Who is enlightened among you, and a man of knowledge? Let him exhibit the fruits of it by a noble life, with the humility that true enlightenment brings. We must be careful to remember that meekness in popular use has lost its nobility: the Gr. word describes a strong man's self-discipline and a wise man's humility. One who is strong, and knows it, is not jealous of rivals, or frenzied with partisanship for a cause that God will prosper. Such a spirit means only scorning truth and heaping up lies. Sensual, natural, and animal are all imperfect representations of the adjective psychic from psyché, soul or life. As contrasted with spirit, it means the immaterial parts of man as untouched by the Divine: the climactic adjective following shows that what does not touch God is touched by hell. Note in James 3:16 the stress on unproductiveness as the characteristic of sin. Confusion or restlessness (cf. James 3:8) and worthless deeds follow; jealous partisans can never get any good thing done, and are condemned for this more than the mischief they actually achieve. The characterisation of heavenly enlightenment has close affinities with the Beatitudes; we may fit Matthew 5:8-9; Matthew 5:5; Matthew 5:7 respectively to pure, peace-loving, gentle. full of compassion. For gentle (Matthew Arnold's sweet reasonableness) compare especially 2 Corinthians 10:1, also Php_4:5. It and the next adjective describe that freedom from pride and obstinacy which produces perfect openmindedness. Without variance has the word of James 1:6 and James 2:4; we may render it impartial here. A harvest of right is being sown in the field of peace for those who work for peace; cf. Psalms 97:11; Galatians 6:7 f., Hebrews 12:11.
Related Commentaries of James 3:13
James 3:13-18
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual,f devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusiong and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality,h and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.