_ Us Christians, we have the truth. We have the light of Christ residing within us and radiating out of us. We know and believe the truth of the Gospel. However, many of us begin to think that we have all truth. You know, those secondary beliefs that you hold to that don’t change the Gospel message. Sometimes we can start to hold to those so strongly that we will harshly argue those points with those around us. Some people who profess Christ will even start to act in selfishness and bitter jealousy (I did that often not all that long ago). This is how church splits happen. That kind of living is neither truly Christian nor truly wise. The author of the New Testament book of James wrote on this very subject.

James 3:13-18 (NCV)
“Are there those among you who are truly wise and understanding? Then they should show it by living right and doing good things with a gentleness that comes from wisdom. But if you are selfish and have bitter jealousy in your hearts, do not brag. Your bragging is a lie that hides the truth. That kind of ‘wisdom’ does not come from God but from the world. It is not spiritual; it is from the devil. Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil.  But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living.”

James is here contrasting true wisdom with false wisdom. Some people think they are wise when they are really not.
Look at James 3:13-18 to answer the following questions.
Where does false wisdom come from?
False wisdom comes from the world around us, our sinful bodies, and demonic forces.
How does false wisdom act?
False wisdom acts in arrogance from the heart.
What does false wisdom bring?
False wisdom brings “disorder and every evil thing” (v. 16 NASB).
Where does true wisdom come from?
True wisdom comes down “from above” (vv. 15 and 17 NASB).
How does true wisdom act?
True wisdom acts in goodness, gentleness, purity, peacefulness, reasonableness, mercy, and sincerity.
“What is this wisdom like?
James says:
•             It is ‘pure’. This means it is free from all the things that characterize false wisdom.
•             It is also ‘peaceable’. It delights in peace and promotes peace.
•             It is ‘gentle’. It is not combative and abrasive. It is reasonable and courteous.
•             It is ‘willing to yield’. It is open to reason. It doesn’t insist on its rights and its own way.
•             It is ‘full of mercy’, that is, it shows compassion to those who are in need.
•             It is ‘full of … good fruits’. That means it is rich in good deeds.
•             It is ‘without partiality’. It does not show favoritism.
•             It is ‘without hypocrisy’. It is sincere and genuine. It doesn’t put on a front.
This is God’s wisdom, and when we allow this wisdom to drive us down the road of life—which is another way of saying we allow God to drive us—we achieve a wonderful result.” (Ellsworth).
What is the result of wisdom?
“That result is righteousness (v. 18). Righteousness is, of course, right conduct. It is right living, that is, living in accordance with the will of God.” (Ellswroth).
V. 18 shows us that true wisdom is multiplied through peaceful living.

Being a wise person is not only being a smart person. Being a truly wise person is to act on what you know through “right-living” (v. 18 NCV). Taking a moment to breathe when a conversation gets hot may help you to speak with “a gentleness that comes from wisdom” (v. 13 NCV). The Kingdom of Christ and righteous living in His Church can be spread through peaceful wisdom. Next time you get in a disagreement with another Christian, a non-believer, a friend, or a family member be gentle and willing to yield. The truths of God will not spread through abrasive living but only through gentle and righteous living.

*You may watch me preach a short sermon on this subject here.

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The Everyday Bible: New Century Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Ellsworth, Roger. Opening Up James. Leominster: Day One Publications, 2009.

When an argument ensues are you more likely to hurt someone else or be the one to get hurt?

Our words can do a lot of damage. Just take a look at James 3:3-10. What we say can change the circumstances, attitudes, and relationships of all those that hear; either for the better or for the worse.

In James 3:3-10 what are some outcomes St James mentions our words can have?

“Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part ⌊of the body⌋, it boasts great things.  Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our ⌊bodies⌋. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.  Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way.” (HCSB)

With our tongue we can:
·        Praise our Lord and Father
·        Curse human beings
·        Set the whole course of our lives on fire
·        Corrupt our entire person
The worst effect our tongue can have is destroying our lives. That makes our words very powerful.

James also mentions that man has tamed every sea creature, reptile, bird, and animal but no man has tamed the tongue. If it is easier to tame lions, tigers, and bears than our own words why even try?
I want to try to get my tongue under control because Jesus said “you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (NASB) and because I do not want my words to destroy my life or hurt other human beings. Although I may “stumble in many ways” (James 3:2 HCSB) I want to stumble less and less as I grow in Christ.

However, fixing our tongue doesn’t happen by grabbing a hold of it or duct taping your mouth. The problem is inside of us and the solution needs to reach inside of us as well.
“…the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart” (Matthew 12:34 HCSB).
We must ask God to change our hearts so that we can change our speech.

For more on our speech see: Matthew 23:25-27; Ephesians 4:25, 29; 5:3-4; and Exodus 20:19.

The Holy Bible : Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009).
New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).