THE BOOK OF JAMES
(“The Pursuit of Peace”)
James 3:13-18 (NASU)
“And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18)
(A) WHO IS ADEQUATE?
(1) One of the choices Christians face on a daily basis is whether we will depend upon ourselves, or depend upon Christ. WILL WE WALK MOMENT BY MOMENT IN OUR OWN STRENGTH – OR WILL WE WALK MOMENT BY MOMENT DEPENDING UPON OUR SAVIOR’S ENABLING GRACE? Will we rely solely on our own resources to deal with the obstacles of life – or will we rely (by faith) on the One who possesses all wisdom, and all power, and all authority.
(a) Numerous Scriptures drive home this daily choice – like Proverbs chapter three, which says: 5“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (c.f. Proverbs 3:5-6) – and Galatians chapter three, where Paul asks: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (c.f. Galatians 3:3) (i.e. having been saved by grace through faith, are you now relying on your own strength to be perfected and sanctified?) – and also Hebrews chapter four, where we are exhorted to “… draw near with confidence to the throne of grace … that we may … find GRACE TO HELP in time of need” (c.f. Hebrews 4:16) (as opposed to refusing or ignoring Christ’s help, and relying solely on ourselves).
Elsewhere Scripture reminds us that “we walk BY FAITH, not by sight” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:7) – that we are what we are “by the GRACE of God” (c.f. I Corinthians 15:10) – that we are to “be strong in the GRACE that is in Christ Jesus” (c.f. II Timothy 2:1) – and that we are to be “strengthened BY GRACE” (c.f. Hebrews 13:9).
(b) All these verses (plus others) teach us that God’s grace is not only necessary for our salvation – it’s also necessary for effectual spiritual growth and daily living. And the choice we are faced with each day is whether we will try and walk in our own strength, or depend upon the grace which Christ supplies.
(2) This was brought home to me again two weeks ago, as we were finishing up our study of what “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17) looks like.
The Book of James repeatedly emphasizes the importance of being DOERS of God’s word, not just listeners (c.f. James 1:22) – of being the kind of people who don’t just “say” (c.f. James 2:14) they are Christians, but also demonstrate they are Christians by the way they live1 – of being the kind of people who not only claim to have been saved by God’s grace through the gift of faith in Jesus Christ (c.f. Ephesians 2:8-9), but whose good works give practical evidence they really are new creatures in Him (c.f. II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; James 2:14-26).
(3) James’ list of practical ways to show the genuineness of our faith include, (in chapter one) visiting widows and orphans in their distress (c.f. James 1:27) (which means, in this instance, that we actually help them and protect them, rather than simply dropping by for coffee and conversation) – also (chapter two) being impartial in our relationships with other people, (as opposed to showing favoritism to certain individuals based on superficial appearances or our own evil motives) (c.f. James 2:1-4) – (chapter three) putting a bridle on the inflammatory tendencies of our tongue, which in its natural and unredeemed state is “a restless evil … full of deadly poison” (v. 8) (c.f. James 3:1-12) – and, of course, most recently (also in chapter three), learning how to live according to the true wisdom that comes down from our heavenly Father, rather than by the pseudo wisdom of the world (c.f. James 3:13-17; I Corinthians 3:19).
(4) Verse fifteen tells us the world’s wisdom is “earthly, natural, (and) demonic” (c.f. James 3:15) in nature … while verses fourteen and sixteen tell us it inevitably leads to things like “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” – “arrogant” behavior and lying – “disorder and every evil thing” (c.f. James 3:14-16).
(a) To be a little more specific, “bitter jealousy” (for example) (c.f. James 3:14) is that state of mind and heart that drives people to say and do all kinds of terrible things – from hateful words designed to wound and tear down, to making our own ideas and emotions the standard by which all things are judged as to whether they are good or bad, right or wrong.
Likewise, “selfish ambition” (c.f. James 3:14, 16) has to do with that insatiable drive for personal fulfillment or gratification AT ANY COST– without regard for how others may be adversely affected.
“Arrogance” (c.f. James 3:14) has to do with boasting in ourselves – OUR accomplishments,2 OUR abilities – as opposed to recognizing the achievements of others, or giving glory to God for whatever success we enjoy.
The word “disorder” (c.f. James 3:16) refers to a state of confusion and instability3 that keeps people’s lives in constant upheaval and turmoil.
