Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Biblical Wisdom Explained: 8 Characteristics of True Wisdom from James 3 | Jonny Ardavanis

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

What does it mean to have biblical wisdom? In this episode, we dive deep into James 3:13-18 to explore the 8 characteristics of wisdom from above versus worldly wisdom.📖 KEY TOPICS COVERED:- The difference between godly wisdom and demonic wisdom- 8 hallmarks of biblical wisdom: pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, full of good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy- Why wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7)- How to practically grow in biblical wisdom- The role of humility and service in true wisdom- Why wisdom is something we receive, not just achieve🔑 KEY VERSES:James 3:13-18 | Proverbs 1:7 | Colossians 2:2-3 | Matthew 7:24-27⚡ 3 WAYS TO GROW IN WISDOM:1. Come to know Christ personally2. Study and apply God's Word3. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5)Biblical wisdom isn't just knowledge—it's skilled living that honors God. True wisdom is sincere, servant-hearted, and marked by integrity. Learn how to pursue this wisdom that comes from above!📩 Subscribe for more biblical teaching on Christian living, wisdom literature, and practical theology.This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu

Wisdom is not something we get. I think that's the main idea. It's something we receive. It's something we receive, not as we sit and wait and twiddle our thumbs. It's the wisdom we receive. Proverbs says, if you search for it as hidden treasure. The wise individual is actually someone who loves to serve others. It's actually someone that loves to, like water finds the lowest place,

biblical wisdom is someone that is always trying to find an opportunity to serve, instead of always needing a stage to like, oh, please, come and bask in the riches of my wisdom. In short, biblical and godly wisdom is sincere. What you see is what you get. Hang, thanks for sitting down. Absolutely happy to be here. Before you say anything, before we dive into the episode, I want to draw your attention to my shirt. We tell people in the comments to give us feedback where the episodes need to go.

we're getting fantastic feedback, but one of the pieces of feedback that we're neglecting is people want to know where can they find the theology fuels, doxology, t-shirts. They're coming back. Okay. Soon. Probably next week. Did we order enough of them? We thought so. Okay.

Well, they're in high demand. So I want to make sure I'm nothing if but a message for the people. Yeah, they're coming back. And the people that are on subscribe to our newsletter on dialing ministries.org get first access to those. So if you're not signed up for that devotional, that goes out three times a week. Make sure you're signed up there at dial in ministries.org. Furthermore, this episode is brought to you by one of our ministry partners, the Masters University.

That's the school that I went to. I'm really grateful for its commitment to Christ and to Scripture. And if you're interested in learning more about an education committed to both God and His Word, you can visit masters.edu. Masters.edu. Hank, in this episode, we're going to continue what we began last time in our study of biblical wisdom. Last time we looked at the reality that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord, Proverbs 1-7 says, is the beginning of wisdom.

And that idea of fear is not to be afraid of God. It's to be gripped by how awesome and glorious he is. It is to be in awe of God. It's to behold him in a biblical sense and to be humbled by the reality that he is both the supreme king of the universe, but also a God who invites us to call him father. And Proverbs says, this is the first run. of the latter as it relates to biblical wisdom. Now, wisdom, as we talked about last time, is not just what you know. It's how you apply what you know to how you live. It's skilled living.

It's not ethereal. It's not esoteric. It's not just this, you know, academic stuff relegated to a book on a shelf. It actually does translate to the way that we live life. And maybe just the two other points from last week that we looked at in-depth is one, this is written, presumably by Solomon, the wisest, the wealthiest man to ever walk the face of the earth. And he tells us the pursuit of wisdom is more worthwhile, more weighty than all the riches in the world. And then the second point that you called out is that wisdom is portrayed as someone calling from the streets, like calling from the rooftops, the implication being that it's actually achievable. And that it's there for us to lay hold of and to live life to your point with a capital L.

God wants you to have wisdom. It's not elusive. 100%. So anyway, yeah, well, James in the New Testament picks up this reality. He's kind of the counterpart to wisdom literature in the Old Testament. He kind of punctuates many of the same themes in regards to the brevity of life, the fragility of life. James is the half-brother of Jesus, and he is one of the leading pastors of the church in Jerusalem. And he talks about this idea, and James I, he says, Faith without Works is dead, meaning, hey, it doesn't matter if you say you believe in God, if it doesn't translate to the way that you live. He says even the demons believe

and shudder. There is a demonic faith. The demons, they believe Jesus Christ is God. They believe that he died and rose again from the dead. They can affirm all of those facts, and they're going to spend eternity in the remotest, darkest, deepest corner of hell. And James says, hey, listen, if you say you follow God, that's going to be translated into the way that you live. That's James 1. And that same way, he's going to pick up that theme in James 3, saying, hey, let's talk about wisdom. And let me just read it for you. And James, you actually want to read that, James 3, 13. Absolutely. So James says for us, who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his good conduct by his works and the gentleness of wisdom. Yeah, pause there. He's just going to say, hey, who among you is wise? And there may be people that say like, hey, listen, I don't claim to be wise.

