#1592 Acts 17 Part 3 To Mars

 

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. 17 So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. 18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is which you are speaking? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. So we want to know what these things mean.” 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer.)

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’ 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to suppose that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the craft and thought of man. 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He determined, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33 In this way, Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Acts 17: 16-34 LSB

Acts 17: 16-34

6 Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, so he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. Then the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9 So those who died by the plague were 24,000.

The Jealousy of Phinehas

10 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be for him and his seed after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’” Numbers 25: 6-13

More on Numbers 25

V. 16 His spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols - Paul comes from a group of people, the Jews, who were taught to believe in the One true God. They are also the children of a Theocracy, which had very strict rules of do this and you shall live, do this and you will be stoned. The Theocracy ended when God turned Jerusalem over to the Babylonians, and the times of the Gentiles began, but there were zealots who still desired capital punishment to be inflicted for crimes of a religious flavor, though the ruling Gentiles now held the sword. Now remember, before he became Paul, he was Saul, and he went about killing Christians, even having Stephen stoned because he thought they were apostates, traitors to the true God. Is he wrong this time for being upset with what he sees, a culture that openly worships idols, nature, even men? Is he wrong for being upset about a culture that openly commits acts that God says are punishable by death, eternally? No, if you are not upset when you look at the present culture, at Rome, at Babylon, the offering up of our infants to Planned Parenthood, our promiscuousness, our divorce rate, our greed, violence and drunkeness, then you probably don't have a renewed conscience because you are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. We don't live in a Theocracy now, but we should still be stirred in our hearts at the sight of injustice and wrong. I can't go and tear down all your idols, but I can tell you the truth, even though it may come at great personal cost to myself. The time of the law, of do this and you shall live, taught us that we don't do what's right, and even if we do what seems right in our eyes, or for appearance sake, there is a deeper matter, the heart. The bar is much higher than we would ever place it, God is looking at the heart. Paul could sneak back in here at night and blow up all their idols, but they would still hold them in their hearts. He is grieved and rightly so, but we must take it to the Lord. God, why am I seeing this, what do you want me to do, help me to realize that only you can tear down the idols of the heart, as you have done with me. Help me as I proclaim your name to not make it about myself, to not take it personally. Help me to realize that Christ had to die for me, that's the kind of offense I was to you. 

…2Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree. 3Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place. 4You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.… Deuteronomy 12: 2-4

…8I have become a stranger to my brothers and a foreigner to my mother’s sons, 9because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me. 10I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.… Psalm 69: 8-10

…135Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. 136My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed. 137Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.… Psalm 119: 135-137

…157Though my persecutors and foes are many, I have not turned from Your testimonies. 158I look on the faithless with loathing because they do not keep Your word. 159Consider how I love Your precepts, O LORD; give me life according to Your loving devotion.… Psalm 119: 157-159

Vs. 17-18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers - So Paul first goes to the Jews, his usual proclamation and debate, then God fearing gentiles, but this is Athens, and no less than Mars Hill, the Areopagus, is where this is heading, to proclaim Jesus to the Stoics. This is headed towards the same place where the trial of Socrates occurred centuries before. It is considered a great seat of the intellect, a place of higher learning and discourse. Rome is the seat of rule, but Rome loved and adopted much of Greek culture and philosophy. 

Ray Stedman on Epicureans and Stoics

The Epicureans were atheists; they denied God's existence. They denied a life after death. They were also materialists, and felt that this life was the only thing that really existed and that, therefore, men should get the most out of it. They felt that pleasure was the highest virtue, and that pain was the opposite. Their motto (and it still persists to this day) was "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die." They were what we would call today "existentialists," living for the experience of the moment. This is a widespread philosophy in our day, although it is no longer called Epicureanism.

The Stoics, followers of the philosopher Zeno, were pantheists. That is, they believed that everything is God, and that he does not exist as a separate entity, but is in the rocks and trees and every material thing. Their attitude toward life was one of ultimate resignation, and they prided themselves on their ability to take whatever came. Their motto, in modern terms, was "Grin and bear it." They urged moderation: "Don't get over-emotional, either about tragedy or happiness." Apathy was regarded as the highest virtue of life. You will recognize there are many people today who feel that the best thing they can do is to take whatever comes and handle it the best they can. These Stoics were all proud fatalists, and there are many like them today. (Athens versus Paul) - Precept Austin

