Difference in Outcomes (3:16,18)

​Difference in Outcomes (3:16, 18)

The origin determines the outcome. Worldly wisdom yields worldly outcomes; spiritual wisdom yields spiritual outcomes.

Worldly wisdom leads to problems (v. 16). Jealousy, fighting, confusion, and bad deeds are the results of worldly wisdom. It seems that God was not present in that gathering. James would talk about the "wars and fightings" between believers in James 4. Bad thoughts lead to bad actions. Men have not listened to God's wisdom, which is one reason the world is in such a mess.

The word that was translated as "confusion" means "disorder that comes from instability." James 1:8 talks about the "unstable" and James 3:8 talks about the "unruly." Read 2 Corinthians 12:20 to see what a confused church looks like. Jesus used this word to talk about how the world would shake in the last days (Luke 21:9).

Jealousy, competition, and party spirit all make things more confusing. The Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 is a good example of this. People thought building the tower was a good idea, but God thought it was a bad and sinful idea. What happened? Confusion. We still use the word "babel" to mean "confusion" today.

James 3:16 says that "every evil work" comes from confusion. In this context, "evil" means "worthless, of no account." It makes us think of 1 Corinthians 3:12's "wood, hay, and stubble." A ministry that uses worldly wisdom may seem good and prosper, but it could perish on judgment day. "Therefore, do not judge anything before the time" (1 Cor. 4:5). The church in Smyrna thought it was poor, but the Lord said it was rich. The church in Laodicea, on the other hand, was said to be poor (Rev. 2:9; 3:14–22).

We should not judge our ministries by what people say but by what the Bible says. The many fights between Christians, the splits in the church, and the lack of peace and purity all point to something being wrong. Maybe that "something" is the lack of God's wisdom.

God's wisdom brings blessing (v. 18). James went back to that word, fruit. There is a big difference between what people do and what God gives. Life gives us fruit, and fruit has the seeds inside it that will grow into more fruit. Normally, the seed is planted, but in this case, the fruit is planted. People are fed and happy when we share God's fruit with them, and they in turn bear fruit.

Living as a Christian means planting seeds and reaping the rewards. In fact, every life is a life of planting and harvesting, and we get what we plant. When a Christian follows God's wisdom, they plant good things, not bad things; they plant peace, not war. The way we live lets God bring peace and righteousness into the lives of other people.

We are what we do, and what we do is what we plant. What we plant is what we get. We plant righteousness and peace when we live in God's wisdom, and we get God's blessing in return. If we live by the wisdom of men, we plant sin and war and get "confusion and every evil work" in return.

Being a troublemaker in God's family is a big deal. God hates the sin of "sowing discord among brethren" (see Prov. 6:16–19). Lot did what the world told him to do and caused trouble for Abraham's camp. Abraham, on the other hand, did what God told him to do and brought peace. Lot's decision resulted in futile actions, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah shattered everything he had cherished. God's wisdom led Abraham to make a choice that blessed his own family and, eventually, the whole world (see Gen. 13).

"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding" (Prov. 3:13).