In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(John 1.1)

The premier lexicon of New Testament Greek bears the unwieldy name, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third Edition. While this title certainly lets the reader know what to expect of its contents, the book is colloquially known as BDAG, an acronym for the names of its authors and editors, W. Bauer, F.W. Danker, W.F. Arndt, and F.W. Gingrich. From this information you can already tell this book will be an incredibly dense, academically rigorous work capable of making most would-be scholars dizzy, and putting many of the rest to sleep. This is, in part, a self-referential illustration of the special power of words. On one hand, a few words can have an astonishing effect on people and events—

Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

(James 3.4-5)

But on the other hand countless words can be expended in even a failed attempt to adequately explain fairly simple truths—

Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

(Ecclesiastes 12.12)

This is most apparent where the spiritual realm is concerned. Even if we possess a firm understanding of many true things, the job of articulating them to others is by no means easy! While we make sense of our thoughts using language, and express them to others by the same method, the words themselves don’t do justice to the full picture.

So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

(1 Corinthians 2.11-13)

In BDAG, the abovementioned lexicon, the entry for λόγος-logos-“word” fills three large pages with minuscule 9-point font. It uses approximately four thousand words to define the word, word—and to catalog appearances of each of its eleven distinct senses in the Bible and other pertinent Greek literature. Why must it be so complicated? Well, if you consult a sizeable English dictionary, you’ll find a similarly thorough explanation, although most likely lacking the literary references. In both languages, what seems like it ought to be among the simplest words to define, is actually used in a variety of ways.

The primary sense of λόγος-logos is, “a communication whereby the mind finds expression, word” (BDAG, p.599). The English sense is a bit different. Although we use word to describe a wide variety of more complex, multi-word expressions, it boils down to the smallest meaningful, self-contained linguistic element—a word. Perhaps this subtle distinction is why the Bible uses λόγος-logos to convey everything from “statement,” to “question,” to “message,” to “report,” to “instruction,” to “a speech,” to “gospel,” to “commandment,” to “subject,” to “book,” to “reckoning,” to “reason,” to “motive” (BDAG, pp.599-601). But there’s another prominent sense, the culmination of all the others: “the independent personified expression of God, the Logos” (p.601).

The Apostle John repeatedly identifies this Logos as Jesus. He is the personification of God’s Word, the expression of God’s mind, by which he has communicated his purposes to his creations. As Paul told us in the passage quoted above, only God’s Spirit comprehends his thoughts (1Co 2.11); but his point was that God has given us his Spirit, and therefore the ability to comprehend at least part of his mind! How do we express God’s thoughts to others? Using “words,” of course (v13)!

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

(Hebrews 11.3)

God’s Word has always been paramount. He spoke the universe into existence, and since then, while he has made ample use of visions, spirits, and silent providence, by far his most valuable and purposeful influence over man has been though his word. He spoke to Adam in the garden “saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat’” (Ge 2.16-17). He “said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.’” (12.1). From a burning bush, to Moses he “said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’” (Ex 3.6). From Mount Sinai, to Israel “God spoke all these words, saying,

‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery’” (20.1). God promised to replace Moses with another prophet, saying, “I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (De 18.18). Through countless prophets he kept his word, through one invoking yet another sense of λόγος-logos, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord” (Is 1.18).

God has shared his Word with his people in many fashions, and over vast stretches of time; but in former days, our inherent limitations led to almost universal failure to comprehend the spiritual truths God communicated by his spoken word. But praise be to God, “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (He 1.1). Jesus is the perfect expression of the mind of God, his Word made flesh. Listen to him.

Jeremy Nettles

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 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.

(James 3.13-18)

In last week’s article, we considered the attributes of earthly wisdom, especially its moral ambiguity. Earthly wisdom often agrees with heavenly wisdom, but it does so for the wrong reasons. For example, a wise atheist may well conclude that parents ought to nurture and provide for their children, but his reasons will have to do with an orderly society. That’s a genuine concern, but the real reasons are, first, that God commands it; and second, that children are entrusted to parents by God, the parent-child relationship mirrors an aspect of God’s relationship to man, and parents stand in the place of God for their children, so they are obligated to represent him faithfully, enact his will, and raise their children in genuine love. Earthly wisdom has no time for this. It is ultimately demonic (v15), not because it consciously serves Satan’s will, but because refusing to acknowledge the spiritual realm submits to Satan’s influence just as well. But what characterizes heavenly wisdom?

