Two Kinds of Wisdom

James 3:13-18

“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not  boast and be false to the truth. 15This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

In October of 2021, I wrote a devotional about wisdom. It was based on the account of Job, who, along with his friends, struggled to find the reason for God’s apparent abandonment of him in the loss of his property and family. In the end, Job concluded, rightly, that the explanation for his travails could only be found in the wisdom of God. In his discourse in Chapter 28, Job gives God’s explanation of how his creation may exemplify wisdom:

“And he said to the human race,

‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding.’”

In the third chapter of his book, James, the brother of Jesus, picks up on this theme. He unpacks one of the ways Christians can fear God and reflect the wisdom that originates with Him. He begins by assuring us where godly wisdom is not found; bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. These not only do not reflect Godly wisdom but lead to even worse conduct. He even uses the word “demonic” to describe them.

Selfish ambition, being mostly concerned with bettering oneself, can reveal itself in many areas of people’s lives. It’s a problem that is not difficult to find in our culture today. Unhealthy pursuit of possessions, successful careers and relationships, and elevated social standing seem rampant all around us. I saw it firsthand while working at a large corporate headquarters at one point in my career. It is often self-focused to the point of being a detriment to others. Demonic is a strong term used by James, but isn’t this where Satan really wants man to fail–by loving themselves more than they love others? This is the antithesis of the second greatest commandment according to Jesus. Bitter jealousy goes hand in hand with sinful ambition. Taken to its lowest level, people not only want the best for themselves but also yearn, excessively, to acquire the success seen in others.

We can’t only point to this problem in others, however. To some degree, we can all search our hearts to find elements of these ills close to home. We know this must be the case because James was not writing to the world in general but to fellow Christians of his day. Thankfully, he concludes the chapter with an antidote to the “worldly wisdom” he admonishes his readers about.

James gives a series of words to describe the “wisdom that comes from above”. This wisdom is exemplified by having a spirit of gentleness and peace, showing mercy, and having a heart that is sincere. These terms go hand in hand with the concept of seeking the blessing of others and deferring to their well-being instead of one’s own, the opposite of what is considered wisdom in our sinful world. They also give a perfect description of our model, Jesus Christ, as he walked the earth. Conversely, none of them would be present in a person who focuses only on their own self-interest. In the context James is pointing out here, God’s wisdom is clearly the opposite of the world’s wisdom. And isn’t this always the case?

I’m not afraid to admit I sometimes struggle with worldly ambition and jealousy. It doesn’t consume me, but it is there and I need to recognize it. You may have some of the same feelings. We live in a world where love of self is rampant. If our focus is to see Jesus’ life as a model for what we should aspire to, then projecting peace, having mercy, and showing concern for others instead of ourselves would be a good place to start. This would be a commendable ambition to have. I wonder what the result would be if, on a regular basis, we prayerfully sought the wisdom of God by intentionally reading and using the words of verse 17 as a guide for our interaction with others.