Wisdom from Above and Below

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[This is a transcript of one of the programs on "Running Toward the Goal" sponsored by Pacesetters Bible School, with Henry and Jody Neufeld as speakers. Running Toward the Goal is heard each day at 4:30 PM on WGCX, 95.7 FM in Pensacola, and on the web at http://www.praise95.net.]

[Read James 3:13-18]

The church council meeting is running along smoothly, and then an accountant gets up and points out some problems in the way the church is spending money and accounting for it. We would be wise, he suggests, to change our way of doing business. We need to keep our spending under control, and make sure the money goes for the things it was budgeted for.

Everyone is subdued. But then someone jumps up and says, “That’s just worldly wisdom! I know that God wants us to do things the way we have. Why should we worry about the budget when the Holy Spirit is directing us on how to spend the money?”

Now don’t get the idea that I’m going to tell you that one of these people is bringing the “world’s wisdom,” or the wisdom from below to the meeting, and the other Godly wisdom. No, not at all. Without knowing a lot more about the issues under discussion, I wouldn’t have any idea who was speaking God’s wisdom in the situation, and that’s assuming that either person was doing so.

But I know that many people are concerned about issues such as this, when two people claim to be speaking wisdom, and we’re not really sure which is which. It’s very common for people to claim that their opponents are thinking in a worldly way when they disagree on an issue that is very important to them. But James here provides us with a way to tell the two types of wisdom apart.

What are the key characteristics of the wisdom from below?

Selfishness, jealousy, strife and cruelty. We could summarize these by saying that the wisdom that comes from below seeks its own interests, its own way.

But the wisdom that comes from above has some very different characteristics:

1. pure, it’s motives are above board and open
2. friendly, it’s not there to make enemies, just to support principle
3. gentle, it doesn’t want to beat you up, just point out what needs to be pointed out. Possible translations of the Greek word used here include tolerant and open minded
4. sensible, isn’t easily mislead. It may be open minded, but it isn’t going to accept just anything without examination!
5. kind, even when right, it doesn’t want to hurt others.
6. helpful, seeking the opportunity to be of service, not to serve.
7. genuine, what you see is what you get.
8. Sincere, no hypocrisy here.

The list of characteristics are remarkably like those in 1 Corinthians 13 where they are used to describe love.

^4      Love is kind and patient,
never jealous, boastful,
proud, or ^5 rude.
Love isn’t selfish
or quick tempered.
It doesn’t keep a record
of wrongs that others do.
     ^6      Love rejoices in the truth,
but not in evil.
     ^7      Love is always supportive,
loyal, hopeful,
and trusting.
     ^8      Love never fails!

 (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 CEV)

We could say then that the wisdom that comes from above is characterized by love. Self-sacrificing love.