Pure

We generally think of purity as uniformity, and specifically a lack of contamination. In English it has pretty well always meant that, but the Greek word here thus translated, ἁγνή-hagnē, only takes the meaning, unadulterated, by an extension of its core sense. Originally it was almost synonymous with holy, and was used to describe God and the things that pertain to him. Dedication to God means behaving in a way that pleases him. This conduct is morally upright in and of itself, and someone who is truly devoted to serving God does not disobey him and call it righteousness. Our wisdom, likewise, should be from God, and not superseded by earthly principles when they suit our desires.

Peaceable

Heavenly wisdom seeks peace, rather than conflict. That doesn’t mean conflict is wrong, or even unwise. Paul wrote to the Romans, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Ro 12.18). This upholds the goal, but acknowledges that peace is not always possible, and may depends on others, who insist on strife. But the person who stirs up conflict does not have God’s wisdom.

Gentle

The word behind this is ἐπιεικής-epieikēs, which is tough to pin down. “Gentle” is a good translation, but built into this word is the notion that the “gentle” person has good reason not to be! Synonyms include indulgent and tolerant. As with the previous item, this doesn’t mean limitless toleration; but it does mean giving people the benefit of the doubt.

Open to Reason

If you never allow yourself to be persuaded, you’re not using heavenly wisdom. As usual, there’s a limit—this doesn’t mean being wishy-washy. The Bible often tells us to be steadfast! But that is about being firmly anchored in Christ, our foundation. When considering possible paths, or exercising judgment among—or even over—brothers, it’s important that they can reason with you.

Full of Mercy and Good Fruits

This seems self-explanatory; but what is mercy? In a theological sense, we usually think of mercy as withholding well-deserved punishment; and that’s fine, considering our relationship to God and the forgiveness he offers. But it’s not actually the way the word is normally used in the Bible. We can see its common usage in the lawyer’s response to the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus asked,

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

(Luke 10.36-37)

It’s important to show mercy in the narrow sense of forgiveness; but also in the broader sense, showing kindness to those in need. This exemplifies good fruit, which Jesus also admonishes us to bear.

Impartial

Earlier in the book James warned,

if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

(James 2.3-4)

You can see fleshly motivations for dividing people into favored and disfavored classes, but this is foreign to heavenly wisdom.

Sincere

Literally “without hypocrisy,” this means the outward conduct is a genuine reflection of the inner thoughts, and not an attempt to mask them. The person who has heavenly wisdom has no need for dishonesty, and his fruits speak well of him.

§

What is the result of heavenly wisdom? The surrounding verses give us the answer. The wise man has “good conduct” (v13) that leads to “a harvest of righteousness…sown in peace” (v18). Earthly wisdom, on the other hand, led to “disorder and every vile practice” (v16)! Which path will you follow?

Jeremy Nettles

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

(James 3.14-16)

We usually consider wisdom to be morally good. But there are two types of wisdom: heavenly and earthly. Whereas heavenly wisdom is always good, earthly wisdom is sometimes very bad. Consider Ahithophel, one of King David’s counsellors. His advice “was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed” (2Sa 16.23). Yet what counsel did he give?

“Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”

(2 Samuel 16.21)

It’s tough to call that “good” advice, since it’s clearly a grotesque sin. However, it was certainly a clever and effective course of action, which—setting aside the moral dimension—is the very definition of wisdom.

Solomon was the wisest man in the world (1Ki 10.23), yet he saw wisdom’s limits. In despair he asked, “what advantage has the wise man over the fool?” (Ec 6.8). He even went so far as to warn, “do not make yourself too wise” (7.16). This is jarring, but we could perhaps explain it away by supposing that Solomon means only earthly wisdom absent any moral value, and thereby preserve his standards of right and wrong. Yet in the first half of the sentence he said, “Be not overly righteous,” which is much harder to excuse! To be fair, this applies spiritually to our self-perception; but a more straightforward interpretation is just that Solomon is using earthly wisdom to assess earthly wisdom’s usefulness! What the world might consider excessive goodness or wisdom attracts the hatred of wicked people, and therefore makes the righteous and the wise targets for persecution. Of course, from the heavenly perspective, “this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly” (1Pe 2.19); but earthly wisdom can’t see from that vantage point!

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

(1 Corinthians 1.20-25)

Like James, Paul also contrasts earthly and heavenly wisdom. Neither says that earthly wisdom is no wisdom at all. Paul comes close, by labeling man’s wisdom “foolishness” in comparison to God’s; but throughout this context he concedes that what is “wise according to worldly standards” (v26) is, indeed, wise. His point is simply that God’s wisdom far surpasses man’s. James characterized man’s wisdom in a list:

Earthly

As discussed above, it’s not just that man’s wisdom prefers the earth over heaven; rather, the heavenly perspective is foreign and inaccessible, to earthly wisdom! The best of man’s wisdom helps them “feel their way toward” God (Ac 17.27), and “honor him as God” (Ro 1.21), even if they worship what they do not know (Jn 4.22). But in general, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (v22), and proceeded to misrepresent God and worship the work of their own hands.

