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).

§

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

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

               and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

               For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

               and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him

               from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

               he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

               and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

               and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

               in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers,

               to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

(Luke 1.46-55)

While it may sound to us like the title of an early-90s straight-to-video animated Disney film about a feline magician, magnificat is actually Latin for “it praises,” or “glorifies.” As with many other poetic sections of the Bible, for many centuries this passage was read in the Western world from the Latin Vulgate Bible, and so it became known by the first word in that translation, just as we today refer to hymns like “All People That on Earth Do Dwell,” using the first line whether or not it suitably summarizes the whole. This is the oldest New Testament hymn to God, and has remained a favorite in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions, but is largely ignored by the rest of Protestants. Why?

Well, the answer to that is wrapped up in the unhealthy obsession with Mary shared among those older denominations. If you ask a serious Catholic why they worship Mary, instead of an answer you’ll receive a protest that they do not worship Mary. We should be inclined to believe their profession; but it’s really hard to do so, when so much of their worship is so focused on her.

Mary certainly deserves honor. As she herself said, “from now on all generations will call me blessed” (v48). She is one of a bare handful whose lives are recorded in any detail in the Bible, on whom we cannot pin credible accusations of any particular sins! In Mary we see an ideal young woman—chaste, moral, willingly submissive, and clinging tightly to her God and the duties he assigns her. She’s a wonderful example! Despite the made-up doctrine of the immaculate conception, she was guilty of sin like the rest of us (cf. Ro 3.23), but unlike Abraham, David, or Peter, whom we can justly label adulterer, murderer, and denier, Mary’s manner of life leaves us without any specific complaints.

As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

(Luke 11.27-28)

Of course, veneration of Mary can clearly go too far. The fact that an ecumenical council was called in AD 431 at Ephesus, largely to decide whether Mary was “Theotokos” (Mother of G0d) or “Christotokos” (Mother of Christ) illustrates that the obsession had jumped the shark. After the 16^th century’s Protestant Reformation, Mary’s significance was so downplayed, that if anything most American Christians today don’t give her enough credit! Perhaps it’s time to remember the real reasons to honor Mary.

In her hymn, we see her response to God’s grace. Not only had he sent his Son into the world bringing forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life—but he’d chosen to make Mary a vessel for dispensing that gift. How did she react? Not by elevating herself, but by highlighting her own “humble estate” and status as a “servant” (v48)! By ascribing salvation to God and not herself (vv47, 49, 50, 53, & 54)! And by acknowledging God’s fulfillment of his promise, “as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever” (v55). She thinks of generations past and future, rather than only herself, and praises God for his power and his mercy.

This poem is far more meaningful than most of the hymns Christians sing today. Whereas most popular modern hymns express thanks for our “Blessed Assurance,” Mary expressed shock that God would be so gracious to her, of all people. Whereas we like to sing songs today about our close, intimate relationship with God and ask others, “Do You Know My Jesus?” Mary— carrying God incarnate in her womb—praised God in such a respectful tone that she stopped short of even addressing him directly. Whereas we extol God for helping us to do great things, telling him “You Are My Strength,” Mary said, “he who is mighty has done great things for me” (v49), and that “he has filled the hungry with good things” (v53). Whereas we cope with the troubles of life by reminding ourselves that “Heaven Will Surely Be Worth It All,” Mary feels “blessed” (v48), “exalted” (v52), and “filled” (v53) already, despite being a poor girl from a hated village, unmarried and yet pregnant, by a method almost no one would believe (cf. Jn 8.41).

To be clear, it’s not that the modern hymns have no value, or that they should never be sung. Rather, the differences between the ancient hymns and modern ones can tell us something about ourselves, filling in a blind spot by looking from another perspective. In Mary’s hymn, the most striking feature is her humility. It was good to stop making Mary out to be semi-divine; now, let’s take ourselves off that same pedestal, and follow the example provided by one who was richly blessed, yet remained lowly in spirit.

