Part 6 of James: Don’t Be Fooled, Not All Wisdom Is From Above

James 3:13–18 (CSB)

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom. 

14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. 

15 Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 

16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Throughout his letter, James keeps coming back to a simple but challenging truth: our actions must line up with our beliefs. If we claim to have faith, then our lives should prove it. Last week, in the first half of chapter 3, we saw how powerful our words are. James said the tongue is like a rudder, able to steer our entire lives. He showed us that our words matter deeply, because just like our actions, words reveal the true condition of our hearts.

Now, in this second half of the chapter, James continues that thought and brings it full circle. He presses even deeper: What kind of wisdom is behind your life? Is it godly, or is it something else entirely? Since our words matter so much, we all want to speak with wisdom. But real wisdom isn’t just about how we talk, it’s about how we live. Real wisdom means our actions match our speech. It’s not just about speaking carefully; wisdom is about living wisely. In this passage, James contrasts wisdom from above with worldly wisdom, and he gives us clear markers to help us recognize which kind of wisdom is shaping us.

So, let’s dive into the text. The first thing James does is ask a direct question, and then, to help answer that question, he gives the key to figuring it out. Verse 13 says, “Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.”

He’s saying: if you think someone among you is wise and understanding, then that person will have good conduct, done in gentleness. That’s the way to know if a person is truly wise or not.

It’s a pretty clear litmus test. Wisdom, like faith, is not shown by what we say, but by our conduct. We will only be wise and understanding if our words and our actions line up, producing good works done in gentleness.

James explains this further in verses 14-16. He says: “But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.”

James is explaining that not all wisdom is equal. There’s a kind of wisdom that is actually earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. It’s marked by envy and selfish ambition. That kind of “wisdom” leads to disorder and evil practices.

It might seem like it should be really simple to spot this false wisdom, but I don’t think it’s always easy to discern. I think this false wisdom looks impressive on the surface, because the devil knows how to make things sound wise and appealing. Therefore, we need to learn how to look below the surface and see it for what it is.

To help us discern whether someone is speaking with godly wisdom or worldly wisdom, James gives us two markers to look for. He says that any wisdom that promotes bitter envy and selfish ambition is not wisdom from above and is not the kind of wisdom we should seek. Let’s look closer at both markers that James mentions.  

The first marker of earthly, unspiritual and demonic wisdom is bitter envy. Envy is wanting what others have. It’s not being content with the things the Lord has given us. It’s a call to get more and more, never being satisfied or thankful for what the Lord has provided. That’s where the bitterness comes in. I don’t think we can be bitter if we are grateful. Bitterness is a kind of resentment. Bitterness holds grudges and complains about how we haven’t gotten our way. Together, bitter envy says, ‘I didn’t get what I wanted. I didn’t get what somebody else has, and I’m angry about it.’

Bitter envy, masquerading as wisdom, tells us how to get those things we want. This kind of wisdom is very prevalent in Western society. I think most self-help books are cloaked in this kind of self-seeking wisdom. Are you envious of other people’s happy marriages? Worldly wisdom will tell you it’s better to get a divorce so you too can be happy by getting a better spouse. Are you envious of other people’s nice houses and cars? Worldly wisdom will advise you to go deeper in debt and mortgage your future. Worldly wisdom focuses us on ourselves.

The second marker of earthly, unspiritual and demonic wisdom is selfish ambition. This goes right along with bitter envy, but it’s even worse. It’s not enough to have what you wanted; this wisdom tells us how to be elevated above others. Do you want to get ahead in life and become popular or successful? Worldly wisdom will show you how to become better than other people. This kind of wisdom shows you how to step on other people, ignore the needs of others, and put yourself first.

James says, “But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.” He’s saying, if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t be proud of that and deny what’s really true. If your “wisdom” is self-centered and ungodly, it’s nothing to boast about. It’s not true wisdom, for it’s not Biblical wisdom.  

The most frightening thing to me is that, more often than not, this worldly wisdom presents itself with a spiritual cloak. There are a lot of teachers and influencers who call themselves Christians, and they are considered by a lot of people to be wise, but they are not presenting Godly truth. They write books, make memes and social media posts, with all sorts of catchy statements like: Live Your Best Life, Find Your Truth, Dream Big, Follow Your Heart, Believe in Yourself, You are Enough. I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. These slogans might sound good at first, but if we examine them, we find they don’t align with a Biblical worldview. Instead of Christ-centered transformation, all of these speak of self-centered empowerment.

