The apostle James asks, ‘Who is wise and understanding among you?’ Then he goes on, ‘Let him show it by…’
How should we complete this sentence? We would probably want to put in a phrase like, ‘his mature counsel’ or, ‘his learning and knowledge’ or, ‘his ability to lead and guide the church’ or something similar.
Well, James concludes the sentence like this: ‘Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom’ (James 3:13).
This is an unexpected answer. Wisdom is demonstrated, not by learning and skill, but by a good life. What we are and what we do is more important than what we know or what we say.
If we put together the qualities which he mentions, we have a list like this:
good
humble
pure
peace-loving
considerate
submissive
full of mercy
full of good fruit
impartial
sincere
righteous
Now anyone can understand this. Even a child knows that goodness is better than badness; that peace is better than fighting; that purity is better than impurity; and so on. This means that such wisdom is within the grasp of everyone. It is not just for the learned or the scholarly. The simple can tread safely on this pathway
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.