But the wisdom from above first is pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, unquestioning, unfeigned.
James has just described a wisdom driven by jealousy and selfish ambition. Now he sets another kind against it, and he describes it by what it looks like, not by what it knows. The order of the list matters. So does its source: this wisdom comes down, so we have to ask for it.
Wisdom That Has to Come Down
James does not describe two levels of one wisdom. He describes two wisdoms with two different sources.
Then we are shown two kinds of wisdom. ... "This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." Its works prove its nature and its source.
So we ask God for it. He has already given us reason to expect an answer.
Grace has given us Christ. We are born of God and have His Spirit. How fitting, then, to look to that same source for a wisdom that does not spring up from the earth or from man! ... Will He not give it generously to all who wait on Him in faith and refuse all doubt? The love He has shown us, and the assuring word He has written for us, rebuke every such questioning. If we do not have, it is because we do not ask.
First Pure — an Order Never Reversed
"First" here is not about importance. It is about order. Peace that arrives before purity is peace bought at God's expense.
It is first pure, "then peaceable," an order much to be kept in mind. Even believers are apt to make peaceableness their first object. But this would compromise the character and glory of God. He will have everything that defiles shut out.
There is a reason this wisdom is called pure, and a reason peace comes second.
It is pure, because it comes from God and leads to God. What is from God cannot tolerate evil; it rejects it. It aims at the glory of God and maintains His holy character. As a result it is peaceable; it seeks the fruits of peace among men.
Gentle and Yielding
So what does "gentle" ask of a person in practice?
epieikes (from epi and eiko, to yield) ... It is hard to represent by any one word in English. It means "equity" in contrast to the strict letter of the law. So it is a readiness to waive all harshness and severity, even in the matter of just legal redress. It is the opposite of standing on one's rights: "mild," "gentle."
A man who keeps pressing his own opinions looks strong. One writer reads that habit the other way.
It knows nothing of stubbornness, prejudice or opinionated pushing. These are the sources of so much strife and contention among believers. When a man is aware that his wisdom is of a superior kind, one can understand why he is unwilling to have his mind or will disputed. But the truth is different. Nothing marks the superiority of the grace and truth and wisdom God gives so much as patience, and the absence of anxiety to push what one knows is right and true. It is a sure sign of weakness somewhere when a man is always urgent in pressing the value of his own words and opinions, or constantly finding fault with others.
Mercy, Impartiality, Sincerity
This mercy is shown to people who have done wrong. It also makes a demand on the person who shows it.
Next, it is said to be "full of mercy and good fruits," a precious help among faulty souls and their evil ways. Of all people, those who feel and act with divine compassion toward wrongdoers must themselves walk in fellowship with Him who is good to the ungrateful and the evil. They must give no real ground for the charge that they go easy on other offenders in order to smooth over their own inconsistencies.
The rest of the list is defined in plain terms. Translations differ on the final pair: some read "impartial and sincere", others "unquestioning and unfeigned".
Completing the seven pillars of wisdom in this verse, "full of mercy" is the hearty, compassionate care of those in need. "Good fruits" are those virtues that are active on their own, with no forcing. "Without partiality" is giving no preference to one above another, no favouring of relatives or special friends. And finally, "without hypocrisy" involves the simple honesty of not trying to give wrong or misleading impressions.
A Portrait, Not a Checklist
Together these marks describe a person, not a policy.
If marked by wisdom from above, we shall bear the beautiful character of Christ. ... What is this but a lovely description of Christ as He passed through this world?
Summary
- Source. Two wisdoms, two origins. You know the earthly kind by the disorder it makes, and the heavenly kind by its character.
- Asked. This wisdom comes down from God. If we do not have it, the reason given is that we do not ask.
- Ordered. Purity comes first, peace second. Reverse the order, and peace costs God's honour.
- Yielding. Gentleness gives up its rights, not its convictions. Constant insistence is a sign of weak wisdom.
- Whole. Mercy, impartiality and sincerity complete the portrait. It is the character of Christ as He walked through this world.