James: Wisdom for Practical LifeSample

Results Of Wisdom 

Wisdom is fundamentally a character trait. Wisdom is not just knowing about something, but living it out. Wisdom is seen in how a person lives, speaks, treats others and handles life situations. Wisdom is revealed in a person’s character. 

There is a kind of wisdom from above, and there is a kind of wisdom from below, One is godly wisdom while the other is earthly wisdom; one is spiritual while the other is nonspiritual. Guess what comes naturally to us? Earthly wisdom is natural and instinctive to us. 

Who claims to be wise? James says in v.13, let this person by his good conduct demonstrate godly wisdom. Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, good fruits, impartial, sincere and right. This describes character. And godly character is inextricable from godly wisdom. 

Foolish and ungodly character reveals lack of godly wisdom (v.14). Earthly wisdom results in bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, boasting, lying, disorder and wickedness. Proverbs describes foolishness as a character trait in the sluggard, angry person, unfaithful man, jealous friend, contentious person and so on. 

How is character formed? Not overnight. How is godly wisdom gained? Not overnight. There is no technique, short cut or magic prayer. Godly wisdom is gained by years of learning God’s word, submitting and obeying His commands, being humble before God and people, by allowing us to be corrected, trained, mentored and discipled by others, by admitting our pride, arrogance, selfishness and sin, by putting to death the deeds of the flesh and committing to God and following Him faithfully. This is how we grow in godly wisdom. 

We grow in godly wisdom when we submit to God in the mundane, ordinary, simple actions and decisions of life. That is how character is formed. That is how wisdom is gained. 

1 Cor 1:30 says, Christ became to us wisdom from God. God’s wisdom is fully expressed and personified in Christ, the Word. The message of the cross is foolish to people but it is the power of God to those who believe. As the grace of the gospel, the wisdom of the gospel, the love of the gospel and the hope of the gospel moves our hearts, Christ is formed in us and wisdom is revealed in how we live.