False modesty. Yeah, well, probably. And in one sense, everybody typically has a perspective or an opinion or they criticize. And in doing so, they are elevating their own perspective on things. so they are proving that they do think they're wise. And James says, who among you is wise and understanding? He says, let him show it. Let him prove it by his good behavior, his deeds, and the gentleness of his wisdom. Then James is going to provide a contrast between the wisdom that God provides and the wisdom of this world. Because it's helpful. It's like a black velvet backdrop upon which the diamond is seen.

He says, but if any of you, this is a demonic wisdom, he says. Verse 14, but if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your, heart. Do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but that is the wisdom that is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. You know, I just, I think this is maybe a good time to just pause. Demons ain't no dummies. And James says here, no, actually, there is a demonic wisdom. It's actually masqueraded in the world

in which you live. Sometimes it looks legitimate. That wisdom from below is arrogant, self-centered, jealous. He says the wisdom from below is jealous and selfishly ambitious, meaning it's all about me, myself, and I. And it results, verse 16, there is disorder in every evil thing,

meaning that the worldly system, the fleshly system in which we live the demonic realm all operate in a way that promotes disorder, disunity, fragility, and volatility, all that to say that in a world where the wisdom from below operates, there is no peace and stability. Well, and to your point, I think when you say the demonic, at least in my mind, I would guess in many listeners' mind, it conjures up like a Disney version of a demon or on the flip side, like a very dark, scary reality. And that's true. But I think the point,

point here that James has bring to the forefront, I would ask people to take inventory of the circles in which they operate at work in politics, broken families. This wisdom from the earth results in turbulence, incongruence, frustration, conflict. I mean, that would characterize so much of your lived experience. So there's an element as you're reading this. You're like, yes, I recognize that. I see that reality. Yeah, that's why sometimes, you know, I'll say things like, hey, that's demonic. And, you know, people do have this idea. your point that it's like it's Satan you know Satan worship right it's cultish yeah but it could be but it also could just be masqueraded in a world in which jealousy and selfish ambition and

arrogance and disunity thrive that is what james says is demonic why because we we serve a god of order and his creatures ought to be humble now i don't want to get to the contrast because james does he provides this contrast in verse 17 he says but the wisdom from a above is first. Now, we'll just pause here. Throughout the remainder of this verse and the conclusion of James Chapter 3, James provides eight characteristics of godly wisdom. He had begun this section in 313 by saying, hey, who of you claims to be wise? Let him show it. And then he here, in verse 17, provides this comprehensive list of what wisdom, godly wisdom from above actually looks like. These are the fruits or the markers of one who is living wise. Yeah. And ultimately,

ultimately going back to our last episode, and you should go back and listen if you haven't already. This is the derivative of a heart full of fear for God. So if you have little or a few of these characteristics, it actually is indicative of how your heart views God if you live in awe of him. But if you're in awe of him, here's what your life is going to look like. He says, but the wisdom from above is first, pure. That is the Greek word hagnos. It refers to purity of thought, mind, and motive. It is a separation from this world.

We live in a world where impurity is not only allowed, but it's applauded. That's Romans 1. They gave hearty approval to those who do deviant and sinful. Yeah, corrupting things. It means to be separated from this world. So James says the wisdom from this, the wisdom from above is separate. It doesn't look like this world. We live in a polluted, stained, darkened, in morally delinquent environment, and yet godly wisdom stands out because it is unmixed with the worldly system, unaffected by external pollutants, and it's unstained by corruption.

And this is a wisdom that is from above because it's pure because Matthew 5Aid says, blessed are the pure in heart, they're going to see God. And when your heart's full of purity, not just that it's clean, but that there's singularity in heart, I just want to honor God. that's going to be the first overarching umbrella of the rest of these following characteristics. Again, just to maybe emphasize your point here, it's not just an intellectual knowledge-based thing. It's a unity between the knowledge, but also a characteristic of your heart. Yeah, how we live. So he says here, first, it's pure. Second would be it's peaceable.