Worldly wisdom might sound good at first, but once we examine it carefully, we find it is actually the opposite of wisdom from above. Because even though it may sound spiritual or intellectual, underneath, it’s fueled by pride. At the end of day, it’s a wisdom that is promoting self, not truth.

And this isn’t good, because James says the end result of worldly wisdom is disorder and every evil practice. That’s true, because what’s the end result of all those worldly words of wisdom? Live Your Best Life and get a divorce. Follow Your Heart even when it leads to sin that scripture condemns. You are Enough so you don’t need anyone else, much less God. Dream Big and ignore the call of God to humble ourselves and follow Him. If the wisdom you are listening to leads you to disorder and sin, it’s not wisdom from above.

Thankfully, James tells us in verses 17-18 what godly wisdom is actually like and what it produces, so we can look for this kind of wisdom. He says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.”

Wisdom from above is not self-centered or empowered by self. It doesn’t produce disorder and sin. Instead, Godly wisdom is:

Pure

Peace-loving

Gentle

Compliant

Full of mercy and good fruits

Unwavering

Without pretense

Let’s look at each of those 7 traits, one at a time.

The first characteristic of wisdom is that it is first pure. In the Greek it says, the “wisdom from above is indeed first pure.” Meaning, it’s uncontaminated, free from sin, innocent and holy. That word ‘first’ matters, but we’ll come back to why that’s so important in a moment.

Second, wisdom must be peace-loving. If it’s pure, then it is peace-loving. Instead of the worldly wisdom which tells us it’s okay to split families apart, wisdom from above sows peace. Instead of worldly wisdom that tells us be sure to stand up for ourselves, Godly wisdom urges us to seek peace. As Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Third, Godly wisdom is gentle. Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” This is the same Greek word, epieikés, and it can be translated as either gentleness or graciousness. This word speaks to not insisting on your own rights, even when you could. It’s a Christlike trait that is the opposite of the self-assertiveness celebrated in worldly wisdom.

Fourth, wisdom is compliant. Other translations say it is reasonable or willing to yield. Barnes’ Notes on the Bible says, “The sense is, that he who is under the influence of the wisdom which is from above, is not a stiff, stern, obstinate, unyielding man. He does not take a position, and then hold it whether right or wrong; he is not a man on whom no arguments or persuasions can have any influence.”

The idea is not passivity, but a spirit of humility and teachability. If we have wisdom from above, we will remain teachable.

Fifth, wisdom from above is full of mercy and good fruits. These two traits go together because mercy is proven by actions. Remember earlier in this letter, James said it does no one any good to tell someone to be warm and full of food if we do not follow that up with actions. Mercy that doesn’t bear fruit is not mercy.

I think that is what Jesus was showing us in his story of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37 tells us the story, and at the end of the parable, Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

“The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.

Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

Wisdom that is from above is full of mercy and good fruits. Just as James pointed out that faith without works is dead, so too is wisdom. Wisdom from above will produce good fruit of mercy.

For example, think again about worldly wisdom. It would tell us to avoid the man whom Jesus describes in the Good Samaritan. It would warn us to stay away and not get involved. But wisdom from above would have us help those whom God brings across our path; to do for others what we would have them do for us.

The sixth trait, unwavering, is next. The Greek word is adiakritos, and it means unwavering, impartial, without partiality. I think this could tie back to what James was speaking of when he says we are not to show favoritism in chapter 2. Or it could be a reference to what James said in chapter 1 warning us against doubt. Or he could mean that true wisdom does not waver in applying God’s truth, without discrimination, to all people. True Godly wisdom is not biased and double-minded. It is consistent in all circumstances. It doesn’t make exceptions; it is always committed to truth.

Finally, the seventh trait of wisdom is that it’s without pretense. The Greek word is anupokritos, and it means sincere, genuine, without hypocrisy. So much of worldly wisdom is the opposite of this. It’s so pretentious. It’s showy and fake, exaggerated and self-conflated. If wisdom is without pretense, then it’s sincere. Godly wisdom flows from holiness and love for God, and not from a desire to make ourselves look good.

