“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 NIV)
Heavenly wisdom defined in Scripture
The above passage defines heavenly wisdom in a few words. Below is the verse, written out one piece at a time, with added scripture to further show meaning and application.
“The wisdom that comes down from above – “ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Is first of all pure – “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)
Then peace-loving – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9)
Considerate – “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)
Submissive – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21)
Full of mercy – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
And good fruit – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (James 1:5)
Impartial – “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,” (Acts 10:34)
And sincere.” – “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:17)
Therefore…
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” (Prov. 2:6)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10)
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Prov. 3:13-18)
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