The wisdom from above is peaceable. The Bible says that godly wisdom promotes peace. Ephesians 4.3 says, be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit in the Bible. bond of peace. Those who possess godly wisdom are not attempting to divide and conquer. They are those who want to pursue peace with the body of Christ, not peace at any cost, not at the expense of truth, but on the basis of truth. And James is just saying here, hey, if you claim to be wise, but you're a professional in stirring up disunity and controversy and gossip and slander, you are a fool. You're a fool. Jesus says in Matthew,

five, nine, blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. So one of the hallmarks of someone who possesses godly wisdom is they are a bridge builder. They're at peace with other people. Real quick, just before we jump forward, I think in, so that's in Matthew and in James. It's worth taking note. Peaceable follows purity. And so in other words, there is no amount of bridge building or peace you can pursue between two fundamentally divided positions. Like, you need the purity to pursue the singularity. Exactly. Anyway, keep it rolling.

Now, third would be gentle. He says, the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, then gentle. This word is closely related to meekness. And you've heard it said that meekness is not weakness. It's strength under control. The idea here is that biblical wisdom is sensitive to the needs of other people. The Greek idea here means that those who are wise lack a harshness, a sternness. a lack of sympathy, they're not easily provoked.

Now, you and I, we live at times in a world of hyperfemininity. And I think guys, because they live in a world of hyperfemininity, have swung to the other side of the spectrum in the realm of machismo. And I also like to find some sort of a biblical, there is a biblical precedent where we are only like Jesus to the degree in which we share in the characteristic by which Jesus defined his own heart.

And he said, I am gentle and lowly in heart. Gentleness is not femininity. Gentleness is actually what described the manliest man who ever lived and is actually one of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. So the wisdom from above possesses and manifests this gentleness. And I think there's maybe a related idea.

It feels like we live in a time where people are, obsessed with authenticity and vulnerability. And oftentimes it feels like the way people will start describing vulnerability is equally prone to driving into a toxic, oversharing, lack of wisdom, complaining. And the reality here, I feel like gentleness is oftentimes like the virtue that they're actually

seeking for, that they're missing. There's a gentleness of a gentle man can be one who's strong under control, to your point, about meekness. It's not weakness, but it's one who's a gentleman. It's one who's gentle and under control and able to love those around him well. No, that's a good point. Fourth here is it says that the wisdom from above is reasonable.

That Greek word is, epithes, it means willing to yield. They're teachable. The main idea here is wise people are not know at all. They are those who admit they do not know at all and are therefore humble enough to see the good reason in what someone else is saying. I think with some, oh, this man is full of wisdom. Well, that guy that's full of wisdom isn't someone that thinks, he's arrived. He's actually someone that's hungry to learn and adopt someone else's view

so long as it doesn't contradict the word of God. So I think, you know, even that idea of, well, I think there's sometimes a pressure for people to show that they're wise by displaying this false idea that they didn't need anybody else's perspective. But the Bible says, no, actually one of the hallmarks of wisdom is that you're open to reason, you're teachable, humble, hungry for someone else's perspective. And this is, again, a central theme replete through the book of Proverbs. As we were looking at this beforehand, I just looked at Proverbs 9-9, Proverbs 1920, Proverbs 1514, Proverbs 1-5, let the wise man hear an increase in learning. A discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly. It's just over and over and over again,

the wise man is one who is open to radical feedback and willing to evaluate that which comes this way, not in a undiscerning manner, but in a discerning manner. It's not gullable, but he's not stubborn or rigid and aloof or thinks he's beyond, you know, someone else's perspective. It says next that the wisdom from above is full of mercy. This word is closely related to compassion. We're to have compassion. We're to show mercy because God has shown mercy on us. The main idea here is the wisdom from above isn't ready to crush someone. God has been super gracious with us. And so a wise man isn't someone that's whack-a-mole with the people in his life that have harmed him or hurt him or her they are full of mercy six would be full of good

fruits just the idea there is that the genuine believer who is full of wisdom hungers and thirsts for righteousness included in these fruits of love joy peace and patience you could just say they have the characteristics of a servant jesus was the wisest man who ever lives and he says the son of man did not come to to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom i say this because sometimes you get this idea of wise men and everyone wants to come learn from them, right? The wise individual is actually someone who loves to serve others, not someone that needs to be, you know, have this sense of like, well, come and glean from me, right? Like the wisdom from above is full of good fruits. It's actually someone that loves to, like

