Discovering Wisdom

Discovering True Wisdom
James 3:11-18

But the wisdom from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Wisdom is a central theme in the Bible, and six books in the bible are explicitly devoted to this theme.  The most commonly recognized book on wisdom is the book of Proverbs and some of the Psalms, which set forth the wisdom from God and woven throughout all his creative works.  While the law gives specific commands and guidelines for moral decisions, wisdom refers to applying God’s moral law correctly in every aspect of life. Wisdom moves us from knowledge about God to living in line with God. God established moral order within all creation.  He communicated His moral law and wove His moral law into the fabric of all His creative words.  Therefore, we cannot only discover wisdom by looking deeply into His divine revelation but also by looking keenly into His creative works. This moral order is not just seen in creation. It is also interwoven into marriage.  Thus, the book of Song of Solomon applies wisdom to a God-centered marriage. A godly marriage is governed by godly wisdom.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, sin not only corrupted the soul of man, but it also distorted and permeated all of creation.  The moral order established by God became twisted.  This is the topic that Ecclesiastes and Job wrestle with as they discuss how we can understand wisdom and God’s moral order in a world corrupted and distorted by sin.  Job answers the question by pointing us to the nature and character of God (Job 38-42). Instead of questioning God’s activity in a sin-marred world, we are to trust in His sovereignty.  For the writer of Ecclesiastes, moral clarity in a confusing world comes when we center our lives on the word of God (Eccl. 12:13-14).

For James, wisdom comes when we discern between godly and earthly wisdom.  The folly of man drives the moral understanding of the world.  We think ourselves wise and able to determine our ethical code,  however, our moral compass is distorted and misdirected.  Instead of being driven by God’s moral code, the world is characterized by what is earthly, natural, and demonic. In other words, worldly wisdom is ultimately governed by the desires of our sinful nature rather than the Spirit of God. It stems from the delusion and distortion of Satan himself.  The result of this wisdom is disorder, selfishness, pride, and the rejection of the truth. To the folly of sinful man, the righteousness of God seems foolish.

However, those who look for the wisdom of God, those who live by faith in obedience to God’s moral law  (James 2:14-16), discover true wisdom that leads to a transformed life and one in line with God’s order.  In contrast to the world’s wisdom characterized by sin, this wisdom reflects the character of God and leads to righteousness.  Instead of conflict and jealousy, it brings peace and gentleness.  Instead of the distortion of the world, it brings a person in line with the truth.  Instead of being governed by Satan’s distortion, we are directed by the righteousness of God.  In the wisdom of the world, there is disorder.  But in God’s wisdom, there is tranquility and peace.

James confronts us with a choice and a basis to examine our lives.  What is the source of our moral compass?  Where do we turn to determine moral truth and understanding for life?  Is it the world and culture around us, or is it grounded in the character and word of God?  How we answer these questions will determine the outcome of our life.  True wisdom comes when we stop listening to the philosophers of this world for wisdom and start turning to the pages of the Bible for guidance.