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James 3:13
“Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.”
Wise living according to God’s Word is one of the major themes of James (see James 1:5–8), and it receives special attention from the Apostle in chapter 3. Having instructed us on the wise and proper use of our tongues in 3:1–12, James in today’s passage begins a short section in which he describes what the wisdom from above—God’s gift of wisdom—produces.
James begins by telling us how we can evaluate whether such wisdom actually exists in a person. First, he asks whether there are any “wise and understanding” among his audience (v. 13). The Greek word translated as “understanding” refers to professional understanding or skill, so James is looking for the person who possesses a large body of knowledge. This reminds us that while one can know many facts and yet lack wisdom—the use of one’s knowledge rightly—we cannot have wisdom without knowledge.
How is an individual’s wisdom demonstrated? By “good conduct.” The Greek word for “show” is the same one used in 2:18 when James says that he will show his faith by his works. Our good works to serve God and neighbor both reveal the authenticity of our faith and prove that we possess and are growing in divine wisdom. Jesus makes the same basic point in Matthew 11:19 when He says that “wisdom is justified [i.e., demonstrated] by her deeds.” Good works show forth wisdom and that we are in a right standing before the Lord. The Venerable Bede writes that “someone who lives in a humble and wise way will give more evidence of his standing before God than any number of words could ever do.”
Good works that demonstrate our wisdom and understanding are done “in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13). Wise people are humble people. This idea was foreign to the secular culture of James’ day, for Greek society did not esteem meekness. In truth, things are not much different today, for our culture frequently celebrates not the humble but those who boast in themselves. Yet the Lord loves meekness. One of the wisest men in Scripture, Moses, is noted for his meekness (Num. 12:3). Here we understand that meekness is not weakness. The meek person is one who has a right view of himself as a creature who is to be humble in the sight of God, waiting for the Lord to exalt him at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6). Meek people honestly assess themselves, not thinking more highly of themselves than they ought (Rom. 12:3).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Humble people have self-control, recognizing their limitations and when they should defer to others. We do well, then, to heed Matthew Henry’s comments: “Nothing hinders the regular apprehension, the solid judgment, and impartiality of thought, necessary to our acting wisely, so much as passion. When we are mild and calm, we are best able to hear reason, and best able to speak it. Wisdom produces meekness, and meekness increases wisdom.”
For further study
- Proverbs 11:2
- Isaiah 29:19
- Matthew 5:5
- James 4:10
The bible in a year
- Numbers 10–12
- Mark 6:1–29