Re:Verse passage – James 3:13-18 (day three)
“This wisdom is not that which comes down from above…”
As always, James remains practical. Theology is present, of course, but what is out front here is actual speaking, responding, planning, noticing, allowing, supporting, and allying. These actions are what we talk about when we talk about everyday life. The ideas in your head are not everyday life. You might desire that your Christian ideas give shape to the way you live, but that’s not always the case. It’s possible to ally yourself with those who do evil even as you verbalize your own intent to do good, for instance. In that case, the “wisdom from above” does not inform your alliances. James will not let you get away with choosing right ideas at the expense of right living. Such an arrangement is at the heart of what James calls “earthly wisdom.”
