Living Out Our Faith Skillfully - James 3:17 (2)
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Introduction
Introduction
Well, here we are on another Sunday evening ready to study God’s Word once again. We back in James 3. So, please take out your Bibles and turn to that chapter. We will read the paragraph we are working through and then come back to highlight our verse for study this evening.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Not look again at verse 17 which says:
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
As you may have noticed already, we are only one verse away from being finished with this paragraph. Once we are done, we will come back and look at the entire paragraph. We will then follow that by giving a summary of the entire chapter. However, for now, we have a lot to know and study from verse 17. So, let’s get right into our grammar study.
GRAMMAR STUDY
GRAMMAR STUDY
You will note that there is only one verb. The word “is” is a state of being verb. Thus, the subject exists as stated in the sentence.
Will also note that we have two nouns. The first noun is our subject. It is the word “wisdom.” We have already stated the meaning of this word several times since it is also the subject of the entire paragraph. However, so that we might refresh our memory, we will give it once again. “Wisdom” is understood as the quality of having knowledge, skill, and experience in mastery over a particular subject or trade through practice and learning. The other two nouns are the objects of two prepositional phrases. Both phrases describe the subject, which is wisdom. Wisdom is FULL OF (preposition) mercy and good fruits.
Mercy is a great word. Take note that it means an outward demonstration of pity. Furthermore, mercy assumes there is a need on the part of him who receives it, and, on the part of him who shows it, there are adequate resources to meet that need. We know and understand, for example, that God is rich in mercy. There is no doubt that we require God’s resources. We need forgiveness, and God definitely has an abundant resource. “Fruits” simply means the product or consequence of some effort or action. We often relate fruit to trees and plants. They produce fruit relative to their particular kind. For example, an apple tree has apples. However, we must also note that an apple tree can produce bad fruit or good fruit. If a tree is genetically sound, it will produce good fruit. The opposite is also true. If that tree is genetically flawed, it will produce rotten or bad fruit. In our verse, it is stated explicitly that the wisdom from above is full of GOOD fruits. We must conclude then that this wisdom is fundamentally sound. In fact, we know that the wisdom from above is pure.
This leads us then to our adverbs and adjectives. Adverbs answer the questions when, where, how, and to what extent (how much or how long). We have three in our verse this evening. They are:
That is from above [from above; at or originating from a location above oneself] - it answers the question where.
First [firstly; before anything else] - it answers the question of when.
Then [then; subsequently or soon afterward] - it also answers the question when.
Thus, we learn where this wisdom comes from. It comes from above. A stark distinction from the wisdom of verse 15.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
The word “first” and “then” gives us a sense of numerical order. The wisdom that is from above is, first and foremost, pure. Then, soon afterward, it is peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy, full of good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
All of these attributes we just listed describe then the wisdom from above. They are our adjectives.
The first adjective listed is the word “pure.” It means utterly pure from defilement and contamination. We will definitely be coming back to this description in a few moments. The second adjective is the word “peaceable.” This word has the idea of peace attributed to a harmonious relationship. The following adjective is “gentle.” The meaning in Greek here is a little different than our current English understanding. We often understand “gentle” as having a tender disposition and thus docile or soft. However, in Greek, the idea is someone or something equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing, not insisting on the letter of the law. I believe that the second understanding listed in your notes is quite adequate. Note that it says, “it expresses that considerateness that looks humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case.” Thus, peaceful means to be humane and reasonable in every situation that arises. Our following adjective is the phrase “easy to be intreated.” You can sum that one up by simply saying, “ready to obey.”
Now, the following four adjectives are actually prepositional phrases. The first two start with the word “full,” which means having the stated item’s full measure, extent, or degree. The first item is, as we already noted, mercy. The second is (good) fruits. The word “good” modifies the word “fruits.” Adjectives answer the questions what kind, how many, which ones, and whose. Thus, the word “good” tells what kind of fruit. It is good versus bad fruit. Therefore, wisdom is full of mercy and good fruits. It possesses the full extent of mercy and good fruits.
The other two prepositional phrases start with the preposition “without.” “Without” denotes possession. Thus, the wisdom from above does not possess two qualities. It does not possess partiality and hypocrisy. Partiality means uncertainty or indecision. Hypocrisy is an interesting word. It literally means to answer. However, the connotation is play-acting as an actor or actress gives dialogue. In other words, the actor is not really who he is portraying. He is simply filling a role on stage. Therefore, we know that the wisdom from above does not possess any uncertainty and does not deceive people into thinking something different than what it really is.
Okay, that was a lot of grammar. Now, let’s move to this verse's spiritual understanding and application.
Spiritual Application
Spiritual Application
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
The obvious answer is wisdom.
What is the Holy Spirit saying about wisdom?
What is the Holy Spirit saying about wisdom?
Last week, we learned that God’s wisdom is quite different from man’s wisdom. Man’s wisdom is earthly, sensual, and devilish, not from above. In contrast, God’s wisdom is from above and far superior to anything man offers. The Holy Spirit follows that by listing the characteristics of God’s wisdom. The ones we studied last week were.
It is Pure- Pure in that it is entirely free from any defilement or contamination.
It is Peaceable - Peace is achieved through harmonious relationships.
It is Gentle - (I really like the description that I gave earlier.) equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing, not insisting on the letter of the law. Gentle expresses that considerateness that looks humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case.
