This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
James 3:15
Selfish ambition and jealously often appear to end well. Those who bathe themselves in their “wisdom” seem to find financial success and dreams come true. Businessmen and women grasp for position and power as do politicians and parents in volunteer groups. Embracing the wisdom that James describes is not the wisdom that comes from above, as James notes, but it is also far more sinister.
James offers a progression of descriptors of this faulty wisdom that increase in severity.* Here they are in order:
earthly - wisdom that is earthly shuts out God and limits its scope to things on this earth.* It’s a fatal limitation to temporal realities. This wisdom then is inferior to heavenly freedom.*
unspiritual - having nothing to do with the Spirit.* It can refer to the soul of a person, dead without God, unable to respond properly to God.*
demonic - literally, of the devil.* The usage of the word implies that the demonic serves as the deadly source of the “wisdom” that comes from selfish ambition and bitter jealousy.*
Embracing bitter jealousy and selfish ambition isn’t just mean or lack kindness. It cannot be excused in words such as, “just doing business,” or, “it’s nothing personal.” Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition don’t simply emerge from our soul. It comes from somewhere.
As earthly beings, we have a limited scope. Temporal realities steal us away from the perspective of heaven almost daily. Apart from the Spirit, we cannot respond properly to God. But more than this, when we embrace bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, we open the door to things initiated by the devil. By embracing the wisdom of this world, we partner with darkness, operating with a fuel derived from the bowls of death.
Too dramatic? Scripture speaks often of spiritual warfare, and we are not immune. The choices we make, either giving into our flesh or embracing the spirit, will empower the Kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of darkness. This is serious stuff.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask the Lord to remove any bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, or ambition from your heart. Perhaps today God wants you to receive His healing in your heart to enable that work. Maybe today God wants you to rejoice over the part you get to play in His Kingdom coming. Perhaps today God’s wisdom is waiting for you to ask for it.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Blomberg, C. L., & Kamell, M. J. (2008). James (Vol. 16, pp. 173–174). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. H. (2006). James. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, p. 250). Zondervan.
Stulac, G. M. (1993). James (Jas 3:13–18). IVP Academic.
Moo, D. J. (2021). The Letter of James (D. A. Carson, Ed.; Second Edition, pp. 217–218). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Nystrom, D. P. (1997). James (pp. 207–208). Zondervan Publishing House.