Pure
Wisdom
“The wisdom
that is from above is first pure” –James 3:17
Sin
has its own agenda. It does not seek
the glory of God or the advancement of the kingdom of God. Sin does not often wrap itself in its own
garments, for that would bring horror to the minds of men. Instead, sin wraps itself in the garments of
light, and its servants are transformed into “ministers of righteousness”
(2Cor. 11:15). Even Peter himself was
deluded into furthering the devil’s agenda under the guise of concern for the
welfare of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 16:23).
The scripture, as always, exposes this wickedness of the
devil. The darkness is driven before
the light. True spiritual warfare means
turning the light of truth upon the darkness and obfuscation of the devil.
Two Kinds of Wisdom
In
James 3, the apostle is contrasting two different kinds of wisdom. The first kind is of the earth and is
devilish (James 3:15). The result of
this wisdom is envy and strife, confusion and every evil work. It is devisive and proud. It drives the wickedness of the tongue (vs.
5) and is set on fire of hell.
In
contrast, the wisdom that is from above is “pure.” The word “pure” in the Greek is the opposite of adulterated, or
mixed with other things. It is used for
“pure” incense. Jesus said that “pure”
in heart shall see God. Figuratively,
it is the opposite of hypocrisy and lies.
The liar mixes other things with his lies in order to make them palatable.
True
wisdom, therefore, seeks the unadulterated truth, both objectively and
subjectively. Objectively, it seeks to
be unmixed with error, doctrinal error.
Not being concerned about objective, doctrinal truth is a warning flag
that should warn us that the devil is active.
He was a liar from the beginning, Jesus said, and did not abide in the
truth.
But true wisdom also seeks subjective purity. This means humility and kindness toward
those who are in error. True wisdom
not only turns the light on others, but first of all turns the light on
self. A person who has wisdom knows how
easy it is to be wrong, so he does not elevate his understanding to the place
of authority. He is “peaceable, gentle,
easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality
(without prejudice).”
It Is Easy to Err
It
is possible to err on both sides of this matter. Those who err on the objective side have little regard for
doctrine. This serves Satan’s agenda,
because the objective truth of the Scripture is the foundation for faith. If Christ did not really rise from the dead,
we have no hope and are yet in our sins (I Cor. 15). Objective truth is truth that does not depend upon our minds, but
exists apart from them because God has spoken it. This is the error of humanism and religious liberalism. Faith in Christ is reduced to submission to
our own thoughts and ideas. The end
result is theological relativism and mysticism.
On
the other hand, it is possible to err on the subjective side, and elevate our
understanding to the place of authority and seek to bring people into
conformity with our understanding of the truth. This is prideful and arrogant, and faith in Christ is reduced to
subjection to human beings. The was the
error of the ancient Donatists, who tried to erect the church on the basis of
“purity,” rather than its proper foundation of the grace of God in Jesus
Christ. Their movement ended in
division, wrangling, biting and devouring one another.
Both
errors can be soul destroying if carried to their ultimate conclusion, for we
are not to be servants of our own imaginations, nor are we to be servants of
men.
The Connection to Faith
The
word “pure” in our text is derived from the word “faith.” Pure wisdom is the result of true faith in
Jesus Christ. The subjective and
objective ideas also are used with the word “faith” in the Bible. Sometimes the word means the body of truth
which has been revealed concerning Jesus Christ. For instance, we are commanded to “earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The objectivity of the faith saves us from
relativism and humanism.
But
sometimes the word “faith” has a subjective sense, as in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” In this sense faith is the subjective response of the soul to the
content of the Gospel message.
“Pure”
wisdom, then, is related to faith. It
is humble and realizes that God has revealed the truth apart from the subjective
processes. The wise man knows how easy
it is to be wrong, and seeks counsel and wisdom from others, for in the
multitude of counsellors there is safety (Proverbs 11:4). He knows by bitter experience that he cannot
trust his himself, and therefore he tasks advantage of the means that God has
given him to know the truth, including the ministry of the church and the
fellowship of the saints.
But
“pure” wisdom also is careful about its agenda. Very often, “truth” has become a weapon that men have used to advance
their own agenda. God has given us His
precious truth to lead us to Him and to lead us to love of each other. When truth becomes a weapon to destroy each
other, pull down the labors of others, or to build our own empires, the result
is as deadly as if we had spoken lies.
1
Thessalonians 2:5 “For neither at any
time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is
witness:”
1
Corinthians 14:36 “What? came the word
of God out from you? or came it unto you only?”
2
Corinthians 2:17 “For we are not as
many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the
sight of God speak we in Christ.”
