways. So it is best to quickly notice the evidences of false wisdom?

Envy

We ought to be zealous in the things of the Lord, but we must be sure that our motives are right. The wisdom of this world exalts man and robs God of glory.

Is our zeal for the Lord spiritual or carnal? Do we rejoice when others succeed, or do we have secret envy and criticism? Do we feel burdened when others fail, or are we glad?

Strife

This word means “party spirit.” It was used by the Greeks to describe a politician out canvassing for votes. The world’s wisdom says, “Get all the support you can! Ask the people in the church if they are for you or against you!” Of course, this spirit of self-seeking only creates rivalry and division in the church.

Boasting

Pride loves to boast, and nothing is prouder than the wisdom of men. When God’s wisdom is at work, there is a sense of humility and submission, and you want God to get all the glory. You have no desire to compare yourself with any other Christian, because you see only Christ—and compared with Him, all of us still have a long way to go!

Deceit

First, there is selfish ambition that leads to party spirit and rivalry.

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God” – 1 Corinthians 4:5

Can you relate or add any false wisdom you have heard or grasped in your past?

What a relief it is to turn to the evidences of true spiritual wisdom.

Meekness

Meekness is not weakness; it is power under control. The meek person does not selfishly assert himself. The meek person seeks only the glory of God and does not cater to the praises of men. Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23); it cannot be manufactured by man. There is a false humility that some people mistake for meekness, but it is only counterfeit. Meekness is the right use of power, and wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

Purity

“First pure” indicates the importance of holiness. God is holy; therefore the wisdom from above is pure. The idea behind this word is “chaste, free from defilement.” James used it again in James 4:8—“purify your hearts,” or, “make chaste your hearts.” God’s wisdom leads to purity of life.

Peace

Man’s wisdom leads to competition, rivalry, and war (James 4:1–2); but God’s wisdom leads to peace. It is a peace based on holiness, not on compromise. God never has “peace at any price.” The peace of the church is not more important than the purity of the church. If the church is pure, devoted to God, then there will be peace. The church can never have peace by sweeping sins under the rug and pretending they are not there.

Gentleness

It carries the meaning of moderation without compromise, gentleness without weakness. The gentle person does not deliberately cause fights, but neither does he compromise the truth in order to keep peace.

Compliance

God’s wisdom makes the believer agreeable and easy to live with and work with. Man’s wisdom makes a person hard and stubborn. The compliant person is willing to hear all sides of a question, but he does not compromise his own convictions. He can disagree without being disagreeable.

Mercy

God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. Our Lord’s Parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates the meaning of mercy (Luke 10:25–37). For a Samaritan to care for a Jewish stranger was an act of mercy. He could gain nothing from it, except the blessing that comes from doing the will of God; and the victim could not pay him back. That is mercy.

Good Fruits

People who are faithful are fruitful. God’s wisdom does not make a life empty; it makes it full.

Decisiveness

When you lean on the world’s wisdom, you are pressured from one side and then another to change your mind or take a new viewpoint. When you have God’s wisdom, you need not waver; you can be decisive and not be afraid. Wisdom from above brings strength from above.

Sincerity

Wherever you find God’s people pretending and hiding, you can be sure the wisdom of this world is governing their ministry.

There is quite a contrast between the operation of God’s wisdom and the operation of the wisdom of this world. It would be profitable for church and ourselves to evaluate their own lives and their ministries in the light of what James has written.

Do you find any of these challenging or maybe even refreshing?

Worldly wisdom will produce worldly results; spiritual wisdom will give spiritual results. Wrong thinking produces wrong living. Jealousy, competition, party spirit—all of these contribute to confusion.

God’s wisdom produces blessing

The Christian life is a life of sowing and reaping. For that matter, every life is a life of sowing and reaping, and we reap just what we sow. The Christian who obeys God’s wisdom sows righteousness, not sin; he sows peace, not war. The life we live enables the Lord to bring righteousness and peace into the lives of others.

What we are is what we live, and what we live is what we sow. What we sow determines what we reap. If we live in God’s wisdom, we sow righteousness and peace, and we reap God’s blessing. If we live in man’s worldly wisdom, we sow sin and war, and we reap “confusion and every evil work.”

With our hearts troubled, minds in confusion and sadness pushing in around us. This week we are challenged to spend some time in Proverbs chapter 3.  Pay attention to what you are basing your decisions on and the motivation of your actions. Pray for those around us and walk as Jesus did in this messy world.

Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Jas 3:13–18). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.