How to Understand God’s Warnings Regarding False Wisdom

God’s Warnings Regarding False Wisdom

1^st Corinthians 3:16-23

¹⁶Know ye not that ye (plural) are the (singular) temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ¹⁷If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

¹⁸Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. (Job 5:13)²⁰And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. (Psalm 94:11)

²¹Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your’s; ²²Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your’s; ²³And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Introduction:

The context, here, you may recall. was from the previous passage. There we learned that “we are laborers together with God.” We saw that the work we accomplish, working with Him has eternal value and brings eternal reward. But we also saw that work which He did not initiate, which we did according to our own plans, ignoring His plans, has no eternal value. “Discipleship” means following Jesus, and doing His Work in His way.

Now Paul goes a little further. He reminds us how important it is that we learn to allow God to lead us. Also, he teaches that we must learn to follow Him. He says that we (collectively) are the Temple of God. In verse nine, he said, “we are laborers together with God.” Paul also said, in that same verse, that, collectively, we are His cultivated field, and His building! (What kind of building? Well, Paul clears that up right here: collectively, he says we are the temple of God.

The Temple of God

Let’s give that some thought. It certainly does not mean that “we are a collection of stacked stones, and rooted to one place for eternity.” Believers are scattered all across the globe. There are very few places on earth where the Gospel has not gone (though, in some cases, it may have been centuries ago.)

In 1^st Peter 2:5, he says that we are “living stones.” I used to struggle with that, as I imagined squatting, immobile, in the wall of a stone building, locked into place as a stone. That did not sound attractive. I was glad to discover in the rest of the Scripture that we are living stones; we are already a part of the Living Temple of God: the Church.

But verse 17, there is a stark warning: The Temple of God is Holy. The Church, at large, is Holy to God: We are His private property, set aside for His sole use! We are each individually declared holy before Him, but the Church as a whole is also Holy before Him.

It is not “just an organization.” It is an organism, having some characteristics of “organization” as does any life-form. But, as opposed to a human organization, where each member is often reminded that they are replaceable, each of the members of the “Church as a whole” is a living part of that Body of Christ; and each is precious to Him.

The warning, here, is not against defiling an individual (though there are other warnings about that.) It is a warning against corrupting or defiling the Church…the Body of Christ.

**How can one “Corrupt” (or Defile) the Temple of God, the Church?**

Teaching Immorality

Down through the centuries, there have repeatedly arisen men (or women) who taught immorality in the Church. There were always those who taught people to disregard God’s Word regarding moral behavior. too.

This goes all the way back to the various “Earth religions,” that all seem to have had their origins in Babylon. The Earth “god and goddess” duo, called Baal and Asherah were supposed to be deities of fertility …but their “worship” called for gross immorality, to be practiced with their “priests and priestesses”…for money, and or goods, which fed into the temples of those deities.

In modern times, various cults arose that also advocated promiscuity and drug use, as well as other evil practices. And all demanded money, to support their practice.

Today there are cults who openly encourage such sin, and it is increasingly showing up in churches that once (years ago) stood solidly as followers of God. In other words, it is nothing new!

Churches who do not join them, in their approval of all lasciviousness and sin, are persecuted, and blasphemed as “hateful,” when they have never behaved in any unloving manner: they have simply clung to the truth of God’s Word. In some places it has actually become illegal to teach the portions of God’s Word that clearly condemn such practices.

Other False Teaching

Historically and currently, some organizations actively try (and have tried) to dissuade believers from personally studying or believing God’s Word. They present themselves as very smooth and highly educated, and their words are framed to “sound like wisdom.” (Very similar to the Serpent in the Garden of Eden!) Organizations that managed to have themselves declared the “State Religion” (wherever they have been) immediately began suppressing the individual use of The Word of God, even burning the Bibles and sometimes burning the believers as well.

Sometimes the false teaching comes in a guise that does not forbid the study of the Word, but systematically misinterprets it to deny certain core doctrines and renders the believers ineffective in our mission as ambassadors of Christ. We truly have to study carefully to avoid such traps.

Warnings against False Wisdom

Colossians 2:8 warns us that we must not allow ourselves to be robbed (spoiled— looted) by human wisdom and human philosophy, empty deceit, and the elementary principles of the World. We can easily allow ourselves to be drawn away into a condition where we can no longer work with God, and so we can no longer expect reward.

