James 1:2-8
Walking in Wisdom

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

New Revised Standard Version

Who is this James fellow, and what put him in such a disagreeable mood? That seems to be my first reaction most times I read an extended passage out of the Letter of James to the early Christian churches. James, also called "James the Just", seems to me to have had a personality that favored confronting issues, declaring what he saw as the truth, no matter whose toes he stepped on, and moving on to the next topic. Paul, in contrast, favored discussing the issues and leading his readers into the truth. The ministries Paul and James led were intensely different, too: Paul was the traveling missionary, and James, the head of the "home" church in Jerusalem. Their backgrounds were different, too: Paul had been a zealous Pharisee before encountering Christ, and James had been a half-brother of Jesus, fighting against what his "crazy" older brother was doing early in Jesus' ministry, but becoming a follower later, and even praying with the other believers in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.

Two more tidbits help explain this book a little more. First, it was one of the earliest books written of those in the New Testament, written before 50 A.D., so it was intended to break new ground with the written word, not elaborate on the truths. Scripture scholars tell us the writing style has many similarities to Proverbs, similarities we miss in English translations, so we can conjecture that James intended his "tract" to be a gathering of pithy sayings to lift up and support the early Christians.

So, what does he mean in this passage?

"Consider it pure, uncut joy when you are surrounded by difficulties," and as the leader of the Jerusalem church, James knew difficulties. That congregation was despised by the Jews for disrupting their comfort and challenging their beliefs, and was often hunted by Romans as trouble-makers and enemies of the empire. That congregation had internal problems, struggling with the false teaching that one had to be a good Jew before one could be a good Christian.

Our expert on difficulties explains why we find joy. Difficulties purify our faith, and James uses the same words used to describe purifying gold in a furnace -- if we let the work of the furnace go to completion.

The core of that matured, purified faith James identifies as "wisdom", the Greek word sophias. This is entirely different from gnoseos, or knowledge, and this distinction is urgently important for us today! Gnoseos gathers and retains facts, learning, and information. Sophias is the practical use of what knowledge we have. Knowledge we see in those who have mastered a field of study, become experts, the stereotypical "rocket scientist." Wisdom we have to look hard to see, because it revealed with humility in those who live lives in close harmony with God. Those who have a wealth of knowledge want you to know and admire their work. Those who have wisdom know that the wisdom is not really "theirs" at all, but God's.

The evidence of wisdom in the wise is seen in their single focus for trusting in God and walking with God. The word James uses for "doubt" contrasts a person of faith with someone who is divided against themselves. In that sense, doubt is not a low measurement on the "faith meter," but a pulling apart inside. In the Jerusalem church, this would be seen in those who were pulled to follow the Jewish faith and the Christian faith as the two diverged, not wanting to "put all their eggs in one basket." In our age, this can be seen in those who want to savor sinful pleasures on Saturday and "get right with God" on Sunday.

Faith stands firmly on God's leadership, not on our own knowledge. Faith is humble, not boastful. Faith is genuine and single-minded, not blended and contradictory.

As I reread my notes, I see I've gathered and displayed knowledge from several books and reference materials. However, my prayer for myself, and for you, is that we will trust less in knowledge and trust more in the wisdom God puts in our hearts and minds.