(b) James’ point is that earthly wisdom produces nothing of any ultimate good or eternal value4 – in part, because earthly wisdom does not honor or glorify our Savior. Hence, Christ’s disciples ought to reject this kind of wisdom – we ought to turn away from it. Indeed, we ought to examine our life (c.f. II Corinthians 13:5) to see if any of these things are present – because to the extent they are, it means we’re making life choices based on the kind of wisdom that is “earthy, natural, (and even) demonic” (c.f. James 3:15).
(5) In contrast, James says “the wisdom from above” is “pure” in nature (c.f. James 3:17) … and that it results in attitudes and actions that are “peaceable, (and) gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, (and) without hypocrisy” (c.f. James 3:17).
Again, to be more specific, the word “peaceable” (c.f. James 3:17) has to do with encouraging harmony and working for reconciliation – instead of stirring up conflict and dissension. To put it another way, “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17) works to preserve peace where it already exists – while also promoting peace where it does not exist.
The word “gentle” (c.f. James 3:17) has to do with things like being patient and courteous5 – as opposed to being harsh, or insensitive, or even violent. Jesus was said to have been “gentle and humble in heart” (c.f. Matthew 11:29) – and so should those who claim to be His disciples.
The word “reasonable” (c.f. James 3:17) carries the idea of being teachable and ready to obey6 – instead of being stubborn, or obstinate, or even rebellious.7
The phrase “full of mercy” (c.f. James 3:17) has to do with compassion8 – like that of the Good Samaritan (c.f. Luke 10:30-37). Scripture says Jesus frequently felt compassion for the people He encountered – and that His compassion always led Him to DO something to help them. Hence, “heavenly wisdom” (c.f. James 3:17) manifests itself (in part) through numerous acts of Christ-like mercy – through acts of practical compassion, whereby we find concrete ways to help the people God has equipped us to help, and providentially put in our path.7
“Good fruits” (c.f. James 3:17) is the same thing as good works – “unwavering” (c.f. James 3:17) has to do with being impartial – while “without hypocrisy” (c.f. James 3:17) means we are to be genuine and sincere at all times, and in all that we do.
(6) So, having gone through these summary pictures of what heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom look like – having briefly described how these two kinds of wisdom display themselves in people’s lives – we ended last time by asking the question: “who is adequate?” (c.f. II Corinthians 2:16) – as in, “who is adequate” (c.f. II Corinthians 2:16) IN AND OF THEMSELVES to turn away from the earthly wisdom that comes so naturally to us as fallen creatures? – “who is adequate” (c.f. II Corinthians 2:16) IN THEIR OWN STRENGTH to make “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17) the basis of every attitude and every action?
(7) And the answer is, “NO ONE!” No one is adequate! Not even Christians! Left to ourselves even we Christians would choose earthly wisdom over heavenly wisdom. Left to ourselves, you and I would choose human wisdom over God’s wisdom. Left to ourselves we would embrace the wisdom that leads to “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (c.f. James 3:14) – “disorder and … evil” (c.f. James 3:16). Left to ourselves, we would reject that “pure” wisdom which results in “peaceable, and gentle, and merciful” words and deeds (c.f. James 3:17).
(8) When I say “left to ourselves”, however, I’m actually referring to a hypothetical situation – at least so far as Christians are concerned. I’m referring to a theoretical condition in which God COMPLETELY removes His hand from His redeemed children, and lets us have our own way in all things – an imaginary state of affairs in which our Savior gives those He has saved WHOLLY over to the natural desires of our old sinful nature – a supposed set of circumstances in which we Christians are left ENTIRELY to our own strength and abilities, to our own wisdom and inclinations.
(a) The first chapter of the Book of Romans talks about “God giving people over” to the lusts of their hearts – to degrading passions – and to a depraved mind (c.f. Romans 1:24-28). However, the context shows these people are not Christians – they are unbelievers who have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (c.f. Romans 1:18) – they are unbelievers who have become futile in their speculations about God (c.f. Romans 1:21) – they are unbelievers who have exchanged the truth about God for a lie – who have exchanged worshipping the Creator for worshipping the creature (c.f. Romans 1:25).