James 3:11-18 gives us some instruction as to “How to tell the difference” between God’s wisdom and so-called “wisdom” from an unreliable source.

¹¹Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ¹²Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

First, James points out that, in general, good and bad do not emanate from the same source. At the very least, a spring that was inconsistent, sometimes having good water and other times not, would be unreliable as a source of drinking water. And, obviously, a Fig tree never bears olives.

Then, he goes on to give some character traits through which a human source of Godly wisdom can be identified, always supposing that we are talking about a believer to begin with. (If you already know that the person denies Christ, or denies the authority of God’s Word, then you avoid their counsel regardless of the outward signs.)

How to Recognize a Source of Godly Wisdom

¹³Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (lifestyle) his works (overall behavior) with meekness (yieldedness to God, and humility) of wisdom.

The behavior of the teacher or counselor reveals their heart. If the behavior is consistently good, honest, humble, nonaggressive, etc. that is a good sign. If he consistently points people to God’s Word, that is a good thing.

¹⁴But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

People who are combative, envious of position, constantly striving against others for dominance, are not a safe source of wisdom. If they can be approached, corrected, etc., without fear of rebuke, then that is a point in their favor. James goes into more detail in the following verses.

Other Possible Sources:

¹⁵This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

He leaves no room for doubt about the other three possible sources of so-called “Wisdom.” He says they all are from this list:

Earthly (from the World)
Sensual (literally “soulish:” From the Flesh…the old sin nature)
Devilish (From the enemy, Satan)

Vital Clue:

¹⁶For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

If there is strife, then the enemy is at work, somewhere. If we follow that brand of wisdom then there will be bad results, whether immediately or in the future. Bad teaching begets bad practices; and together they bring bad results.

Seven Character Traits of Godly Wisdom

¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Notice that James provides a list of character traits that should accompany Godly Wisdom. And they all are supposed to be there: this is not a “smorgasbord.” The list includes:

Pure (No hidden agenda to satisfy his sin nature)
Peaceable (Not given to strife or contention)
Gentle (Treating people kindly, not sharply, not critical or accusing)
Easy to be intreated (approachable…accountable to others)
Full of Mercy and Good Fruits (Compare Galatians 5:22, 23)
Without Partiality (doesn’t play favorites)
Without Hypocrisy (not pretending, with outward piety: but rather living transparently.)

All of those things are supposed to be present and observable in the people to whom we turn for instruction and wisdom.

Consider the Desired Result

¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Why are all those things so vital? Because they will have results. If you are hoping to see the righteousness of Christ developing and bearing fruit in people’s lives, this is the way to get there. The seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by them that make peace.

If a shepherd or teacher (or parent or spouse) is consistently unkind, grouchy, or argumentative, then the fruit of righteousness will not result in the lives of the flock, the marriage, or the children. The Peace of God, that He promised in John 14:27, has to be present and observable, for the Wisdom of God as seen here, to flow to those around you.

God knows the difference between Worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom, and He gives us clues by which to discern that difference for ourselves. But we have to be aware of the danger, and familiar with the clues, so that we can apply them consistently and correctly.

Paul’s Conclusion Regarding Human Teachers

Remember that the original discussion was about the divisions in the Corinthian church: and part of the arguments were based on “which teacher” people were following. (One said, “I am of Paul;” another said, “I am of Apollos,” while others (who were really “spiritual”) said, “I am of Christ.” Paul pointed out that ALL of them were practicing sectarianism, separating themselves from the rest of the body, and it did not matter “who they claimed,” when the result was disunity! All of it added up to Carnality, not Spirituality!

So, here, he concludes that all the arguments were empty and vain, and that they were to stop it! He said,²¹Therefore let no man glory in men.

So, How do we Apply it?

Don’t boast about “who taught you what!” It is fine to say where you learned something, when all you are saying is that “I didn’t come up with this on my own: another brother or sister pointed it out to me!” But when we are trying to elevate one person above another, it is not honoring to God. Paul concludes that all the Godly sources of wisdom they had had (including Paul, Apollos Peter, and Christ, as well as the physical world itself, and the life to come, belonged to all of them! This is what we have in common! We are joint-heirs with Jesus!

