The Essence of Spiritual Wisdom (James 4:7)
By Dr. Andy Woods
The book of James 4:7 — we are continuing with our verse-by-verse study of the book of James. This book was written to believers to encourage them how to live as Christians. The first part of the book is about walking by faith as a Christian which involves understanding trials from God’s viewpoint; obeying God’s Word, not showing favoritism; allowing our faith to manifest itself in good works, and controlling the tongue. I wish that James was more practical (said in jest).
The second part of the book is about walking by wisdom. James 3:13-the end of the chapter defines wisdom, which is basically knowledge applied. What James does with the rest of the book is to explain the walk of wisdom in all these categories. We are just looking at the first one, which has to do with spirituality. The spiritual life involves avoiding two things: Wrangling per James 4:1-3; and worldliness per 4:4-6, both of which we discussed last time. One of the things I have always appreciated about the Bible is that it isn’t just a book of ‘don’ts’ or of ‘nos,’ but a book of betters. In other words, stay away from wrangling and worldliness, but there is something better with which to replace it, and that is the essence of spiritual wisdom per 4:7-12.
There were two negatives earlier in the chapter, and now there is a stated positive — what to pursue in lieu of wrangling and worldliness: true spiritual wisdom. Pursue the essence of spiritual wisdom. The essence of spiritual wisdom is six things, and you will see these mentioned in 4:7-12, so if you start pursuing these things, you will be doing well in terms of growing as a Christian.
By Dr. Andy Woods
The book of James 4:7 — we are continuing with our verse-by-verse study of the book of James. This book was written to believers to encourage them how to live as Christians. The first part of the book is about walking by faith as a Christian which involves understanding trials from God’s viewpoint; obeying God’s Word, not showing favoritism; allowing our faith to manifest itself in good works, and controlling the tongue. I wish that James was more practical (said in jest).
The second part of the book is about walking by wisdom. James 3:13-the end of the chapter defines wisdom, which is basically knowledge applied. What James does with the rest of the book is to explain the walk of wisdom in all these categories. We are just looking at the first one, which has to do with spirituality. The spiritual life involves avoiding two things: Wrangling per James 4:1-3; and worldliness per 4:4-6, both of which we discussed last time. One of the things I have always appreciated about the Bible is that it isn’t just a book of ‘don’ts’ or of ‘nos,’ but a book of betters. In other words, stay away from wrangling and worldliness, but there is something better with which to replace it, and that is the essence of spiritual wisdom per 4:7-12.
There were two negatives earlier in the chapter, and now there is a stated positive — what to pursue in lieu of wrangling and worldliness: true spiritual wisdom. Pursue the essence of spiritual wisdom. The essence of spiritual wisdom is six things, and you will see these mentioned in 4:7-12, so if you start pursuing these things, you will be doing well in terms of growing as a Christian.
The Essence of Spiritual Wisdom (James 4:7) - Rapture Forums
The essence of spiritual wisdom is six things, so if you start pursuing these things, you will be doing well in terms of growing as a Christian.
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