Jeremy Nettles

A worthless person, a wicked man,

                goes about with crooked speech,

winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,

                points with his finger,

with perverted heart devises evil,

                continually sowing discord…

(Proverbs 6.12-14)

The book of Proverbs is full of warnings like this. On the surface, it’s an admonition to be on the lookout for such people, so as to avoid being harmed by their evil deeds. But it’s also a caution against becoming “a wicked man” yourself! Clearly, if you’re telling lies and deliberately sabotaging the people around you, you’ve crossed the line; however, the person who avoids telling outright lies, but makes use of half-truths and innuendo can easily convince himself he’s doing nothing wrong. This is a bigger problem, because a confessed sinner will usually stop short of whatever he considers to be going too far; whereas the one who claims the moral high ground and invests his deeds with the weight of God’s judgment, will never impose a conscientious limit on his own sin.

The wise father of Proverbs also warns his son about this sort of behavior in women.

For at the window of my house

                I have looked out through my lattice,

and I have seen among the simple,

                I have perceived among the youths,

                a young man lacking sense,

passing along the street near her corner,

                taking the road to her house

in the twilight, in the evening,

                at the time of night and darkness.

(Proverbs 7.6-9)

“The adulteress” is a running theme throughout the book, and that particular sin is a great danger; but if you take note of the way this woman gets what she wants, you’ll see that it’s the same sort of perverse heart and “crooked speech” that the cynical, manipulative man of chapter 6 employed.

And behold, the woman meets him,

                dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

(Proverbs 7.10)

This is not pure foolishness; she understands subtlety and enticement. We often explain away sinful behavior as being born of stupidity. This is sometimes really the case, but it often isn’t, and the crafty sinner is more dangerous than the dumb brute!

With much seductive speech she persuades him;

                with her smooth talk she compels him.

All at once he follows her,

                as an ox goes to the slaughter,

or as a stag is caught fast

                till an arrow pierces its liver;

as a bird rushes into a snare;

                he does not know that it will cost him his life.

(Proverbs 7.21-23)

In such an encounter, the man is obviously pursuing his own lusts—there’s a reason he was loitering in her neighborhood. At the same time, however, the woman envisioned here does more than simply allow the man to satisfy his desire. On the contrary, his rational will tries to restrain him, but “she persuades him,” and “compels him.” The picture is not one of a lustful man taking advantage of a naïve or defenseless girl; it’s not even one of forbidden lovers mutually rejecting self-control. She is manipulating him into doing what she wants! That doesn’t excuse him, or make him any less dead, in the end.

And now, O sons, listen to me,

                and be attentive to the words of my mouth.

Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;

                do not stray into her paths,

for many a victim has she laid low,

                and all her slain are a mighty throng.

Her house is the way to Sheol,

                going down to the chambers of death.

(Proverbs 7.24-27)

The point is to avoid not only the sin itself, but also to avoid the people who tempt you to sin. As Paul later wrote, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1Co 15.33).

Of course, as we observed in the first passage quoted above, women aren’t the only ones who act like this, and men aren’t the only ones who should beware. The Proverbs personify this spirit as a seductive woman, for the same reasons that led to the stock character known as the femme fatale in stories all over the world since the beginning of stories. One way to get what you want is to take it by force. That is a stereotypically masculine tactic, and is also well represented in art. But the use of more devious means to beguile others into willingly doing what you want, even contrary to their own interests, is a stereotypically feminine tactic, owing to the wide disparity in size and strength between most men and most women. The simplest way for many men to get what they want is simply to take it, or to get it through credible threats of violence. Most women have to learn more wily methods. Since most men’s primary desire is to have women, a wide array of tools are available. Both approaches are sinful, but while the masculine method doesn’t bother to obscure itself, the feminine method relies heavily on a façade of virtue.

God tells us to shun both. Dynamic sins like theft, rape, and murder are simple and, in most cases, rather easy to distinguish.  More artful ones like deception, hypocrisy, and double-dealing are harder to detect, because they deal so much with the heart, which we are unable to see clearly. But God sees!

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

(Hebrews 4.13)

You can’t always tell when someone is being insincere or manipulating you. Proverbs tells us that it’s good to be on guard against this, and provides many hints to help us discern. But being cheated is not the worst thing that could happen. Far worse is to become a cheat, following the femme fatale playbook to get what you want through sinful means. We do have the power to prevent this.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…

(1 Peter 1.22)

Jeremy Nettles