For all things are your’s; ²²Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas (Peter), or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your’s; ²³And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

And, by extension, he adds, because we belong to Jesus, we also belong to God, through Christ. The whole context points us back to the fact that we do not belong to ourselves, but to Him, our Creator and Savior and Master. And we are exhorted to learn to follow Him in His Wisdom, under His direction, and not be divided by petty differences. God help us to obey His Word.

Lord Jesus, bring us to a solid understanding of Your Truth, Your Word, so that we can look at the World with Clear Eyes, and see Your Wisdom as our only Light in the present darkness.

April 25, 2020April 25, 2020

The Sources of Wisdom

James 3:13-18

How can we tell Godly wisdom from Worldly wisdom?

¹³Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

The scripture says that we are to “show” or demonstrate by our lives, the result of the “wisdom” to which we claim to adhere. People need to:

See a consistent walk that emulates the Savior; to
Hear kind, gracious, wise speech;and thereby to
Smell (metaphorically speaking) a consistent aroma of the fragrance of Christ, not the reek of the old nature. The words we speak, and the things we do, will accomplish either the one or the other.

Therefore, the results in our own lives (our lifestyle and works) are what will ultimately reveal the source of that “wisdom.” The old English word “conversation” never refers to “people chatting:” it either has to do with our way of life (as in this case: the Greek root is ‘tropos’) or, in a few cases, (Philippians 3:20, for example, where the Greek root is ‘polituema’) it means citizenship, or commonwealth.In no case it is referencingtwo people involved in verbal interaction. In this particular passage it specifically means “the way you live your life.” This reveals to those around you how they should regard your wisdom.

The Greek word (prauteti) translated “meekness” is sometimes translated “gentleness”, and it can mean just that, but it also carries the idea of “yieldedness;” being yielded to God, and being willing to yield to others, as a result. Not insisting on proving oneself right, but, having stated one’s case, willing to allow others to make up their minds about issues.

¹⁴But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
¹⁵This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
¹⁶For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

So, then, even when there is someone who, by all accounts, is considered to be a real source of genuine “wisdom”, if any of the listed attributes are a consistent part of their life:

Bitterness
Strife
Envy

Then, we should not automatically consider the “wisdom” they have to offer to be “Godly Wisdom.” We should at least take it carefully, knowing that it has definitely been mingled with other sources. This begs the question, “what are the other sources?”

**Three Sources of Non-Godly “Wisdom”**

James gives three other sources. He states that, when bitterness, strife or envy are present, such “wisdom” is:

Earthly, (from the Worlds way of thinking)
Sensual, (after the natural manner of thinking; soulish; from the Flesh) and/or
Devilish (From the enemy of our souls, Satan.)

As a matter of fact, this is how we know that the Christian actually has three enemies: the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. The World is the enemy “outside the gate”, so to speak. The Flesh is the enemy within the gate—residing within each individual. And the Devil, as always, will seek to strengthen the World and the Flesh against us, and use them to defeat us if possible. In fact, just as a military force, if unable to hold a bridge, or some other vital piece of territory, will seek to render it useless to the enemy…Blow up the bridge, fill up a well, burn down buildings, etc., our enemy, Satan wants to render you useless to God, destroy your joy, destroy your testimony, and, if possible, destroy you, physically, through slavery to sin. Take this seriously!

So: What does Godly Wisdom look like?

¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Godly Wisdom, then, should produce a different sort of fruit:

Purity
Peaceable-ness
Gentleness
Approachable-ness
Mercifulness
Good fruits (fruit of the Spirit?)
Impartiality
Genuineness…no hypocrisy
Producing Peace, because it is given in peace.

If this is not the pattern you are seeing, then you can conclude that the “wisdom” may not really be from God. Knowing that the “wisdom” may not be from God, and that there are only three other sources, all of whom are our enemies, should give us serious pause about where we look for wisdom.

Proverbs 2:6, 7 states that God himself is the only completely reliable source of wisdom, and that His wisdom specifically comes “from His mouth.” So, the Word of God should be our constant primary source, and the standard to which we compare whatever comes from human counselors. As long as the wisdom we receive from human counselors matches that of the Word of God, and we see a pattern of Godliness, then it is very likely sound teaching and counsel.

