1) The wisdom that is from below. Its possessor uses all his abilities and strengths, all his knowledge and intelligence, imagination and suspicion, all his feelings and the entire content of his soul to push his opinion and will through, to justify it and criticize and judge the words and deeds of other people, resulting in strife, quarreling, contention, and cliques, etc. This wisdom can be obtained in large measure and strength so that you become very capable and impressive; you can become an expert and a “professor” in provoking contention, in feeding and maintaining them so that wretchedness and shame can last a long time, hoping to reach the soul’s goal in its entirety. In such a case, a person is not at all against seeing his counterpart judged mercilessly; neither is he against being rid of that person. In other words, one is often so unspeakably wise in evil things! One is a “professor” in criticism and the lust to judge. One even receives revelations in the evil—but from whom? People have a sinful inclination to be impressed by everything that is great and strong instead of by everything that is noble and pure. It is very common that they admire intelligence instead of godliness. What an injustice!!! What stupidity! The wisdom that is from below can be so boundless that a person is able to extract some evil out of just about anything. It is truly a doubtful skill! One’s neighbor can want and intend the very best, but one manages to get something evil out of it without difficulty. By what power? True care can be diligently presented and explained as a malicious attack, thus offering a new opportunity for contention. It is not so strange that the wise James uses such strong words, even describing this so commonly applied wisdom as demonic. 2) The wisdom that is from above. Indeed, this wisdom is a wonderful, beneficial contrast to the wisdom that is from below. First of all, it is pure. In that way all evil is immediately excluded. After that it is peaceable. It is prudent and capable of keeping the peace and of making peace where people have fallen out with each other. This wisdom receives revelations in that direction, contrary to the wisdom that is from below. This wisdom sees that there is obviously nothing to contend about, that both contending parties have been deceived by Satan so that both of them imagine they are fighting for truth and righteousness, whereas in reality, they were tricked into the service of the evil one so that they—much against their will—are actually furthering his cause by their desire to fight. It is a deception that is beyond belief! A person can be deceived to such a terrible extent that what he is actually doing is or leads to (spiritually speaking) committing fratricide. Of course the contending parties do not see this, but the wisdom that is from above sees it clearly like an open book. This wisdom from God penetrates everything and everyone by its purity, and it does the good on all its ways by its peaceableness. Contention easily causes people to lose faith in each other. One doubts one’s brother’s uprightness, even going so far as to doubt that he is a brother, born of God. How wonderful is the wisdom that is from above! It is without doubtNKJV: Without partiality (free from doubting). See verse 17. It explains the brother’s words and actions to itself as reasonable and beautiful, understanding that it is far from finding any cause for doubting. On the contrary, it discovers agreeably and pleasantly that he is praiseworthy despite the fact that he is lacking much in every way. In any case, he means well, that is obvious, and then everything will turn out well as long as he is given some time, which we also need. We are actually in the same situation, so we fit together quite well. In fact, we are very much alike after all. Through God’s wisdom, we arrive at this peaceful result: true fellowship in the Spirit for time and eternity—with good reason. Behold, this is something else than fratricide. One outstanding, glorious quality of this divine wisdom is its agility and mobility. While the wisdom from below is extremely stiff and stubborn, God’s wisdom on the other hand, makes its possessor unspeakably agile and quite mobile so that misunderstandings, contentions, arguments, collisions, and breakdowns can be avoided. The lips of a fool get into arguments. The wisdom that is from above is yielding; it is bendable and pliable; it always sees everything in the best light. He who does this is truly wise. Otherwise he is stupid! God’s wisdom is kind and good; it is full of mercy and reconciliation. It is caring and benevolent. It teaches us to act in our neighbor’s best interest and has a lively interest in believing what is good about our neighbor and speaking well of him. It is wise to love your neighbor. If you do not love your neighbor, you are stupid in the truest and deepest sense of the Word. Those who will sit on the throne together with Christ and rule together with Him have become wise while they were on this earth. Other people cannot be used there. How extremely important it is to be rid of the last remnant of the very common and reigning wisdom that is from below, so that we are filled with the glorious wisdom that is from above. James 1:5-7.Elias Aslaksen