13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?


Doubletalk

3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? … Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


Mouth expresses heart

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit… For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  (Matthew 12:33-34)

Doubletalk flows from doublethink.


Doublethink

  • A good life is wisdom from heaven.
  • Selfish strife is “wisdom” from hell.
  • Worldly wants drive worldly ways.
  • Loving the world is hating God.
  • God gives grace if you mourn sin.
  • Satan flees far if you’re near God.
  • Slander slams law and plays God


A good life is wisdom from heaven.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

  • “Wise in your own eyes” = folly
  • Data + expertise ≠ wisdom

Selfish strife is “wisdom” from hell.

14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

  • 3:6 The tongue is a fire… and is itself set on fire by hell.
  • 3:15 Such “wisdom” is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. (3:15)
  • 4:7 Resist the devil.


Double trouble

Doubletalk comes from doublethink, resulting in double trouble.

  ἀκαταστασία, ἀκατάστατος

• He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (1:8)

• It is a restless evil. (3:8)

• There you find disorder. (3:16)


A good life is wisdom from heaven.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.


Worldly wants drive worldly ways.

4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?2 You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.


Worldly wants drive worldly ways.

You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.


Prosperity gospel: name it and claim it!

  • In the name of Jesus (penniless and homeless), I claim wealth and luxury!
  • In the name of Jesus (humiliated and hated), I claim popularity and success.
  • In the name of Jesus (tortured and crucified), I claim health and long life.

Loving the world is hating God.

Adulteresses!

4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?


Doublethink

  • A good life is wisdom from heaven.
  • Selfish strife is “wisdom” from hell.
  • Worldly wants drive worldly ways.
  • Loving the world is hating God.
  • God gives grace if you mourn sin.
  • Satan flees far if you’re near God.
  • Slander slams law and plays God.


God gives grace if you mourn sin.

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”


God gives grace if you mourn sin.

Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.


Satan flees far if you’re near God.

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Spiritual fitness is being close to God and resistant to Satan


Slander slams law and plays God.

11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.


Slander slams law

If you slander and speak against others, you are speaking against God’s law, because the law forbids slander.

Do not go about spreading slander among your people… love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev 19:16, 18)


Slander slams law and plays God.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?


Doublethink

  • A good life is wisdom from heaven.
  • Selfish strife is “wisdom” from hell.
  • Worldly wants drive worldly ways.
  • Loving the world is hating God.
  • God gives grace if you mourn sin.
  • Satan flees far if you’re near God.
  • Slander slams law and plays God.


Last modified: Monday, July 19, 2021, 11:10 AM