James 3 : 17 “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do you remember the joy of your first love? It’s not about your physical first love but the passion of the first love in having met God the first time. It’s a little different from person to person, but if we experience the grace and love of God, people have several things in common that take place. For example, we feel happy just to see a cross on the street. Or, when we see a person who is holding a Bible, we feel that he or she is so lovable and friendly. We can even greet and initiate conversations with others whom we didn’t like so much before. Even when other people criticize us, we can just smile. Even when we are persecuted while preaching the gospel, we just rejoice. When we see others doing better than we are, we don’t get jealous or become envious like before, and we just feel happy together with them and congratulate them. When we go to church and meet with the church members, we want to share everything with others. Even though we don’t have enough for ourselves, we try to help others. Even when we sweat doing voluntary service for the Lord, we just feel happy that we can serve the Lord and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As the Bible says, we have generous hearts so that when somebody strikes one cheek of ours, we can turn the other also, and if somebody forces us to go one mile with him, we can even go two miles with him. It’s because our hearts are filled with the love of God. If our hearts are filled with the love of God, our greed to fulfill our needs will disappear. Rather, we will want to share our things and serve others. When we see others happy because of that, we become happy, too. It would be wonderful if we could keep this fullness of the first love, but we tend to lose this fullness after some time as our ‘self’ resurfaces. Once we joyfully shared with others, but again we start to feel that it is wasteful. We also feel we don’t like somebody who is selfish and who only receives. Even when we share with and serve others, we feel somewhat sad. We may think, “Why should I alone toil and serve like this? I serve this much, and only the others are receiving benefit, but for me it is a loss.” When we see ourselves thinking about profit and loss and calculating, we may feel how pathetic we are and think, “Was I that stingy?”
But as our faith grows through trials and our hearts increasingly become filled with more truth, our generosity will increase, too. When the truth fills our heart completely, we will be able to have the heart of the Lord to share everything and even give up our lives. This is the abundant heart that comes from gentleness and reasonableness, being full of the truth. We will not face loss just because we give of ourselves. To those who have greed, giving to others may seem foolish and be seen as a loss. But the fact is that the wisdom to receive true blessings, namely the blessings of the almighty God, is embedded in gentleness and reasonableness. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will have this wisdom in you so that you can share everything abundantly and receive the blessings of God more abundantly.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the last session, we learned about the meaning of gentleness and some examples of gentleness. For us, “gentleness” is a quality of the heart that enables us to yield everything because we abundantly possess the truth in our hearts and at the same time we have freedom in that truth. Here, let us delve into the meaning of the ‘freedom of truth’ briefly and then let me explain about the term ‘reasonableness’, which is paired with gentleness.
John 8:32 says, “…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” To those who are not living by the truth, the truth may feel like shackles. But to those who know the truth and completely act by it, they feel free within the truth. For example, when you commit a crime and are on the run from the law, it will startle you to see a policeman. But those who keep the law very well feel nothing like that when they see a policeman. When necessary, they may even ask a policeman for help because they feel more secure with the police around.
Living in the truth is similar to this. Those who are living in the truth know that the law of God is the love of God and the pathway to blessings. So, they don’t have any fear. For example, let’s consider the command to keep the Sabbath holy. If you do not have the faith to keep the Sabbath, you may feel burdened by the commandment. You may feel that the words telling you not to conduct business or participate in worldly entertainment on the Sabbath are like shackles. But those who truly keep the Sabbath from the depth of their hearts understand the peace and blessings that come through keeping the commandment, so they don’t feel burdened by it. They recognize the sovereignty of God and trust in His protection and provision. Above all, as our souls prosper, we feel happy and comfortable. So, we feel free as we know the truth and live by the truth.
For another example, if we cast off hatred, how light and happy our hearts will be! Before, we had quarrels because of hatred. We had hard times, and feeling the burden in our hearts, we felt sorry before God, too. But if we cast off this sinful nature called hatred, we feel so happy. It feels so good that we wonder why it took so long for us to cast it off. The truth sets us free from the yoke of sin and frees us from the burdens of sin.
Next, if our heart is filled with the truth, we can also extend that freedom to others. We don’t judge or condemn others just because they are not living by the truth, but instead we encourage them and strengthen them so they too can live by the truth. To be filled with the truth in our hearts is not just knowing what truth is by knowledge alone. The latter part of 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “…knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.”
When a blind man touches an elephant’s leg, he may think, “An elephant looks like a pillar.” To know the truth only as knowledge is like this blind man. We know very little, but in our arrogance we may think that we know everything. For example, when someone who understands the truth only as knowledge observes another person who wants to be served, he may quickly judge and condemn him. He may think, “He sure thinks he is important,” but he himself does not realize that he is violating the truth that tells us not to judge our brothers. On the other hand, those who have truth in their hearts will look at that person according to his measure of faith. They can discern right and wrong with the Word, but even when they see untruth in others, they can still accept them and cover their faults with love. Because they received the compassion of God when they had many shortcomings, they also show compassion to others.