Unspiritual

Earthly wisdom is about the physical realm.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

(1 Corinthians 2.14)

Demonic

Earthly wisdom is “unspiritual,” but demons are spiritual beings—for example, “the demon” in Luke 4.35 is “the unclean spirit” in Mark 1.26. This demon invaded a man’s flesh and directed it to disordered, evil purposes. Earthly wisdom may be blind to the spiritual realm, but it can’t really escape it! There is no neutral ground between heaven and hell.

Jealous and Ambitious

These two qualities illuminate the problem with earthly wisdom. In the absence of heavenly principles like love, the only sensible goal is to please oneself. Even good deeds become a calculation in reward-seeking. If helping an old lady cross the street can somehow benefit you, then it’s worth doing. Otherwise, the purest earthly wisdom would dictate leaving her to take her chances alone.

§

The world’s wisdom usually paints over its worst results, due to an inkling of heavenly wisdom, or because an honest assessment would horrify common decency. But as Paul wrote, if this life is all there is, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1Co 15.32). Then it would be nothing but an exercise in staving off pain and boredom, with no meaning or purpose to anything we do. It’s no wonder rejecting heavenly wisdom leads to “disorder and every vile practice” (Ja 3.16)! But praise the Lord! In his wisdom he descended to earth and became flesh, not only to share heaven’s wisdom with us, but also to rescue us from foolish, disordered, and vile pursuits, redeeming us for honorable purposes.

Jeremy Nettles

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

(Colossians 2.4)

Paul wrote this as part of his appeal to the Christians of Colossae to stop giving credence to the newly-arrived, mystic false teachers who claimed to promote Jesus, but really advanced their own ideas, through such avenues as

philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

(Colossians 2.8)

Put in those terms, it seems obvious that Jesus overrides them all, and remarkable that Christians would set him aside in favor of these dubious authorities. And yet, Paul didn’t scold the Colossians for being stupid or careless. On the contrary, he acknowledged that the arguments in favor of the false teachings were, although false, plausible.

Herein lies the problem. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Je 17.9). We’re not very good at understanding our own motives, and easily deceive ourselves when we want. It becomes even easier, when we have assistance! The lay of the land is readily apparent when subjected to enough light, but in the darkness there’s little reason to believe one theory over another. While the light of Christ exposes all things, we don’t yet see it with perfect clarity, but only “in a mirror dimly” (1Co 13.12). That much, even, is a wonderful gift of God, and is enough. But when someone starts to expound upon what lies in the shadowy corners of that dim reflection, he may be able to offer compelling reasons to believe God’s kingdom is arranged in a particular way, yet be totally wrong! It’s wise to mark the difference between the word of God, and man’s interpretation thereof. Peter wrote that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” (2Pe 1.20), meaning the prophet’s own explanation of the spiritual state of affairs. Rather, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (v21). Even the prophets themselves didn’t always fully understand what God was saying through them (e.g. Jn 11.49-52)!

Paul’s instruction to the Colossians was to remain firmly rooted in the gospel of Christ, and not be distracted or misled by charlatans wishing to impose their own brand of order. The same thing obviously applies today, as well; yet even our understanding of Christ can become deluded through more plausible arguments and contrived explanations. We can simply shrug it off for a while, being careful to avoid going “beyond what is written” (1Co 4.6); if everyone did so, life in Christ would be easy and straightforward. However, because of sin we have to deal with confusing and convoluted matters, and sometimes it will not only be difficult to do the right thing, but difficult to figure out what is the right thing to do! These areas—the shadowy corners of the dim reflection—are treacherous.

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

(Proverbs 11.14)

If you can’t avoid them, the first step to navigating these difficult waters is to seek worthy advice, but this does not mean searching for someone to give you approval for what you want to do irrespective of God’s will. Look for a variety of opinions, and be sure to regard them as only opinions. Inquire of people with more experience and relevant success under their belts than you possess, and compare what they say. If most or all of them agree, ask yourself why that is the case, and whether further inquiries would be likely to flush out a contrary opinion. If almost none of them agree, scrutinize that fact in a similar way. There is danger, on the one hand, of being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning,” and you should be careful to avoid this. On the other hand, it’s not any better to reject every counselor but one, unless that One is Christ! But even there, it’s easy to say, to think, and even to believe that’s what you’re doing, when really you’re putting forward your “own interpretation” (2Pe 1.20 again) as the word of God. Don’t be gullible, but don’t be obstinate, either.

