Wisdom From Above & Below

August 13th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 3:15-16 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

In contrast to the wisdom that is evident in those who love Christ—He who came down from above (cf. John 1:1, 14; 8:23), there is the wisdom that is “earthly, natural, demonic” (Gr. epigeios, psuchikos, daimoniōdēs). The contrast is not in wisdom per se but in where one’s wisdom originates. Godly wisdom comes from above; all others can only come from below. Sadly, in the Church’s history, worldly wisdom has a knack for slithering into our churches.

When Jesus came to earth “from above,” God came to earth, for Jesus and God are one. Thus, everything Jesus said and every act He performed was godly and wise. Jesus’ words and commissions to men were from above and were therefore gifts to the world: “every good and perfect gift is from above” (1:17). In so doing, God revealed Himself to His creation, and He has shown that He delights to give His people what they ask for, especially wisdom (1:5).

Yet those who are “from below” (John 8:23, 44) have shunned God’s wisdom, adhering instead to that which is “earthly, natural, demonic.” First, the negative nature of James’ usage of the term “earthly,” or not heavenly, is seen in how he sets it in contrast to “from above” (i.e., heaven). Second, those from below are also described as “natural” (Gr. psychikos), an adjective derived from the Greek term for “soul.” This was a word used by the Greeks to contrast the physical body with the activities that went on in the human mind. The term is always used negatively in the NT. All of its five appearances place it in contrast to “spirit” or “spiritual” (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14; 15:44, 46; Jude 19), for it is the place within the person where reason and feelings dominate. Third, worldly wisdom is called “demonic”—literally “pertaining to demons.” Previously, James wrote about demonic faith, that is, how demons have knowledge of God and believe in His oneness and “shudder” (2:19). Though they tremble in Christ’s presence (Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:34; 8:28), their actions prove their wisdom to be from below.

The wisdom of those who have great intellectual acumen, wealth, and fame can be evident in their education, bank accounts, and the positive nature by which others regard them. But unless their wisdom is from above, their actions will distinguish them from true Christians. Through the centuries, churches have been destroyed by the smart and/or wealthy people who ruin them simply because they are bereft of the wisdom from above. These churches are evident by the deeds of their leaders that trickle down to their congregants. Their earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom produces “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition,” previously mentioned in v. 14. Now in v. 16 James is clear as to what they lead to: “disorder and every evil thing.”

The Greek term behind the English “disorder” (akatastasia) is another form of the term James used for “double-minded” in 1:8 and 3:8, those who are “unstable” and “restless” in all their ways. Notably, Luke used the term to describe the “disturbances” that will precede the coming of Christ (Luke 21:9). Likewise, Paul, pleading with the Corinthian Church to cease from the abuse of the spiritual gifts during the worship of Christ, tells them, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33). Yet when church members are led by their backbiting, worldly-wise leaders the only result possible is a congregation that pursues its own selfish agenda and partisan spirit, filling Christ’s Church with demonic faith and every sort of evil.

Paul, writing just a couple of years after James, had to address the same issues in Corinth and in the churches of Galatia in reference to worldly wisdom in the Church. Their divisions (cf. 1 Cor. 1:10ff.) were hurting not only themselves but their witness of Christ in the world. What followed was immorality (1 Cor. 5), lawsuits (1 Cor. 6), divorce (1 Cor. 7), legalisms (1 Cor. 8-9), and charismatic chaos (1 Cor. 12-14). Sadly, the same problems still exist today!

Food For Thought
Worldly wisdom in our churches today sounds something like what I once heard from a mega-church member: “If you’re church isn’t growing, it isn’t living, for that which is living must be growing.” That would of course be true if he meant that “growing” entailed maturing in Christ. But he was referring only to numbers in the church. Other worldly wisdom I’ve heard is that “God helps those who help themselves.” Yet God helps the helpless! Also, “the church is a business and should run like a business. We need to market the church to the public and make it more desirable to them.” These and other worldly-wise quotes are not biblical and are thus demonic. They might sound good, but churches that adopt these unbiblical slogans are churches full of jealousy, selfish ambition, and every evil thing. They will all eventually implode, for they are not places where God is worshiped; they are places where sinners are made comfortable.