Brothers and sisters, when the truth comes into our hearts abundantly and we have generous hearts in the freedom of truth, we can see the way clearly in everything. Namely, we can gain understanding. When we consider Jesus, we can easily understand this. Jesus taught the heart of God to the people with the freedom of truth. He explained many things to the people through parables. He healed their physical and spiritual wounds and restored broken lives. In your case, too, to the extent that you have gentleness in you, with wisdom you can help others discern the truth and heal wounded hearts.
Let me give you an example. In John chapter 8 we read about the woman who was caught in adultery. One day, the Jews brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. They asked Jesus what to do about her. According to the Law of the Old Testament, they said she should be stoned. But if Jesus said that, they could accuse Him of lacking compassion. On the other hand, if Jesus simply told them to forgive her, they could accuse Him of disregarding the Law. They were trying to trap Jesus so that they could accuse Him.
Jesus began to write on the ground without answering them immediately. When they continued asking Him, He said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” and continued writing on the ground. When the people examined their own consciences, they did not dare throw a stone at her. One by one they left that place, and only Jesus and the woman remained.
John 8:10-11 says, “Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.'” This woman who had been trembling with fear and shame was spared from condemnation. She must have kept in her heart the words of Jesus saying, “Go. From now on sin no more.”
What wondrous wisdom this was! Jesus did not disregard sin, nor did He simply condemn the sinner. Because He understood the purpose of God’s Law, He showed both truth and mercy. 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” What God desires is that sinners repent and receive salvation. God’s Law contains His righteousness as well as His love. If sin were simply ignored, sin would spread and lead more people toward destruction. Therefore, God’s mercy does not mean approving sin. Jesus showed compassion toward the sinner while still saying, “From now on sin no more.” He showed the wisdom to let the people understand the true will of God by saying, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Sometimes, when a person talks about the fault of somebody else, the listener may embarrass that person by saying, “You have this kind of fault, too!” What is meant by saying something like this is, “Mind your own business.” Of course, it is wrong to talk carelessly about the shortcomings of somebody else. But even though that person is doing something wrong, it is not right to criticize him merely to embarrass him. That is to repay evil with evil, and by doing so we may fall into judging and condemning in the same way. Also, the person who hears such words may have ill feelings even though what he heard is true.
If we know the truth only as knowledge, without cultivating it in our hearts, we may easily hurt others with that knowledge. For example, when you see somebody going through illness or trials, you may judge that person, saying, “I knew this would happen. You should check yourself.” Especially to those who are close to you or your family members, you may say such a thing more easily. Of course, it is good for us to examine ourselves when we face trials. But in most cases, such words will not help those who are already going through difficulties. Just as Job was deeply hurt by the accusations of his friends during his trials, those going through trials may also be wounded by such words.
If you gave your advice to others with a good intention, but the other person feels uncomfortable with you, examine whether your words truly came from love and wisdom. We should not store the Word of God just in our heads but cultivate it in our hearts. Only then will we be able to accept others with generosity and overcome darkness with light. Even though someone acts with evil, those who have gentleness in their hearts do not hastily judge, condemn, or mistreat that person. They consider him a precious soul and lead him with the truth. When you have this kind of heart, you will gain the wisdom to lead others to life. This is the wisdom gained from gentleness.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, next, reasonableness is to show the aroma of a good and beautiful heart through good fruits in words and deeds. If our hearts are filled with goodness and truth, the words we speak will be good words and our deeds will be beautiful. But being good does not mean just being soft and gentle all the time. Spiritual goodness is rooted in truth. Therefore, reasonableness enables us to help others discern spiritual matters and guide their thoughts according to the truth.
When pastors and workers give advice to church members, their words carry greater spiritual weight when their own hearts and lives bear good fruit. Even in the case of those who have many fleshly thoughts, wise counsel can help them break the chain of such thoughts. When false rumors or untruthful claims arise, listening to and arguing about every claim does not necessarily protect believers. It can instead develop into endless arguments and create further doubts. Even if one question is answered, another may soon arise.
But if you have spiritual wisdom and are full of the truth, you will not need to follow every fleshly thought and argue about each one. With wisdom, you can understand the person’s situation and guide his thoughts toward spiritual thoughts that give life and peace. If the flock listens to this kind of advice, they will gain peace and clear understanding and learn the ways to control their minds. In the next session, I will talk about reasonableness in more depth.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in Luke chapter 12, one person came to Jesus and asked Him to tell his brother to divide the family inheritance with him. In this situation, Jesus did not explain how the inheritance should be divided or how much each brother should receive. Rather, He taught something more fundamental.
Luke 12:15 says, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Unless this person cast away his greed, he would constantly have conflicts with his brother. So Jesus addressed the root of the problem rather than merely settling the immediate dispute. To pull out a tree, we shouldn’t just trim the branches or cut off the trunk, but pull out the root itself.
If you fill your heart completely with truth, you will be able to see the fundamentals of problems with gentleness and reasonableness. Then you will not only be able to solve your own problems but also help others with wisdom and give them peace and comfort. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will all have this kind of wisdom. Amen.