James 3:13-16 – “Unheeded Warnings”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹³Who [is] wise and understanding among you? Let him display his works out of the good lifestyle in humility of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter passion and factiousness in your heart, do not boast over or lie against the truth. ¹⁵Such wisdom is not coming down from above but [it is] earthly, animal, demonic, ¹⁶for, where [there is] passion and factiousness, there [is] disorder and every foul practice.

An interesting thing happened while I was studying this passage. I came to a point where I wanted to say, “Wow. This is really negative. After the whole tongue thing, I’m tired of thinking about the negative. I wish I could just move on.” However, as I pondered it all, I was reminded that the Lord is never wrong – if He wants to focus on some negatives, then I need to just sit still and “take my medicine.” Even if it’s negative and even if it feels like it’s been negative too long, it must be truth I need to hear. So that’s what I’ve tried to do – just listen and take my medicine.

Of course, the result has been that again I feel like I hear the Lord telling me things I’ve completely missed every time I’ve ever read or studied or taught or just pondered the book of James. Earlier in this same chapter, He really floored me with the reality that my mouth is “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, and set on fire by hell!” Set on fire by hell??? Yikes! I know I’ve never really taken that truth seriously. I’ve never before lived in holy fear of my own mouth.

What He helps us see in vv13-16 is that we need just as much to fear what we think is our “wisdom.” “Who is wise and understanding among you?” he asks. “Who thinks they have something to teach, something to ‘tell’ others?” James’ prescription is, “Then focus your energies on actually living that truth – all the while realizing that your ‘wisdom’ is a very dangerous thing!”

What does he mean? Think about what he’s saying: “But if you harbor bitter passion and factiousness (or selfish ambition) in your heart, don’t boast over and lie against the truth.” If you think you have some “wisdom” or some knowledge of truth but it generates inside of you bitter energies, you have reason to fear that “wisdom.” God is love, so, if the “truth” I think I know generates inside of me hateful passions instead of love, something is seriously wrong.

He’s saying, as I would talk and as I would “teach” or explain what I think is truth, I have need to be very alert to what’s going on in my heart. The symptom to beware of is these bitter energies. If I would admit they’re there, then I have need to pause further.

He says, if they’re there, then don’t be “boasting over or lying against the truth.” Boasting? Lying? My first response is to say, “I don’t think I am.” Wrong answer! That is exactly what I’m doing. The truth is, according to James, such “wisdom” is straight out of hell! If in my heart there are bitter energies going on, the Lord Himself warns me here in James 3:15, “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven …” Here I am, thinking I have something to say for God, thinking I’m being “valiant for truth” and He says, “You didn’t get what you’re saying from Me!”

Instead, He says, such “wisdom” – the kind of “wisdom” that generates contentiousness inside of me – is not from heaven but rather is “earthly, animal, demonic.” Demonic??? Yikes! There it is again – “Set on fire by hell!” Here is where I really need to “take my medicine.” It is really ugly but obviously I need to see it: Even as I would “teach” God’s truth, it is possible my “wisdom” is itself set on fire by hell. It is possible its origin is not God but demonic!

Demonic! God help us! You mean a pastor can be preaching Bible from a pulpit, that it really can be Bible, and yet his “wisdom” is coming from hell not heaven? Is that possible? What is James saying? Yes, it is possible. Could I be “sharing the Gospel” with someone, telling them how to be saved, and yet my “wisdom” is coming from hell not heaven? What is James saying? Yes, it is possible. Could I be “explaining” to someone else what I think is the truth, could I actually be quoting Scriptures to them, trying to “help” someone else, “contending earnestly for the once-delivered faith” … could I be all of these things and yet my “wisdom” is coming from the very pits of hell? What is James saying? Yes, it is possible. What’s going on in your heart? “Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels …”

If that doesn’t fill our hearts with holy fear, what will???

Makes me want to say again, what I need is not better rules. I need a Savior!

Thank God He puts His very Holy Spirit in us. No wonder. Earthly. Animal. Demonic!

Earthly. It is so easy to say things like, “Well, that’s just natural.” Animal. It’s easy to just go with whatever appeals to me. In both of those cases and in the right setting, you can get us all to admit that is not good. But are we willing to see it’s not just earthly, it’s not just animal – it’s demonic! It’s not just “not good;” it’s straight out of hell!

He reiterates His point with verse 16, “For where you have passion and factiousness (selfish ambition) there you find disorder and every evil practice.” God is not the author of confusion (same word as “disorder”), but of peace. As we’ll see in the following verses, God’s wisdom brings peace. But our “natural” human wisdom and the wisdom that we hold along with bitter passions in our hearts – that wisdom will not produce peace but disorder and exactly the opposite behaviors we might hope for.

Oh, how much I need to let the Holy Spirit control the very emotions simmering within me. He alone can empower me to see the troublesome simmerings as demonic and fear them enough to run for shelter to His heart! God help me to love better, to love very deeply – from my heart, to be aware when the symptoms are there to warn me there’s another “control” going on!

And so I conclude, once again, the only safe place to be is wrapped in His arms! God help us all to stay so close to You, help us to so treasure Your presence, to so know you that we quickly recognize when our hearts are bittered and let you instead fill us with Your love.

I can’t believe how many times I’ve read this passage and never seen all of this. It’s right there in plain English. Falls in the sad category of “unheeded warnings!”