CCF International Church

THE DEMAND FOR PURITY IN DIVINE WISDOM

James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

There are two words that are absolutely critical to our understanding of Divine wisdom. The apostle James uses both these words in bringing greater clarity and definition to the aspect of wisdom from “above”. The Body is weary of failed methods and strategies that developed from wisdom from “below” or natural intelligence.

The words that James uses are “first” and “then”
The first demand is purity.
The Hebrew word ” hagnos” means freedom from defilement and impurities. We all are acutely aware that this refers to a whole range of leaven that contaminates and estranges the heart of man from God.

When Jesus visited the synagogue, He “first” encountered serious contamination. He did not care to evaluate all the good works of the synagogue. The synagogue must have had wonderful programs, evangelistic meetings, regular conferences, bible study programme etc.
Yet Jesus saw none of this.
He saw the “first” thing….. A den of thieves.
Failure in the first demand disqualified the administration and the activities of the entire movement. 

When Paul brings greater clarity and definition to the word “love”, we see the same principle at work in this scripture…
1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

Love does many wonderful things…..however in Verse 6. It is incapable of rejoicing in iniquity ….Love rejoices in the truth

As we stand before this veil, that would preclude us from entering in, let us freely and confidently accept the person of TRUTH himself into our lives…the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our peace!
Ephesians 2:14-18
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.