James 3:17-18

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace" (James 3:17-18).

Noah Webster defines faith theologically as "the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith, is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation." 

Wisdom requires belief in its source. And without saving faith, the wisdom of God is void of meaning. Wisdom forces us to reconcile what we believe about divine revelation and the inerrant entirety of Scripture.

It also magnifies to what degree we submit to the authority of Christ, obey and apply the teachings of Scripture, rely on the convicting promptings of the Holy Spirit, and surrender our personal will. Because without establishing the foundation on which wisdom derives, we cannot begin to understand the many facets that comprise wisdom.

James begins his discussion of wisdom by elevating purity as its greatest attribute. Purity conveys perfection. It is not influenced by the world, unclean or carnal in any way, but convicts in order to draw out a pure application of Scripture that glorifies God. It enables man to live free from the impure lusts of the flesh, pride and selfishness without fear of condemnation and judgment.

Wisdom is also peaceable in that it resists division in the body of Christ by promoting healthy dialogue in order to bridge gaps. It does not allow fights and quarrels to pull believers away from one another but unifies and unites the church under the supreme authority of God's Word.

Gentleness further identifies wisdom through the Spirit's conviction and in conjunction with humility. It is meek, mild-mannered and even-keeled, but also full of mercy choosing to forgive rather than condemn. It listens to understand so as to be open to reason with a teachable heart, willing to yield personal preference for the unity of the body. It is not easily swayed but maintains fair and equitable standards to solidify its impartiality and justice.

Wisdom is sincere and not boastful or manipulative in order to gain an advantage for leverage. It opposes hypocrisy and produces fruit that testifies to the truth of Scripture. In all, wisdom from above produces character and integrity that sets it apart from the wisdom of man and the world.

But what good is it for man to simply know what wisdom looks like according to James without applying its standards of righteousness? The harvest is what we seek, for it has the power to destroy strongholds that bind our hearts.

Make no mistake, we are constantly at war with our flesh. Dissension is always our adversary, for Satan seeks to spoil the harvest by planting tempestuous weeds among spiritual wheat. And the longer we allow relative truth to drown out the wisdom of God found in Holy Scripture, the longer we remain in spiritual unrest and turmoil.

Peace is our only option, but we must sow peace in order to reap the reward of our labor despite the jealousy and selfish ambition our flesh prioritizes. James previously warned us of these dangers in order to come full circle at the end of this passage and clarify the harvest we strive to attain.

In the end, if we seek true wisdom from above and not the wisdom of man or the world, we will attain a spiritual blessing that far exceeds monetary value. It is a priceless gift given freely by our Creator God, and one that is entrusted to His followers with expectation of application.

Our response is simply to not take that gift for granted but to share it freely and apply it universally at all times and in all occasions. Because as Jesus reminded His disciples in Matthew 13:24-30, wheat and weeds will grow together in our lives. But when the day of harvest arrives, the fruit of the wheat (God's wisdom) will be counted as righteousness while the weeds (man's wisdom) gathered and burned in judgment.