Who among you

is wise and understanding?

(James, brother of Jesus; James 3:13a).

Good question. For one man's wisdom is another man's foolishness or, worse, heresy. How then might we, with a measure of objectivity if not certainty, determine who is wise and whose wisdom, therefore, might be trusted?

It's curious that the Apostle Paul spoke of the "trinity of discernment": knowledge, wisdom, and understanding (Colossians 1:9; 2:2-3); while his fellow James focused upon wisdom and understanding. Curious, too, is James' repeated allusions to wisdom in a short epistle that is otherwise devoted to "the second greatest commandment," love your neighbor as yourself (James 2:28).

Makes a reader wonder if wisdom and relationship might somehow be connected. So again...

Who among you

is wise and understanding?

Remarkably, James doesn't appeal to a man's words as evidence of his wisdom; rather, he appeals to a man's character and behavior. Let a man give evidence of his wisdom and understanding, "by his good behavior and deeds" (v. 13b). Wisdom is less about what we know and say and more about who we are and what we do.

Wisdom from above, James suggests, is evidenced by a selfless, submissive spirit; wisdom from above is other-oriented. By contrast, earthy wisdom (v. 15) is evident by an ambitious, arrogant spirit; earthy wisdom is self-oriented. And where there is selfish ambition, there is instability and darkness (v. 16; cf. James 4:1-3). 

The behavior and deeds of a man, a woman, a child, of wisdom, show up--according to James--as "pure (single-minded), peaceable (loving peace), gentle (equitable), reasonable (approachable), full of mercy (of practical assistance) and good fruits (cf. Philippians 1:9-11), unwavering (without agenda), without hypocrisy (unfeigned; cf. Romans 12:9)." In addition, wisdom from above--the seed whose fruit is righteousness--is sown in peace by those who make peace (vv. 17-18). Qualities of relationship, all. 

And so it seems that wisdom and relationship are indisputably joined. Wisdom is evident in the quality of its relationships. (Small wonder then that Israel's King Solomon--who received and surrendered transcendent wisdom within his lifetime--portrayed Wisdom as a relational person in Proverbs.)

James' discussion of wisdom then in the context of the larger theme of his epistle--love your neighbor--shows, well, great wisdom and understanding. Then again, I may have it backwards. James might have actually written of love your neighbor in the context of the larger theme of his epistle--wisdom.

To be fair, James--like Paul--spoke of knowledge as well as wisdom and understanding. In James 1:22-27, how did James express the importance of knowledge that is transformational and not merely informational?

True or false...wisdom gives us insight and inclination to make distinct choices where knowledge is inexplicit.  

How might you define wisdom from above--in contrast to earthy wisdom? 

Mightn't it be said of wisdom as of humility, if you think you finally have it, you probably don't?

Is it possible that we've put the cart before the horse, or even forgotten to hitch the horse at all? How might the formation of our character in the image of Jesus be the quintessential determinant of the truth, the integrity, of our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding? (And if it be true, it's true whether you perceive yourself as conservative, progressive, or center.)   

If your wisdom were a boat on a lake, what would it leave behind in its wake?