James 3.13 - 18

It may be the key world language, but there's one disadvantage to English. When you read it, you can't tell whether a 'you' is addressed to one person or to a group. Most languages you can. And New Testament Greek is one of them. That's why I have translated and expanded this text as follows:

13 - Who is wise and knowledgeable among you folk? You should demonstrate it by the way you get back on the right track: doing the right things in humble wisdom.
14 - And if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your corporate heart, do not boast and lie – thereby setting yourselves over against the truth.
15 – be sure of this: that sort of ‘wisdom’ is not coming down from heaven but is rising up from the pit! It’s unspiritual and devilish.
16 – for where there is jealousy and selfishness, there you’ll find disorder and all sorts of conflict.
17 – but the wisdom that’s from heaven is, first and foremost transparently holy, then peace promoting, considerate, accommodating and full of mercy and good fruits; not insincere but rather genuinely sincere.
18 – Remember: the ‘fruit of righteousness’ is sown in peace among those who are the pursuers of peace.

The Christian life is about getting back on track over and over again. Truth is, we’re all like cars that have a ‘pull’ in their steering to one side. If its not one thing it’s another!

14 It’s funny how being part of a group can change us. It can bring out good qualities – and also bad ones! We all want to be better as disciples – so be can get jealous and competitive and argumentative too – just like the first disciples!

But the truth is something we’re called into. And that truth lies in the justifying and transforming life of Jesus Christ. He’s taken a hold of us – and we have to grow into that. This involves, on our part, resolution and intention. It is easier to set ourselves over against this type of ‘Jesus centred truth’ by being ‘worldy wise’. This is something to resist.

15 There’s a form of ‘streetwise’ wisdom in the world. It involves manipulating and ‘handling’ people so that you get the result you want. But that is its goal. Getting the result that you want.

The result that the Lord wants is modeled in Jesus. What is radical about it is this: ‘the means is as important as the end’. Living the Gospel is itself the medium and the message. We are called into the embodiment of wisdom. We are called to be humble ‘shalom bearers’.

This Scripture I find startling. Here, the call is to live the converted life, that others may see it and be drawn to it. This is what Jesus did. This is what we are to do.

16 It’s really pretty useless having a congregation of people, if they think that all Christianity is involves believing that ‘Jesus saves’. People really need to address the issues of jealousy and selfishness: one involves looking at others the wrong way, and the other involves ignoring the others! The church is called to be the expression of the life of Jesus Christ. Together.

17 Truth is, the things that make us jealous or selfish are usually issues of culture and appetite that really are unimportant. Here are the things that really matter. We are not called to be ‘gospel salesmen’. We are called, rather, to really care for others in Jesus’ name.

18 The Kingdom of God brings peace. The means and the end are one and the same.