Further: Jesus Christ, as the Living Word, is identified as the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God. (1^st Corinthians 1:24)So, the more closely we can walk with Him, the more firm our grasp will be on the leading of the Lord. Without exception, His leading will always match His written Word, because He is the Living Word. (See John 1:1, 14; Revelation 19:13)

Some time ago, a young(er) friend, a missionary whom our church has supported, who had been forced by circumstances to “retire” from missionary work, shared how two different couples had responded to her needs. The one couple, who were also retired missionaries with a very similar background, offered to have her join them in the work they were doing (a relatively new ministry), and were completely kind and supportive; they discussed the options with the governing board of their mission, and stated that they would put the whole thing in writing for her to consider, but made no demands on her. She stayed in their home for a week, and had a good opportunity to really get to know them.

The other couple, whom she met in her home church, seemed determined to “take her under their wing”. They were somewhat dominating, and directive, and stated that she needed to get more education, so as to gain “educational credibility”, etc. They did seem concerned about her well-being, but when she mentioned the offer the first couple had made, they were quite dismissive, even suggesting that the first couple were trying to cheat her, and take her money (from support). They said all this, knowing nothing about those people, and never having met them. They did not consider her 25 years of full-time ministerial experience (specifically in linguistics, Bible translation expertise, literacy-teaching, Bible-teaching, and cross-cultural communication) to have “educational credibility”. And they seemed very sure that she was not making good decisions, though they gave no scriptural reasons.

Since both couples seemed “caring”, and both seemed “wise”, she felt torn, since she could not respond favorably to both. But hidden in the behavior of both there were clues as to where the “wisdom” originated. She called me, asking for my counsel, and we had a long phone conversation.

The exchange with my friend triggered more pondering, in my own mind, regarding wisdom: What is the ultimate origin of real wisdom? What does the whole counsel of the Bible have to say about it? What is the character and source of “false wisdom?” What is the motive? Why would someone bother to try to coerce another person with bad advice? What could they hope to gain by it?

Genesis 1:1 begins with four “packed” words, which are easy to miss, because we tend to focus on the last six words of that sentence. We are so familiar with the “Created the Heavens and the Earth” portion, and argue endlessly about the meaning, truth (or untruth) and limitations (if any) of that portion that we ignore the first four words: In the beginning, GOD! He is the origin of all things—He existed before all things; the causeless cause, the ultimate fount of literally all things. He exists outside of time and space, without limits except those imposed by His perfect character and wisdom. Nothing is too hard for him, yet there are things He says He cannot do, because of His perfect character.

So, if He is the ultimate source, but, as we see in our own experience, and read in the Scriptures, there is also “false wisdom” out there, waiting to trip us up, we need a pattern of thinking or a litmus test or something, by which to determine which is which.

James offers some of that test: we saw that “where bitterness, envy or strife are present,” we are not to see this “wisdom” as being from God. In the next chapter (skipping ahead) James goes on to say that the “wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

What was there in the behavior of the friends from her church that might give us a clue as to the source of their wisdom?

They were somewhat domineering, and were not open to her thoughts: they dismissed her training as not having been worthwhile, though it had definitely been from God, and had been used in service already for 25 years. They were suspicious of the motives of a godly couple whom they had never met, suggesting that they were somehow trying to rob my friend. (The support-structure of that mission was actually set up in such a way that no one but the intended recipient of the funds could touch it.) Their behavior was neither producing good fruits, nor acting in a loving manner. They were not “easy to be intreated,” as James said. So…we had to conclude that their counsel was at least “not necessarily from the Lord.” No accusations were leveled at them, or anything. She simply thanked them for their concern and went on to make a decision based on God’s Word.

I had a Bible-teacher, more than 40 years ago, who had more of the scriptures memorized than anyone else I have ever known. More than that, he had a better understanding of how it all fit together than anyone else I have known. During a Bible-study, one evening, there was a man who had an argument. The teacher answered his questions with scripture, but that was not enough. The man kept insisting and arguing. Rather than asserting his superior knowledge and considerable pedigree in any way, the teacher began answering with a simple “OK…” to every accusation and argument. Finally the dissenter quieted down and the study could continue. This teacher had a gentle spirit, and was “easily intreated.”

