Read James 3:13-18
Look at vv. 17-18
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Though there is surely more that we can know from God’s word about his wisdom as to how it is first pure, then peaceable, we can move on to looking into how it is gentle, knowing we will be taught more about the others as we go along. 😊
But the wisdom from above is…gentle
What is meant by gentle?
Here are some descriptive words taken from the definition in the Webster’s 1828 dictionary: mild; meek; soft; not rough, harsh, or severe.
What does scripture teach us about how to understand that the wisdom of God is gentle?
For context, we can immediately look to where gentle is placed. Before it there is peaceable and after it, open to reason. Certainly, that all the qualities of wisdom listed here belong together and are to be considered inseparable is true. Thinking of them as working together even though we are studying them individually. Learning about one helps us to understand another. But it seems that these three, peaceable, gentle, and open to reason, are linked especially. In that the wisdom from above is peaceable it would be then be also gentle. And likewise, that it is gentle, it simply follows that it would be open to reason as well.
Also, we can perhaps hear and see these 3 qualities back in chapter 1 of James, in verse 19: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.
To understand how we live out our faith in the meekness of wisdom as to how it is gentle, we need to know about God himself, who he is and how he works as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A scripture that first comes to mind is in Matthew 11, where Christ, who is God, describes himself as gentle:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (v. 29)
Read vv. 25-30.
Jesus is declaring and promising that for those who learn from him, those who were once weary and heavy laden and have come to him, they will find rest for their souls.
The gentleness of Christ is exemplified in an easy yoke and a light burden. His yoke, how he teaches, is easy and the burden of learning from him is light. This is how he is gentle towards the weary and heavy laden that he has called to himself and who have believed in him as Savior and Lord.
Note the descriptive words he uses easy, light, and rest. As well as lowly in heart, humble.
We can learn from him about God, the Father, as Jesus says in verse 27 that he is revealing the Father to those whom he chooses. God, the Father, whose will it was to hide his wisdom from the “wise and understanding” of the world and instead reveal it through Christ to little children, those whom the world considers foolish, the weary and heavy laden. The Father who has handed over all things to the Son.
That Christ’s yoke is easy and light and that the believer will find rest for his soul, brings to mind where Paul writes about the yoke of slavery (obligation to keep the whole law) and where we are reminded of the grace and love of God in the whole of our salvation (Galatians 5:1-6). Believers are under a yoke, yes, but a yoke of freedom, freedom to now obey the law of God by his grace through faith as God, the Father, loves us in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Considering how God reveals his gentleness in Christ, another passage comes to mind. This time in the old testament, in Isaiah 42. Words of God spoken by a prophet of God about Christ. Words that we can look at now and more fully understand because of the light of what has been revealed to us in Christ.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
For context read Isaiah 42 through 43:1-2 (note: regarding gentleness, I considered especially vv. 1-4, 14-16 and then 1-2)
When we think of God as gentle in his wisdom, we are also to think of his love. This might be a good place to remember a passage we read as we were studying how God’s wisdom is first pure. When we considered how God revealed himself in his holiness to Moses and proclaimed himself as he passed before him (context: on Mount Sinai when Moses, as the Lord had commanded, brought the second set of stone tablets – Exodus 34:1-9):
The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, but who will by no means clear the guilty.
As God proclaims himself, he makes it clear that while he is gracious and abounding in love he is also just. In Romans 3:25, Paul writes of how God had shown forbearance (gentleness) until the time that Christ would come and bring about his righteousness which would reveal him both as just and the one who justifies.
For more on the gentleness of God revealed in his forbearance, consider how God is with Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned. Read Genesis 3:8-21.
Back to James. But the wisdom from above is…gentle
Since God is one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we can know we are also being taught here about the work of the Holy Spirit who not only applies God’s wisdom to the minds and hearts of believers but also powerfully works in and through us. The good works we do in the meekness of wisdom come from God by faith and are done Christ in us through his Holy Spirit and we have the responsibility to keep in step with the Spirit. Read Galatians 5:22-26
The gentleness of God in his wisdom towards us as believers continually works to change us from the inside out. Keeping this in mind impacts our seeking to be gentle toward him and following from that, how we are seeking to be gentle toward others – family, co-workers, anyone. Also, remembering especially that when I am called upon by him to live out gentleness towards my brother or sister in Christ that God himself is being gentle towards one who is his child.
More scripture that may be helpful in understanding the gentleness of God who in his wisdom is working in us as he calls us to follow Christ as we live out our faith in him by his Spirit:
- Romans 15:1-14
- I Corinthians 13:7
- Galatians 6:1-5
- Ephesians 4:1-3
- Philippians 4:2-4
- 1 Peter 3:8