Tonight, as the Lord wills, we will finish the rest. If not, we will pick up next Sunday evening where we left off. Look again at our verse.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Note that God’s wisdom is:
Easy to be Intreated
Easy to be Intreated
This is an exciting phrase. In Greek, this phrase is one word. However, it is a compound word. The main Greek word is the word for obey. It is coupled with another Greek word meaning “well.” Thus, it means well obeyed. Another way to understand this is this. God’s wisdom is ready to obey. If you stop and consider it, you will realize that a person who is prepared to obey is a person who willingly listens and willingly does what is instructed. For this reason, the person is teachable.
When I was coaching baseball, I always said that I would rather have a not-so-talented baseball player who was teachable than a talented baseball player who was stubborn and unwilling to learn. In much the same way, God is looking for teachers who have a teachable spirit. As teachers, we must learn to listen to God’s wisdom and reasoning. In fact, all believers must realize their need to listen to God’s wisdom alone. We must listen, learn, and them make the necessary changes to our attitude, behavior, and conduct that is required by God. A believer who does so meets this qualification of a Biblical teacher. Here are a few other verses underscoring this same principle.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Now note the following characteristic is:
Full of Mercy
Full of Mercy
Remember that “full” means to the full measure, extent, or degree of what is stated. The word “mercy” deals with thoughts of pity, compassion, affection, and kindness. If you recall, our definition further said that mercy assumes there is a need on the part of him who receives it, and, on the part of him who shows it, there are adequate resources to meet that need. Thus, we have two essential elements for mercy. They see a need and the ability to meet that need. God saw our need. He was compassionate towards us.
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Note our need! We were dead in trespasses and sins. God, rich in mercy and full of great love, met our needs through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
By the way, God’s mercy has no trace of discrimination. Christ died for all men.
14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
A true teacher of God’s word is a person who desires to meet the needs of all people. They do not discriminate. Following God’s wisdom demands that we reach out to those in need, no matter how poor or how sinful they might be. Instead, a true teacher is moved by the same compassion that God had for us.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Full of Good Fruits
Full of Good Fruits
The following characteristic falls under the same measure as mercy. God’s wisdom is not only full of mercy, but it is full of good fruits. We understand the word “good” means not bad. Fruits are the product or consequence of actions taken. The correlation is that of mercy. Mercy sees the need desiring to meet that need. The end result is good fruit, product, or consequence. If you think back to Ephesians 2 and the text we read earlier, God saw our need, He met our need, and the end result was our salvation. It was an excellent consequence. What was the fruit or product? It was eternal life versus eternal torment.
If we relate this to a teacher whose foundation is God’s wisdom, we have a teacher who seeks to do the same. They desire to meet people where they are so that there may be good fruits.
10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
True Bible teachers seek to do good to those suffering, who are alone, who are prisoners, who are grieving, who are poor, who are destitute, who are hungry, who are sinful, who are backslidden, who are lost, and who are wicked. A sage teacher does all they can to meet the needs of this desperate world. They willingly give their time and talents to help others. A teacher will often sacrifice much, even the needs of their own family, in meeting the needs of others. They epitomize the Good Samaritan who helped the one lying in the ditch.
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
This brings us to the following two characteristics. Note that these next two begin with the preposition “without.” In other words, God’s wisdom does not possess the following two characteristics.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
There two connotations here.
First, God’s wisdom is impartial. Sinners are sinners.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
All require a Savior. Christ came and died for all. It matters not the skin color or the language that comes out of their mouth. All are guilty. All are condemned. All can find salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.
By that same principle, the wise teacher is impartial as well. There is no favoritism, and there is no discrimination.
21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.
Second, God’s wisdom is certain. There is no uncertainty and no indecision. A wise teacher is undivided in their conviction and judgment. They are undivided because they made God’s Word the foundation of all they teach. They teach and preach precisely what God’s Word says without entertaining false ideas or opinions. A wise teacher is entirely committed and undivided in following and teaching God’s Word.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Here is the last characteristic.
Without Hypocrisy
Without Hypocrisy
Again, you may recall that hypocrisy indicates play-acting. Many Greek and Roman actors wore masks. They took on the roles of another person. They pretended to be someone they were not. It was not truly the person behind the mask.
God’s wisdom does not play around. It does not fake people out. Everything that God has said is absolute truth. God does not teach one thing and does another. God is holy; thus, all He does is holy. God is love, and thus all He does is in love. I could go on listing all His attributes, but I believe you catch my understanding.
For the wise teacher, the same must hold true. If we are going to teach God’s Word, we must live God’s Word. You cannot claim to be a Bible teacher and then turn to teach something else. It is one of the reasons why I choose to teach expositorily. I want to be known as a pastor who teaches strictly God’s Word and nothing else. I will be happy if my tombstone reads “He taught God’s Word” and nothing else. By the same token, to teach God’s word and then live an impure and unrighteous life is wrong also.
12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
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.
7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As teachers, we must use God’s Word as the source of all we teach. We must never use man’s wisdom. If we do, we will teach what is earthly, sensual, and devilish. Instead, we must commit to the knowledge that only comes from above. It is wisdom only found in this sacred Book, the Bible. When it becomes all that we teach and preach, we are on the right path. As Bible teachers, we must teach it, but we must also live it. Thus, we must be live pure, peaceable, gentle, ready to obey, full of mercy and good fruits, and without partiality and hypocrisy. How do we do it? We do it by allowing God’s Spirit to control us. We humbly submit to Him. He can work through us when we do, and His fruit is produced in us.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.