The Earthly and the Heavenly Wisdom.
By John G. Matteson
Wisdom was from the beginning a gift of God, but it has been greatly perverted in this evil world where wisdom and goodness do not always keep company. Two kinds of wisdom are presented to us by the apostle James in the third chapter of his epistle. One is earthly, the other is from above. He asks: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?” Many would answer, I am one. Most people desire to be looked upon as persons of considerable understanding. But let us not be hasty to answer. “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.” Verse 13. By a good conversation, or conduct, is the proper way to answer this question. And faith must be active, producing good works. And these works must not be performed with blind zeal, regardless of offending or injuring others, but with meekness of wisdom. They must be performed in love, at the proper time and place. “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.” Verse 14. Many embrace something which they call truth. Others receive the truth of God, but still have bitter envying and strife in their hearts. They work hard to spread the truth and win others to their own theory, and some flatter themselves that they do considerable toward advancing the work of grace. But mark closely the words of the apostle. If there is still envy and strife in your heart, producing bitter words to those whom you should assist and love, and harsh actions toward them, you do not advance the cause of truth. With all your zeal, void of love and heavenly wisdom, you do only lie against the truth. You injure the cause which you profess to love. We cannot serve both God and mammon. We cannot advance the cause of truth, and at the same time lie against it. Let us strive to get away from this delusion. Let us not glory or praise ourselves while envying and strife or other sins rule in our hearts. But when we watch and pray and crucify the flesh and by the grace of God overcome the bitter envying of our hearts, then we can glory in the Lord who is strong in the weak. Then we can help some toward advancing the cause of truth; for then the Lord can bless our labors. “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Verses 15, 16. A disposition to envy and strife is a terrible evil; for it produces confusion and every evil work. Yet it is a kind of wisdom which makes people justify themselves and cover up their own sins. But it is not the heavenly wisdom. It possesses no heavenly qualities. It is only earthly, sensual, and devilish. This wisdom is called devilish, because it was introduced into this world by Satan; earthly, because it exists only upon the earth; and sensual, because it agrees with the carnal mind. Its origin is clearly seen in the fall of man. The serpent addressed the woman with a question: “Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The serpent was Satan’s medium. He did not make any assertion at all to start with. He did not say whether God had or had not said anything. He only sought for a private interview with the woman, and did not show his worst side first, but tried to arouse her curiosity and stir up unbelief. She no doubt made a mistake in straying away from the side of her husband, and her wrong increased when she ventured to linger alone near the tree, which stood in the only place where the tempter was permitted to address her. Neither was it safe for her to presume on her own ability and strength, as she did in thus undertaking to converse alone with a stranger. And it was still worse to linger in the company of one whose first words led her to disbelieve her kind Heavenly Father who had surrounded her with every earthly blessing. The Lord had said that a man “shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh.” Matt. 19: 5. But Eve depended in that fatal moment upon her own ability, and, persuaded by a stranger, she rashly committed an act of transgression without first seeking the counsel or consent of her husband. In this she departed from that perfect union which God would establish between a man and his wife. This was the first cause of the fall. When the woman had listened to the infidel question of Satan and ventured to make a reply, Satan showed himself more boldly. He contradicted the word of God openly, and presented a naked lie in its place. “Ye shall not surely die.” To this he added a flattering promise of new and greater wisdom. This drew the attention of the woman to the forbidden tree, and her eyes were fastened upon it. “The woman saw that the tree was good for food.” And as she continued to look upon the forbidden object, it became more beautiful and attractive to her. The tree “was pleasant to the eyes.” Then a strong desire for that which God had forbidden was formed in her heart. She saw that it was “a tree to be desired to make one wise.” Soon the evil deed followed. Lust conceived, and brought forth sin. “She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” And sin did not cease here. When Eve had sinned she became herself a tempter. She tried to lead Adam into the way of transgression. She “gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Thus has the Lord by his servant Moses presented the origin and nature of sin plainly before us. During six thousand years sin has been the same in the world. First the enemy leads the person to doubt the plainly revealed word of God. If he succeeds in this, he goes further, and teaches the opposite of the truth. If we then throw away the word of God, we have lost the sword of the Spirit. Then sin can easily draw our attention, and looks more and more inviting to us. The desire awakened conceives, and brings forth sin, and we walk in the road of death. For just as certainly as lust or desire brings forth sin, if it is not checked, so certainly sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. This whole plan of sin is laid with devilish wisdom. It does not lead men at once to commit great sins; from these they would turn away in disgust; but it commences with unbelief, and steals upon the soul by degrees, often as unobserved, quietly, and cunningly, as a poisonous serpent, until the poor victim is caught in the net of death and bound with the eternal chains of hell. There is but One who can save us from this snare of the devil—the only begotten Son of God. And when he saves us he begins with the beginning. He does not save us from death first, but he forgives our past sins, and leads us away from the company of the tempter and from listening to his evil propositions. Then he confirms us in faith, so that we believe the plain declarations of the word of God. He teaches us to watch and pray, so that we shut our eyes from seeing evil. Isa. 33: 15. He teaches us to crucify the lusts of the flesh, that lust may not continue to conceive; and he teaches us also to do his Heavenly Father’s will (Matt. 7: 21), and to observe all things whatsoever he has commanded us. Matt. 28: 20. This is the plan laid by heavenly wisdom. It is the order of saving grace, and he who experiences this salvation in his day of grace shall also experience salvation from death in the day of the Lord, “when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality.” Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, “He will swallow up death in victory.” Isa. 25: 8. But he that will be victorious there must be victorious here. He that desires to enter through the heavenly portals must walk in the road that leads to the city of our God. He must learn to believe and obey the truth of God. The first Adam brought death and destruction upon the race by unbelief and disobedience. The second Adam elevates the race through faith and obedience. That peace and joy which accompanies a good conscience was lost by the fall. The devilish wisdom, which now also became earthly, spread more and more. Instead of confessing their sins, our first parents tried to conceal them. They learned to excuse themselves and throw the blame upon others. When the Lord spoke to Adam, he said: “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” As though he would say: I am not the one to speak about this matter. I am not so much to blame. It is the woman who is the cause of it. And remember you are the one that gave me such a woman. “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me.” He spoke as though the Lord ought to be blamed. In all this the devilish wisdom appears strongly. And it was also a sensual wisdom—very pleasant to the carnal mind. It is sweet in the beginning, but terribly bitter in the end. It looked for awhile as though Adam had succeeded in turning away the Lord by his cunning excuses. The Lord spoke to the woman: “What is this that thou hast done?” The woman also excused herself, and threw the blame upon another. “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Then follows the curse, pronounced first on the serpent, then on the woman, and at last also upon Adam. Their excuses did not help them. It is remarkable how deeply this devilish wisdom has settled into the human family, and how early it is manifested in children. Excuses seem to be as natural to them when they have done wrong as to breathe. They need no teacher in this science. The disposition to make excuses cleaves to the race like leprosy. It belongs to the nature of sin. The way of grace and salvation is the very opposite. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: 9. The unjust steward said: “I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed.” Luke. 16: 3. Earthly wisdom showed him an easier way. But we must learn to dig—to obtain a thorough knowledge of our own spiritual poverty. And we must not be ashamed to come to the Lord as poor beggars, blind and naked. We may come as we are. This is heavenly wisdom. It is acceptable to the Lord. “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Ps. 34: 18. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” Verse 17. The heavenly wisdom is first pure (hagnē). This means pure, chaste, virtuous, innocent. It is translated chaste in Titus 2: 5; 1 Pet. 3: 2. Fornication and uncleanness are not found in this wisdom. It leads us to preserve a conscience always void of offense. In the next place the wisdom from above is peaceable (eirēnikē). Eirēnikos is that which leads to peace and union. It is also translated peaceable in Heb. 12: 11. The chastening of the Lord “yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” The blessing of God rests upon those who are peaceable. “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” Matt. 5: 9. When we make room for envy and strife, we do not walk in the paths of heavenly wisdom. The spirit of bitterness rules us, and we have no fellowship with the Lord, but with the devil. But the fruit of peace is a blessed fruit. It grows on those beautiful trees, humility and love. The true wisdom is also gentle (epieikēs). The definitions of this word are, yielding, meek, gentle, patient. It is translated moderation in Phil. 4: 5; meekness in Titus 3: 2; patient in 1 Tim. 3: 3; and gentle in 1 Pet. 2: 18. It is easy to get along with a person who possesses this characteristic. He would rather himself suffer loss and shame than bring them upon others. He does not ask so much of others, but is very strict in the performance of his own duties. This quality we do not possess by nature, but we can obtain it of the Lord; for he is willing to give it to all who will accept of it. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1: 5. In the fourth place the heavenly wisdom is easy to be entreated. It will not fight fiercely for its own opinion, although it never departs from the word of God, and willingly suffers loss of property, and even life, for the sake of the truth. It will be all things to all men, and avoid offending Jews as well as Greeks as far as this can be done without transgressing the law of God or grieving his Holy Spirit. At the same time this blessed wisdom is full of mercy and good fruits. It has pity on the poor and sympathizes with the afflicted. It clothes the naked and gives food to the hungry. It brings the glad tidings of the kingdom of God to those who sit in darkness and in the valley of the shadow of death. And it does not perform this good work only once in awhile, but it is full of mercy, and good works. Oh, how greatly we are in need of such a fullness from the Lord! And this we can obtain by hearkening to the voice of the Faithful Witness. Rev. 3: 18, 19. Finally, the heavenly wisdom is without partiality and without hypocrisy. It is no respecter of persons. Peter testifies of the Lord: “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10: 34, 35. Thus the heavenly wisdom is also deeply interested in all that fear the Lord, of whatever nation they may be, or in whatever position they may be placed. And there is no hypocrisy in its love. It is honest and upright, humble and meek. Where it is imparted, the strength of God can be seen in the weak. Then the Lord can do great things with humble instruments, and fill the frail vessels with heavenly grace. Then the beautiful image of Jesus—his lovely mind—can shine forth with heavenly luster in his weak members upon earth. “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Verse 18. The incorruptible seed of the word must be sown in order to produce the fruit of righteousness. This work cannot be performed amid envy and strife. It can only be sown in peace. He that brings the message of peace must be a child of peace. And the hearts that desire to receive the seed of truth must be quiet before the Lord. Our King is the Prince of Peace. His kingdom is the blessed kingdom of peace, and his gospel the joyful message of peace. Then let us be peacemakers. This is heavenly wisdom. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Heb. 12: 14.