The Book of James: Godly Wisdom

What is true wisdom? Who of the people around us do we see as wise? An influential politician? That one person in our class or at work? The book of James teaches Godly wisdom. This Godly wisdom is wisdom that goes against what the world teaches us is wise. The world teaches us that it is wise to get a good education, to save money, to create a good life for yourself. The worlds wisdom is selfish. Godly wisdom is selfless.

Wisdom in the book of James

The book of James is written to Christian Jews who were fighting and quarreling among themselves, judging each other and valuing the opinion of man and their appearance. They had come to faith, accepted Jesus Christ as their savior but didn’t show that in their works. In the fight for good and evil, they were choosing evil and therefore their faith is dead. They were choosing the worldly wisdom. They were selfish.

James shows them a wisdom that is different, a wisdom that is pure. This wisdom is purely focused on what God called them to. It is focused on peace and solving conflict. God’s wisdom is gentle and considerate, not ready to fight, but ready to serve. This wisdom is reasonable and humble, ready to see things from the other person’s perspective and do it their way. It is full of mercy and without judgment and partiality. It is to obey the law, rather than to do evil.

If these churches give up their selfishness and their desperate need to get what they want their life would become so much easier. Without that agenda in everything they do, there is no need for fighting and quarreling. They only way to give that up is to believe that they have a good God who gives them everything they need. God gives His wisdom generously to all without reproach. He won’t show His disappointment or disapproval. He is full of grace. God just desires faith, a willingness to follow His Godly wisdom.

To summarize, God’s wisdom is to stand in our calling. Our calling is to be humble and without sin. We can do this if we remember that Jesus one day will return. We have to be patient and steadfast, using prayer as a powerful tool to get us through all circumstances.

What does this mean for us today?

This view on wisdom changes our perspective. Is that seemingly wise TED talker being humble? Is he showing God’s mercy in what he does in his day-to-day life? Is that politician wise? Or are your friends wise? Above all, it teaches us that God values our humility. To constantly value the other person and to place ourselves at the lowest place on the foot of the table in God’s kingdom (Luke 14:7-11). Because those who humble themselves will be exalted.

A Short Summary of the Book of James

The book of James is written as a letter from James, the brother of Jesus, to the Christian Jews of the Dispersion. It is probably written from Jerusalem in the mid 40’s where James was the leader of the church.

The book of James does not have a clear structure and looks a lot like a random collection of exhortations. We can however see that chapter one is somewhat a summary of the rest of the book. After the address (1:1), James immediately starts his letter by giving his readers instructions on how to deal with trials and temptations (1:2-18) and urges them to not only be hearers but also to be doers of the Word of God (1:19-25).

In chapter two he forbids them to show any partiality. They were dishonoring the poor and honoring the rich (2:1-13). They weren’t obeying the law, saying that faith was enough. James shows them that faith is not enough. It is shown in works, just like with Abraham and with Rahab.

In chapter three he warns them against the evil of the tongue. This evil makes people stumble and therefore they should not all desire to be teachers. They will be judged more strictly. He then continues in 3:13-18 with explaining to them the nature of earthly and pure, Godly wisdom.

In chapter 4, he rebukes them for their fighting and quarreling, for only going after their own desires. He warns them about friendship with the world and shows them that God requires humility and resistance to the devil. He also rebukes them for making plans for the future, boasting in arrogance.

The letter closes with a warning for the rich (5:1-6), a commanding of patience and steadfastness with an eternal perspective (5:7-12), a reminder of the power of prayer in every circumstance (5:13-18), and a declaration of joy for when a person returns to the faith (5:19-20).

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