James, Part 19

Today’s passage contains one of the most scathing rebukes in the Bible. And it is directed to Christians:

Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace… ”
James 4:4–6a

James refers to his readers as “adulteresses,” but he is not just speaking to women. He uses the feminine form of the word to remind his readers that God views his people as his bride. “For your Maker is your husband–the Lord Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5).

What is the significance of God claiming the role of husband? It means that our relationship to God is not distant like that of a king and his subjects, but intimate, like the marriage relationship. And Israel was terribly unfaithful. The passage from Ezekiel below is long, but it provides a dramatic picture of how God feels when his people reject him.

James–Part 18

Those conflicts and quarrels among you, where do they come from? Don’t they come from your desires that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it, so you murder. You covet something and cannot obtain it, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask God. And even when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives–you want to spend it on your pleasures.

James 4:1-3

Conflict. None of us like it, but all of us have to deal with it from time to time. It’s not uncommon to hear couples say things like, “We love each other, but we can’t get along, and we fight about the stupidest things.” It’s not uncommon to hear a parent confess, “There’s constant tension between me and the kids. It seems like we’re always arguing.”

We identify with those kinds of feelings because all of us have a dark side to our nature. Inside each of us is a person who says and does venomous things. Then we wonder, “Where did that come from?”

James–Part 17

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure–then peace loving, gentle, willing to yield to others, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17-18

James has a lot to say about the nature of wisdom, and in chapter 3 he explains how wisdom helps us establish and build healthy relationships. His counsel is timeless because we will meet all kinds of people in the world. Some will inspire us and some will irritate us, and early in life we learn that most of our problems are people problems. James tells us how to use these challenges to build productive bonds with the folks around us.

Verse 18 gives us the key: “those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” You and I plant seeds every day. Sometimes we plant seeds of skepticism, anger, and selfishness. Sometimes we plant seeds of peace, love, and generosity. And we reap what we sow. In verse 17, James offers several characteristics of heavenly wisdom we can use to evaluate our own relational health.

First and foremost, James says, the wisdom that comes from above is hagne (“pure”). The term stems from the same root as the word, “holy.” To be hagne is to be “set apart” in both a negative and positive sense: set apart from earthbound values and set apart to live according to God’s principles. When James says purity is “first,” he is saying it is the preeminent attribute and serves as an umbrella for the others. Wisdom can only be built upon a commitment to do things God’s way.

James–Part 16

We live in a day and age where wisdom is sold everywhere. We have books to teach us The Secret, How to Win Friends and Influence People, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and how to Think and Grow Rich. We have celebrity gurus like Deepak Chopra, Suze Orman, Wayne Dyer, Anthony Robbins, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Phil, and Joel Osteen. We have thousands of television programs, radio shows, and blogs.

It seems like everyone has a plan we can follow to get ahead in the world. But with so many competing and contradictory plans being offered, we need to ask the question James asks in chapter 3: Who is wise and understanding among you?

That’s a great question, but the answer will depend on the kind of wisdom we are looking for. James says there is more than one kind:

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom. Such “wisdom” does not come down from above, but is earthbound, unspiritual, and demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.

James 3:13-16