water finds the lowest place. Biblical wisdom is someone that is always trying to find an opportunity to serve instead of always needing a stage to like, oh, please come and bask in my riches of my wisdom. Yeah, the wise man is not the one at community group who's holding court and answering everyone's questions. It's usually shows up as the guy who's picking up the chairs afterward and not looking for any recognition. Yeah, and that's what Jesus mocks, right, with the Pharisees. Like, oh, you love to be in the high places in the synagogue. You love when people respect. You kiss my baby, you know, type of thing. And, oh, we named our kid after you. But that's not biblical wisdom. It says here next that it's the wisdom from above is unwavering, and I'm just going through the

verse. Unwavering, the idea here is that there's no partiality. You're not super kind and gentle. and open to reason with certain people, but then not with other people. Obviously, certain people have more credibility and experience and relational credibility, that is, than others. But the wise person, going back even to James II, is it saying to the rich man, oh, come sit right by knee, and then saying, oh, I don't know, yeah, I don't know your social credit score. So go over there.

The wise person is unwavering. And then just finally here, it says, without hypocrisy, Jesus pronounces woe to those who profess to be wise and live like fools. Matthew 158, that there are the Pharisees who claim to honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. You cannot be wise, when it says here without hypocrisy, you cannot be wise and live a life that is divorced from integrity. Why?

Because remember, wisdom is not what you know. It's about applying what you know to how you live. In scripture, the biggest fool is not the end. individual that doesn't know anything. The biggest fool is the person that knows the truth and actually doesn't submit to that truth and live in light of that truth through the power of God's Holy Spirit. In short, biblical and godly wisdom is sincere. What you see is what you get. Yeah. So maybe as a transition point, for someone listening, I feel like the resounding question might be, okay, then practically, Johnny, how can you or how would the scripture

inform how I could grow in this regard. Well, yeah, we talked about last week, right? You have to begin with that fear of God, but a few short answers in addition would be, well, first of all, you have to come to Christ, right? In Christ, Colossians 2-3 says, are hidden all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You can't live a life of godly wisdom

if you don't know God through His son, Jesus Christ. Paul says in 1st Corinthians 1, the power of God and the wisdom of God. That's what Christ came to us. So you have to know Christ in order to receive the wisdom that is from above, right? That's John 6. He's come down from above. He's come down from above, and you have to come to Christ to receive that wisdom. And just briefly there, again, the delineation there is you do not know about Christ.

It's, do you know Christ? Yeah. Not as a subject, but as a person to know, yeah. As the one who has in full measure, every single characteristic you've laid out here today on a personal level. Yeah. Yeah. Secondly, obviously, even to know Christ, you have to come to his word, right? So we talked about this, Romans 11, oh, the depths and the wisdom and knowledge of God, but Jesus says in Matthew 7, therefore everyone who hears these words of mind and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, meaning if you want your life not to be established upon sinking sand, this is obviously referring to salvation here, but he says, the wise man is the one who comes and hears the words of God and then establishes their life

upon them. And then three, we come to God in prayer. We talked about this last week with James. He says if anyone lacks wisdom, let him come to God. But Paul says in Ephesians 1, I have not stopped verse 16, giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayer. What's Paul's prayer for the church at Ephesus? I keep asking. That's just perpetual asking, pleading with God. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom. Wisdom is not something we get. I think that's the main idea. It's something. we receive. But it's a risk, it's something we receive, not as we sit and wait and twiddle our thumbs. It's the wisdom we receive. Proverbs says, if you search for it as hidden treasure and

seek it like silver, then you're going to understand the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God. So it's both something we search for, but it's something that we search for in full dependency upon the power of God. And as we search and we seek God in his word, we receive that precious this gift from God, it's a gift that comes not from below, not from this world, but from above. Again, we return to this over and over again, but that's the guard against. This isn't legalistic. This isn't saying you search for wisdom as if that, you're going to search for wisdom and gain your salvation by your acts.

No, but rather, to your point, you're receiving and you're starting with the fear of the Lord and that is generating in you a heart that seeks to live well, to James Point, that shows up with these fruits. Yeah, and as you pursue God in his word and as you grow in awe, him more and more, right, his attributes his character, these eight hallmarks, these birth marks that we've talked through, the pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, all of those things are just, I use the word derivatives or products of heart gripped with the glory of God and the kindness of God and that wants to honor him in return. So, Hank, thank you. Yeah, thank you, Johnny. I see you, bro.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.