(b) The fact is, we Christians have numerous promises that tell us our heavenly Father and Savior will never “leave us to ourselves”. Here’s a sampling – (Psalm 94:14) “the Lord will NOT abandon His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance” – (Psalm 37:28) “… the Lord … does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever …” – (Hebrews 13:5) “ … I will NEVER desert you, nor will I ever forsake you …” – (Philippians 1:6) “For I am confident of this very thing, (what’s that?) that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” – (John 10:28) “… I give eternal life to them, and they will NEVER perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” – (Genesis 28:15) “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go … I will NOT leave you …” – (II Corinthians 4:8-9) 8“we are afflicted in every way, but NOT crushed; perplexed, but NOT despairing; 9persecuted, but NOT FORSAKEN; struck down, but NOT destroyed”.
God may discipline us – but He will NEVER abandon His covenant people to their own feeble strength. God may let some of the consequences of our sins run their course (as He did in the case of David) – but He will NEVER utterly forsake us. God may let His redeemed people struggle and go through hard times (as He did with Job) – but He will NEVER leave us to ourselves in the sense of totally withdrawing His hand, so that His work of sanctification in us is left incomplete.
(9) Knowing this helps us make the right choice when it comes to deciding whether to walk moment by moment in our own strength – or depend on the enabling grace our God and Savior supplies (indeed, even the ability to make the right choice – i.e. to choose His grace over our strength – is a work of His grace in us!).
(a) The task of turning away from the wisdom of the world, and embracing “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17) is overwhelming – even impossible, IF left to ourselves and our own strength. We know from past experience how easy it is for us fallen creatures to become “jealous” – we know how easy it is for us to be motivated by “selfish ambition” – we remember times when our selfish choices led to “disorder and … evil …” (c.f. James 3:14, 16).
At the same time, we also know how hard it is to practice heavenly wisdom – to behave (for example) in a “peaceable” manner, especially if we’ve been attacked unjustly – to be “full of mercy”, especially when we feel as though our rights have been violated – to be “unwavering” in our commitment to impartiality, especially when other people are using favoritism to try and gain an advantage over us.
(b) James Boice wrote that, “if we look to ourselves, none of us has the strength to do what God requires. But if we look to God for His help … He will accomplish changes in our lives …”9 Hence, the answer to the question posed earlier – i.e. “who is adequate for these things?” (c.f. II Corinthians 2:16) is at least two-fold.
First, none of us is adequate in and of ourselves – none of us are “wise and understanding” (c.f. James 3:13) in ourselves – none of us can turn from the wisdom of the world, and live by “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17) in our own strength. IF God were to leave us to ourselves, we would inevitably embrace the world’s wisdom and reject heaven’s.
Fortunately, we have NOT been left to ourselves. Hence, the second part of our two-fold answer is that even though we are inadequate in and of ourselves, we have made adequate through Christ. Hence, Scripture says: 4“Such confidence we have THROUGH CHRIST toward God. 5Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but OUR ADEQUACY IS FROM GOD” (c.f. II Corinthians 3:4-5) – or, as a paraphrased version I occasionally reference says: 4“… THROUGH CHRIST we feel sure before God. 5I do not mean that we are able to say that we can do this work ourselves. IT IS GOD WHO MAKES US ABLE TO DO ALL THAT WE DO” (c.f. II Corinthians 3:4-5, ICB). Hence, Paul says in another place: “… by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain … I labored … more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (c.f. I Corinthians 15:10).
Therefore, if we become “wise and understanding” (c.f. James 3:13), it won’t be by self-effort – it will only be by the grace of God. If we learn to reject earthly wisdom in favor of heavenly wisdom, it won’t be by our own strength – it will only be by the grace of Christ. If we learn to leave “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” (c.f. James 3:14) behind, it won’t be by our own effort – it will only be by God’s grace. If we become “peaceable, (and) gentle, (and) reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits …” (c.f. James 3:17), it won’t be because we found the strength within ourselves to do it – it will only happen because Christ’s grace enabled us to do is!
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
(1) In closing, then, I want to briefly address the last verse of chapter three, which says: “And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (c.f. James 3:18). Here’s something else we can’t do on our own – something else we can only do by relying upon Christ and His enabling grace.
(2) Although sometimes hard to see,10 the connection between verse eighteen and the rest of our Scripture lesson is at least two-fold.
