James 3:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

NIV: Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

NASB: This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

CSB: Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.

NLT: For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

KJV: This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

NKJV: This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

In the previous verse, James warned those of us consumed with envy and selfish ambition not to think of ourselves as wise. The world usually defines success as getting whatever it is you want out of life. To do that, you have to look around and decide what you want, mostly by comparing yourself to other people. This can lead to bitter envy. Then, according to the world, you should plan to do whatever it takes to secure those desires for yourself. That requires some amount of selfish ambition.

Phrased that way, it sounds pretty bad. The point is not that all people who try to improve themselves, or to be successful, are doing something wickedly evil. The problem is in the world's definitions of wisdom and success. The skewed, un-biblical attitudes towards these are normal to our ears. As a result, we usually admire those who have followed that path to great wealth, great pleasure, or great status.

James wants to wake us up. That worldly approach to life is not true wisdom, he writes. It's not God's wisdom, It's not heaven's wisdom. In fact, what seems normal to us only because it "is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic." In other words, this "wisdom" can't help us beyond the limits of our short, physical lives. And its origin is the Devil.

This counterfeit wisdom promises to give us all the desires of our hearts. In the next verse, James will describe the actual result.

James 3:13–18 questions our concept of who is wise and understanding. James quickly answers: the truly wise, understanding person is one whose faith in God leads to selfless good works. Wise people live in the humility of wisdom, setting themselves aside to serve others. That's not worldly wisdom, which leaves each person responsible to serve him- or herself first. Earthly attitudes are driven by envy for what others have, and an ambition to take it. The result is disorder and evil instead of the peace, gentleness, and mercy that follow from living by heaven's wisdom.

Human words are powerful. Our tongues are small, but they are capable of wreaking great havoc. Any person who could perfectly control their words would be in perfect control of their entire bodies. Instead, as sinful human beings, our tongues are untamable. Our words are fire, igniting the entire course of our lives. Blessing God and cursing people should not come out of the same mouth; we are corrupted. James concludes the chapter by exploring what it means to be truly wise. True wisdom is not necessarily found in those with the most education, money, or friends. Rather, wise people can be spotted living wisely in humility, participating in good works, enjoying peace, singleness of purpose, and gentle lifestyles.

What does it look like to lead a life characterized by trusting God? Chapters 1 and 2 introduced the idea of how one's actions demonstrate the reality of their beliefs. Here, in chapter 3, James continues to explore this effect. In this passage, he talks about our words and heaven's wisdom. The one with perfect faith in God would have perfect control over his or her words. Worldly wisdom—envy and selfish ambition—with its me-first mentality is a source of disorder and evil in the world. God-trusting, self-sacrificing heavenly wisdom is the source of peace, gentleness, mercy and, ultimately, righteousness. Chapters 4 and 5 will make specific practical application of these thoughts.

The book of James is about specifically understanding what saving faith looks like. How does faith in Christ reveal itself in a believer's life? What choices does real trust in God lead us to make? Those are the questions James answers. Most scholars believe the writer was Jesus' half-brother, a son born to Joseph and Mary after Jesus' birth. James may not have come to believe Jesus was the Messiah until after the resurrection. Eventually, though, he became one of the leaders of the Christian church in Jerusalem. This is possibly the earliest-written of all the New Testament books, around AD 40–50. James addresses his letter to Jewish Christians scattered around the known world.