We reached the end of the 7 traits, but I want to go back to the beginning of this list. Why is purity listed first? Because without purity, all the other traits can be faked. Purity is what makes the rest of these traits real.

For example:

Peaceable without purity might just be people-pleasing or avoiding conflict.

Gentle without purity might be weakness rather than strength under control.

Compliant without purity might just be compromising truth to fit in.

Mercy and good works without purity can become permissiveness and enabling sin.

Unwavering or impartiality without purity might be apathy or indifference instead of avoiding favoritism.

Without pretense without purity can become virtual signaling, if it’s righteous acts done for recognition.

Purity ensures these traits are genuine, not just surface-level behaviors. To expand on that last one, virtue signaling is a form of pretentiousness that lacks purity. It sounds like wisdom, it looks like virtue, but it’s empty at the core. Without purity of heart, the good works the person is doing doesn’t flow from a sincere place, but from self-promotion and a desire to look good. That’s why it aligns with earthly, unspiritual and demonic wisdom.

Any wisdom that promotes bitter envy and selfish ambition is not wisdom from above and is not the kind of wisdom we should aspire to. For at the end of the day, worldly wisdom does not lead to peace, but to “disorder and every evil practice.”

Worldly wisdom leads to chaos and sin because it stands in direct opposition to the seven traits of godly wisdom. It is not pure, but corrupt and self-serving. It is not peace-loving, but divisive and selfish. It’s not gentle, but harsh and self-assertive. It’s not compliant, but stubborn and unteachable. It is not full of mercy and good fruits, but marked by cruelty and lacks compassion. It is not unwavering, but biased and manipulative. It is not without pretense, but performative for self-glory and self-promotion.

Do you see the difference between these types of “wisdom”? One is rooted in pride and produces chaos. The other is rooted in purity and leads to peace.

We should ask ourselves, which kind of wisdom am I listening to? The kind that promotes me, or the kind that is pure and produces peace?

“Wisdom” which is corrupt, divisive, self-assertive, stubborn, cruel, manipulative and self-centered is clearly not real wisdom. Corruption, divisiveness, selfishness, cruelty, manipulation and the like, are all sins. This is why our world is so full of disorder and every evil practice. This is why our world is hurting so much. This is why wars are started, people are murdered, families break apart, and everyone struggles to make friends. None of these things lead to peace. For none of these things are righteous, so they don’t produce peace. As verse 18 summarizes, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.”

The fruit of righteousness is peacefully sown by people who make peace. As J.B. Phillips New Testament paraphrases verse 18: “The wise are peacemakers who go on quietly sowing for a harvest of righteousness—in other people and in themselves.”

James began this section by asking: ‘Who is wise?’ And then he gave his answer: the person who shows by his good conduct that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.

I don’t know about you, but if I’m honest, when I look into the mirror of God’s Word, I can see that I lack wisdom. I need to ask God for wisdom, so that in all situations, in all my conversations, I can speak with words that are first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without pretense. I need to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,” as James 1:19 says, so I can choose my words more carefully.

I want to be careful to speak words that sow the fruit of righteousness and grows peace in my life and in the lives of all people around me. I need Godly wisdom in order to do that. Thankfully, back in the beginning of his letter, James 1:5 said, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”

Let us be people whose words and actions show that we are followers of Christ. Let us ask God to give us His wisdom. He will do this, James says. He will give wisdom to all who ask Him. But as James followed up that statement, we must not waver in faith when we ask Him, because if we don’t really want God’s wisdom, He won’t give it to us.

If we are busy chasing the world’s version of wisdom, if we don’t really want to walk in the wisdom that comes from above, how can He give this to us?

Join me in looking in the mirror of God’s Word. Let’s ask God for the kind of wisdom that doesn’t promote us, but produces peace, both in us and through us, so we can be better representatives of Christ, sowing peace in our hurting world. Then we will be wise and understanding, for our words and actions will reflect the faith within in our hearts.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Your goodness toward us. We need Your help. Please give us wisdom so we can speak with words that are first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without pretense. Help us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, so we can better reflect our faith to others around us. We want to be peacemakers, sowing seeds of righteousness in our world. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.