I was in a different meeting once, when a much younger person raised their hand and questioned something that same teacher had just said, bringing up a scripture to back their question. He immediately answered, “You are right! I was wrong, and the change will be in the next revision of my book!” Now, that is being approachable! His wisdom was from God’s Word, and he proved it by his responses. There was no “vying for position,” no envy, no strife, and he was a man of impeccable purity, and proven integrity. I wish he were still alive and teaching today, as we certainly need such teachers.

What about those other Sources?

The World

Frequently the argument is offered, “Well, look! This is what all the scholars agree to be true!” Hmmm… So there has never been a case where “everybody” was wrong, and one person, the dissenter, was right? Even in secular history, there are countless times when a researcher or an inventor proved that “everyone” was, in fact, full of baloney, and that (for instance) the earth really does orbit the sun rather than the other way around; or that, in fact, it is possible to achieve true flight by means of a machine, or that it is possible to travel faster than sound…etc.

John 7:40-53 tells of a time when people were beginning to draw conclusions about Jesus. Some were convinced that He was the Messiah. The argument of the Pharisees was that “Nobody who knows anything would believe that! These people who obviously don’t know God’s Word are under a curse! The Messiah isn’t going to come from Galilee, nor does any prophet!”

Well, they were wrong about the prophet, at least…the prophet Jonah was from Galilee! And, had they asked where Jesus was born, or checked the genealogies in the temple, they would have found that He was born in Bethlehem, just as the Prophet Micah had predicted! But they made their false accusations, and stalked off, feeling triumphant.

In some circles, this is known as “argumentation by sneer!” If you don’t have a rational answer, then you try to intimidate the other person by shaming them or by pointing out that they are alone in their belief. Neither is a valid argument.

We are to find our truth in God’s Word. If someone has a clear argument from God’s Word, then we are to carefully consider it, as it might very well change our outlook. The people in Berea (Acts 17:10, 11) responded correctly, in that they listened to what the Apostles had to say, and then went and “searched the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” And they were commended by God for so doing.

The Flesh

There have certainly been times in scripture, where some other source of wisdom was sought…and the results have not been good. We are cautioned, in Proverbs 3:5, not to lean upon our own understanding alone, but to constantly look to God’s Word to find God’s Way. Jeremiah 17:9 makes it clear why this warning is needed: “The heart (also called the “flesh”) is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked…” The World constantly says, “Follow your heart! It will never lead you astray!” Really? When God says that my heart is the single most likely source of a bad decision, you want me to follow it unquestioningly? That does not sound like good advice! In fact, it sounds like exactly what an enemy might say, if I were so foolish as to ask an enemy for advice! Well, guess what? It is what the Enemy advises!

The Devil

2^nd Chronicles 18 tells us the story of a wicked king (Ahab) who was planning to go into battle, and had convinced a good king (Jehoshaphat) to join forces with him. Ahab had a multitude of “prophets” who all unanimously told him he would be victorious in battle.

Jehoshaphat was not so sure, and he wanted counsel from God. So, they called in Micaiah, a prophet of God, and he told them in effect, that this was from God, for the express purpose of bringing about Ahab’s death! Verses 18-24 tell how God chose a “lying spirit” to speak through Ahab’s “prophets,” to convince him to go into battle! (This is Ahab’s final warning to repent!) And what was the response of the false prophets? One of them walked over and punched Micaiah in the face! (Real “spiritual response,” there, bud! No envy, bitterness or strife there!)

But Ahab went on into battle, and died, as Micaiah had prophesied. Jehoshaphat survived, but on the way back home, another prophet of God met him on the road, and Jehoshaphat got a scolding from God for joining forces with someone who was an enemy of God. (2^nd Chronicles 19:1-3)

**The Result of Non-Godly “Wisdom”**

Ahab listened to a lying spirit, just as Eve did, in the Garden of Eden, and it cost him his life. When Adam went along with Eve, and fell into sin, it cost us ALL our lives! (Romans 5:12)

Whenever we choose to follow some other counsel, rather than that of God’s Word, we are, at the very least, “straying from the Shepherd,” and we are in danger of attack from the enemy of our souls. It could seem a minor issue, and we may excuse the wandering astray in our own minds. But if we persist in such folly, it will destroy our walk with God, it will produce irreversible results in our lives, and ultimately, it will render us fruitless in God’s Service.

I pray that we will all repent of our frequent folly, and look to God for our leading, so that we may be the men and women of God whom He has chosen us to be.