(a) First, having already told us that being “peaceable” (or “peace-loving”) (c.f. James 3:17) is one evidence of heavenly wisdom, James rounds off this section by elaborating briefly on the matter of peace10 (c.f. James 3:18). Hence, it’s another example of something James does quite often – namely, mentioning a particular subject (like peace-making) while talking about something else (like wisdom), and then backtracking to expand on that subject a little more.
(b) The other connection is that, in summing up his teaching on false wisdom, James said it produces “(all kinds of) evil thing(s)” (c.f. James 3:16). Now, in summing up his teaching on true wisdom, he says it produces the “fruit (of) righteousness” (c.f. James 3:18).10 Hence, James is essentially continuing the contrast between earthly wisdom and “the wisdom from above” (c.f. James 3:17).
(3) The basic thought being expressed in verse eighteen, then, is at least two-fold.
(a) First, the “seed” (c.f. James 3:18) being sown is Godly wisdom.11 When we put our heavenly Father’s wisdom into practice, it’s like sowing seed. Given time, He enables that seed to produce a harvest – in this case, a harvest of “righteousness” (c.f. James 3:18). Hence, the New Geneva Study Bible says: “The fruit reaped by the planting of wisdom is a bountiful crop of righteousness.”12
Elsewhere Scripture says: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (c.f. II Corinthians 9:6) – and again: 7“… whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8… the one who sows to his own flesh will … reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will … reap eternal life. 9(Therefore) Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (i.e. of sowing to the Spirit)” (c.f. Galatians 6:7-9).
Applied to our text, we can say that if we sow Godly wisdom sparingly the harvest of righteousness in our life will be equally sparse – BUT, if we sow bountifully we will reap an abundant harvest of righteousness (in the form of a life marked by such things as peaceableness, gentleness, reasonableness, mercy, etc. – c.f. James 3:17).
We can also say that if we sow Godly wisdom we will reap a life marked by righteousness – but if we sow earthly wisdom we will reap a life marked by things like “bitter jealousy … selfish ambition”, arrogance, and disorder, and all kinds of other evil things (c.f. James 3:14, 16). Hence, the importance of sowing the right kind of seed – in this case, the seed of heavenly wisdom.
(b) The other basic thought is this – it’s important to be sowers of peace – both political peace between men and other men, and also spiritual peace between men and God.
[1] Peace between men is not something that exists naturally in a fallen world. It’s talked about a lot – but experienced very little. It’s been said that in the last four thousand years there have only been three hundred without a major war somewhere in the world. It’s also been said that since the end of World War II, there has not been a single day when hundreds of people have not been killed by some form of military action.13
In addition to these things, there is also hostility between races and religious groups – discontent on university campuses – and chaos among family members who can’t seem to get along. Indeed, turmoil, tumult and turbulence are everywhere – as the perusal of any daily newspaper will show.
Hence, it’s important for us Christians to fulfill our calling as “sons of God” and strive to be “peacemakers” (c.f. Matthew 5:9) – to work for harmony and reconciliation (in part) by trying to bring quarreling parties together14 – and to also practice peace ourselves by striving to live peaceably with all people, in keeping with the passage found in Romans chapter twelve (c.f. Romans 12:18).15
[2] It’s also important to sow spiritual peace – to strive to be sowers of peace between God and men (in part) by sharing the Gospel of Salvation. Romans chapter five says the only way anyone can “have peace with God is through faith in Jesus Christ” (c.f. Romans 5:1). Hence, we need to strive – by Christ’s enabling grace – to be sowers of this kind of peace as well.
Whether it’s political peace between men, or spiritual peace between God and men, the verse from Romans chapter fourteen sums it all up, saying – “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another” (c.f. Romans 14:19).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1MacArthur: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary;
James; p. 181.
2IBID; p. 172.
3IBID; p. 175.
4IBID; p. 176.
5IBID; p. 178.
6BCS: Strong’s Concordance; Word #2138.
7MacArthur: Ibid; p. 179.
8BCS: Ibid; Word #1656.
9Boice: Sure I Believe – So What!; p. 80.
10Blanchard: Truth For Life; p. 224.
11MacArthur: Ibid; p. 180.
12The New Geneva Study Bible: Footnote on James 3:18;
p. 1963.
13Blanchard: Ibid; p. 225.
14Kistemaker: New Testament Commentaries: James,
Epistles of John, Peter and Jude; p. 123.
15IBID; p. 124.