All of this may seem like a lot of extra work, and an unnecessary complication of a simple message. Well, it is! We’ve already observed that this is due to sin, which actively works to banish the light. It won’t succeed, of course (Jn 1.5), but the war isn’t over, yet. It’s not God’s fault life is complicated. He created a peaceful, pleasant, and meaningful life in Eden, but Adam and Eve messed it up—just as we all would have done, in their place. Now, we have to deal with the fallout of the sins of past generations, as well as our own, and it’s not always easy to see things clearly. But growing up means taking on more and more responsibility for increasingly difficult choices. It requires that we have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (He 5.14).

This “constant practice” is more than reading the Bible, although that’s a perfect starting point. Next, stop assessing the world through fleshly eyes, and start seeing “the things of the Spirit of God” (1Co 2.14). Your reactions to earthly events will begin to change from visceral, fleshly ones that seem plausible but can’t withstand scrutiny, to well-reasoned, spiritual ones that are less about what you think, and more about what God says.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12.2)

Jeremy Nettles

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

(Ephesians 4.4-7)

Paul here stresses unity in Christ, which is a major theme in Ephesians. But he also marks a paradox—diversity, even in unity. Christians are united in the seven ways listed, being members of “one body.” Yet “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1Co 12.14). Christ gives them a variety of gifts.

Therefore it says,

               “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

                       and he gave gifts to men.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

(Ephesians 4.8-10)

Paul is referring to a Psalm that says, “You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men” (Ps 68.18); but the subject in the Psalm received gifts among men, while Paul writes that he gave gifts to men. There are various explanations for this, and perhaps the most satisfying grows from a comparison to a later passage in Ephesians, which begins similarly:

Therefore it says,

        “Awake, O sleeper,

                       and arise from the dead,

        and Christ will shine on you.”

(Ephesians 5.14)

This does not quote any Old Testament passage, but it alludes to several. It seems more like an early Christian hymn, and perhaps the same is true in the first instance—Christians took note of the Messianic aspects of Psalm 68 and alluded to them, but also recognized Jesus as the perfect example of a powerful and benevolent ruler, who gives more and better gifts to his subjects than those he receives from them.

What gifts has Jesus given? The list is endless, but Paul here focuses on just a handful:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

(Ephesians 4.11-14)

When Paul writes such a long and complex sentence, it’s common for readers to forget where they began, by the time they reach the end. It’s a well-crafted explanation of the relationships between the central fact and four less visible premises—the purposes and endpoints. But the central fact had to do with the gifts Christ gave. What were they? Not apostleship, or prophecy, or evangelism, and so forth; rather, the gifts are the apostles themselves, the prophets themselves, the evangelists themselves, and so on! We might call these particular vocations or callings, and the people to whom Jesus gave them, in turn are gifts to the rest of Christ’s body.

Apostles

This word is a transliteration rather than a translation. Its literal meaning is simply “one who is sent.” A close English parallel would be ambassador. In the New Testament it occasionally refers to high-profile men of authority in the church, such as Barnabas (Ac 14.14) or James the brother of Jesus (Ga 1.19); more often it refers to one of the Twelve, or to Paul. Today we typically capitalize it when referring to these latter—the Apostles.

Prophets

This also is a transliteration, with the dual meanings, “one who tells beforehand” and “one who speaks on behalf of someone greater.” The first meaning applies to the prophets Jesus has given, but only in service of the second one! There is overlap between Christ’s ambassadors, and his mouthpieces; in fact, apostles and prophets are tied together in eight separate passages in the New Testament. In the same letter Paul wrote that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Ep 2.20)

Evangelists

Again, this is a transliteration. You can see the word angel nestled inside, and both refer to “messengers.” But an evangelist is not just the bearer of any old message; he shares the εὐαγγέλιον-euangelion-“good news,” the gospel. Paul tells Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2Ti 4.5), and Paul’s letters to him are helpful for understanding that work.

Shepherds

This one requires no definition; but a thesaurus might help! Many translations follow a centuries-long tradition of rendering it pastors, and the rest of the New Testament shows they are interchangeable with elders (or presbyters) and overseers (or bishops).

Teachers

This is perhaps the most comprehensible item on the list, and of course the work of teaching overlaps substantially with the other four roles listed. While it’s the most general and least prestigious on this list, it’s a worthy task, and one to be appreciated and rewarded, as Paul wrote, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” (Ga 6.6).

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All of these are gifts to the body of Christ. Their purpose is to build it up and nurture it toward maturity, so that it grows to look more and more like Christ, its head. Treat them as such.

Jeremy Nettles