How to Tell The Difference Between Good and Bad Advice – James 3:13-18
We’re overloaded with advice, living in the golden age of gurus.
Today, there are over 4 million podcasts, and YouTube gets 20 million new videos uploaded every day! Now add all of the other social media platforms that consume our free time.
We have no shortage of people telling us how to think, what to believe, how to win financially, get healthy, thrive relationally, fix our country, or whatever topic you can imagine.
But here’s the problem: How do you know what wisdom is wise?
All advice is not created equal. Some advice is good, and some is bad.
In biblical times, they had the same problem. While they didn’t have podcasts, there were still all kinds of philosophers and teachers traveling from town to town peddling wisdom.
And today, as we walk through the book of James, he is warning people to examine the wisdom they are following. Is it good? Is it neutral? Or is it something far worse?
So let’s look at James 3:13-18, where James explains how there are two types of wisdom (good and bad) and how to spot the difference.
Two Kinds of Advice (and How to Tell Them Apart)
Look at verse thirteen.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. (James 3:13, ESV)
James starts with a challenge: if someone is claiming to be wise—an expert, thought leader, or influencer—anyone can make that claim. Don’t just tell me your credentials, follower count, or bank account. Show me your life.
Wisdom goes beyond the intellectual. It is behavioral. Because wisdom is the application of information.
James says wisdom will humbly show itself in good conduct.
The Greeks considered meekness (gentleness) to be weakness, but Jesus said it was a virtue. It takes strength to restrain the desire to be domineering, tyrannical, controlling, aggressive, or overly ambitious.
Those who are truly wise don’t need to boast of their wisdom. It shows in their good conduct and gentle spirit.
This is the first sign of true wisdom, which James calls “wisdom from above”.
Next, James gives the two markers of false wisdom, what the Bible calls worldly wisdom, or we could call wisdom from below.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. (James 3:14)
These are the markers of most of what passes for wisdom today: bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.
Now, most people know what ambition is, but don’t understand jealousy. We confuse jealousy with envy and use the words interchangeably. But that’s not it.
Envy is wanting what someone else has. Jealousy is guarding what you have.
So bitter jealousy and selfish ambition go hand-in-hand. It is selfishly and ambitiously getting as much as you can for yourself, and bitterly and jealously clinging to it so nobody else gets a piece of your treasure.
This worldly wisdom feeds off greed, ambition, pride, arrogance, and self-centered thinking.
And while it might look good and harmless on the surface, it comes from a much darker place.
James continues in verse 15:
15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. (James 3:15)
Wisdom from above is never marked by getting and keeping more for yourself.
Worldly wisdom is first, earthly. It is worldly thinking, not heavenly. It will focus on building your earthly kingdom, not God’s kingdom.
Second, worldly wisdom is unspiritual. It is driven by desires of the flesh, not of the spirit. So it will emphasize things like the pursuit of pleasure, beauty, fame, money, or power.
Third, worldly wisdom is demonic. It is influenced by demons, not God.
Now I know that sounds wild, but we can’t overlook spiritual realities. We are in a spiritual battle for the hearts and souls of the world.
But not all demonic wisdom appears demonic. The Bible tells us that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. It’s not only the obviously evil thinking that is evil. Some of the most demonic thoughts sound good. They appeal to fairness, freedom, or self-actualization.
Think about some of the popular wisdom that gets passed around as virtue today:
- Your feelings define your identity, and you’ll be free when you embrace it.
- Pursue your greatest ambitions and dreams no matter the cost.
- As long as you don’t hurt anyone, live however you want.
- Take pride in your group and reject anyone different.
- Tear down anyone who has more than you.
These ideas don’t always come dressed in darkness. Sometimes they are dressed in liberation. But the fruit they produce reveals the truth.
And James then says, and here’s the problem with all of this worldly wisdom: look where it leads.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. (James 3:16)
When everyone follows worldly wisdom, the result is not the freedom promised. It is a disorder and every vile practice.
When everyone does whatever they think is right, there is anarchy, chaos, and a breeding ground for abuse and injustice. Sin thrives in this environment.
Lust, greed, pride, gluttony, injustice, persecution, sexual immorality… these things increase in a disordered world where everyone pursues their selfish desires and ambitions. This is why God gave us laws and government, because without something to keep us in check, humanity is capable of unspeakable horrors.
Seven Markers of Godly Wisdom
So what does true wisdom look like?
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)
This is how you know godly wisdom when you see it. James gives us seven markers:
- Pure: Wisdom is focused on godliness and righteousness, not sinful jealousy and ambition.
- Peaceable: Wisdom does not seek to stir up division or quarreling, but will take action in pursuit of peace.
- Gentle: Wisdom is respectful of others’ feelings and well-being.
- Open to reason: Wisdom is willing to listen and reason, and understand the way others think before snapping to make a judgment. It humbly acknowledges that we don’t know everything.
- Full of mercy and good fruits: Wisdom shows charity and grace to others, which produces a real difference in your life and the lives of those around you.
- Impartial: Wisdom does not play favorites, as James warned against the sin of partiality towards the rich in chapter 2. Wisdom does the right thing regardless of social status.
- Sincere: Wisdom is not just a show so others will think more highly of you. It sincerely desires to please the Lord when nobody is watching.
These are the defining markers of godly wisdom that we should be looking for.
And unlike the result of worldly wisdom, disorder and vile practices, look at what James says the result of godly wisdom is.
18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:18)
Godly wisdom is like a seed that leads to peace. And these seeds of peace from one truly wise decision to the next may seem small, but they will yield a great harvest of righteousness.
And this is part of our calling as Christians. We refuse to follow worldly wisdom that comes from below, and we embrace godly wisdom that comes from above.
It is one decision at a time. One action at a time. But God will work through our faithfulness to following his wisdom to yield a harvest of righteousness in our lives and the lives of people around us.
So Where Are You Getting Your Wisdom?
So here is my question for you today: Where are you getting your wisdom?
The voices you listen to that are shaping how you think about politics, philosophy, theology, finances, business, parenting, relationships, entertainment… are they wisdom from above or below?
Run your favorite voices through James’ checklist. Are they encouraging bitter jealousy and selfish ambition? Or is their advice pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, impartial, and sincere?
Look at the fruit of their lives and the lives of their followers. Do the results lead to disorder and vile practices? Or righteousness and peace?
The point is not to slam any of these voices. The point is just to show that we should be careful about what wisdom we receive.
How is all of this worldly wisdom we consume impacting our thinking? And how is our thinking then impacting how we live?
And let’s challenge our assumptions. We all naturally accept various ideas of worldly wisdom because we’ve heard them all our lives and never challenged them against godly wisdom.
And if we’re listening to worldly wisdom more than godly wisdom, let’s have the humility, courage, and conviction to make a change.
And most importantly, let’s live lives that reflect wisdom from above. Humble lives marked by our pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, impartial, and sincere conduct flowing from an authentic faith in God.
