Dear Wise Friends,
A unique decsription of two types of wisdom is to be found in James (NT).
He speaks of a wisdom that is "from above," and a wisdom that is
not.
Please read the text (James 3:13-17):
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.
It seems to me that when he refers to "wisdom from above," he intends the idea of "above" to mean, "from heaven," that is, "from the Spirit."
He writes elsewhere that
"every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." (1:17), and
"if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him" (1:5).
So, we clearly see that the wisdom from above is heavenly, spiritual.
What is more, it is a spiritual endowment, or gift of grace, something one becomes a partaker of.
Looking at James' description of the wisdom
not from above --- "earthly, unspiritual, devilish"----one may describe it as a
natural wisdom, as opposed to spiritual wisdom.
When I went looking for this text in order to respond here, I fully expected to find these two --- as I thought I remembered them --- described as true and false wisdom. But note that it is not.
Then I thought about it and realized that we see the opposite of truth to be lies, deceit, and pretense; something is false only if not true, devoid of truth.
But we do not hold falsity to be the opposite of wisdom. Rather, we describe that which is contrary to wisdom as foolishness.
The opposite of true wisdom would be proper foolishess.
Yet, since the sum of all truth is wisdom, and all wisdom has as its Source the Divine Wisdom (Truth), so-called "false wisdom" is really "being false to the truth" (3:14); a denial, and an absence of truth. It has no substance in itself, but certainly gives rise to behaviour that falls short of wisdom; behaviour that is not cool, and has one acting like a fool.
Also, since good and the truth of Wisdom is so linked that
all good can only be true, and
all truth can only be good, James sees wisdom and understanding expressed in a "good life," that is, a
godly life, in turn expressed as a life of love, or charity, which is love in action.
The wise and understanding one, says he, should "by his good life...show his works in the meekness of wisdom."
Man should walk humbly before God and do good.
This is is wisdom true. Anything that distracts from that is unspiritual, or "false."
Respectfully,
Learner