Vs. 19-21 Now all the Athenians and strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer - "The Miami diet is so yesterday, I do the carnivore, and can you believe that family is still eating canned foods?" It reminds me of my teen years, going to coffee shop concerts, everyone coloring their hair, getting pierced and tattooed to be their more authentic selves. There was poetry and everyone had a deep thought to prove how sensitive they were to the cute girls with the dreads. At Rainbow gatherings or the downtown Progressive scene, tolerance and inclusivity were the virtue of the day. On Saturday I went to concerts at the Edge, hung out with people who said there was no God, others who believed in the ether, or God inside of everything, channeled or concentrated through the nodes of certain places or people, crystals, etc. Underneath the façade of calm and acceptance a mosh pit was always in the making, which would eventually break out into a fight between my friends and skinheads or meatheads. Paul would be like the Mentos to their Coca Cola. His beliefs are exclusive, for the atheist who says, like Stephen Hawking, the Universe exists because it needed to exist, that it created itself, well, Paul would probably point out that you didn't say anything. For those who believe that God is in everything, Paul would state that God is above everything, He created it. For those who believe in many gods, Paul would say there is only One true God, and that you are by nature His enemy, and the only way to be right with Him is not by clever reasoning, but by believing in His Son, Jesus Christ. In college, a very short stint for me, I read Hume, Darwin, and Wilde, but was enamored by Socrates. I was so moved by the trial of Socrates that when I later became a Christian I thought hopefully God saved him. He pointed out truths in his day that got him killed, and what a lovely mind I thought, but that isn't what saves you. There have been men regarded as geniuses, who said they were just to smart and skeptical to believe in God, but in teaching there was no God, they put themselves in that very seat, and their followers killed 100s of millions in the name of humanist atheism, communism, Nazism. There are others who taught that there is a god, and that they speak on his behalf, and yet caused men to follow them into their cults of ruin. If God is the intellect that created human reasoning then He is above my comprehension, and would have to reach out to me and make Himself known, otherwise I would make up my own god of self, or an image carved by my hand. It is interesting that the God of the Bible claims to have spoken everything into existence, and the world we live in is full of language, information, down to our DNA. Everything we observe screams design, but we would rather it come from something impersonal, from nothing, which is something we have never observed. We see entropy, but we pretend that everything is moving up rather than spiraling downward. 

John MacArthur observes that the famous poem "Invictus" poetically captures the essence of the Stoic philosophy (Listen to the reading of the tragic poem)...

Invictus

W. E. Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

MacArthur commented after reading the poem "What a bunch of baloney!" - PA

…3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.… 2 Timothy 4: 3-5

Vs. 22-23 To an unknown God - When Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons approach me, I know they know the name Jesus, and most of the world has heard of Jesus the historical figure, but my question is always, who is Jesus? I believe the Bible to be the highest authority of truth in this world, so whether Mormon, atheist, Muslim, Roman Catholic or New Ager, I am going to hear them out, but then demonstrate from Scripture Who Jesus actually is. The atheist will tell me that the Bible is a book of myths, the "liberal Christian" will say it's fables, a wisdom book, but not to be taken literally. Liberal Christians care more about the temperature of the world and the culture, so they are only Christian in name, but too afraid of getting kicked off of what the world calls the intellectual table. Muslims will offer up their version of Jesus who is just a man, a prophet, but not on the same level as Mohammad. They will give a nod to some of the OT prophets, but say that someone tampered with the book. Roman Catholics will appeal to their traditions where it doesn't agree with Scripture, and Mormons and JWs their extrabiblical seers. Many today come with something "new", but it's all the same old heresies just rebranded. Look at Paul here though, he was moved, deeply disturbed by what he saw here, it was an offense to the true God, but he meets them on their ground, on their home turf to introduce them to someone that many of them had yet to hear about. They knew about Jews because there were synagogues and it was an old religion, but here is a Jew talking about the Messiah that the Jews were looking forward to, and he is saying that He had come. He doesn't take a sledge hammer to their idols, but instead he faces the possibility of rejection, the seemingly insurmountable hill of human blindness, and kindly tells them about the God they do not know, but desperately need to. 

ESV Study Bible introduces this section - Paul’s Areopagus address is the prime example in Acts of preaching to Gentiles. Although rooted in OT ideas, it appealed to the Greek philosophers by interacting with their thought, even quoting their own writers in a well-informed, respectful way. Its main subject was the error of idolatry. Paul began with and returned to the theme of idolatry (Acts 17:23, 29), in a well-informed manner, clearing the way for a full statement of the gospel, but he was interrupted before he could achieve this.

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus - Paul was here by invitation. This was a dramatic moment like Gary Cooper in that famous gunfight scene in "High Noon!" Paul was not intimidated by the intelligence or oratorical skills of his audience. He was a man filled with the Spirit Who enabled him to be bold and confident (cf Mk 13:11, Lk 12:11-12+). And remember that humanly speaking Paul is all alone, for Silas and Timothy have not yet arrived in Athens. All eyes were on Paul, fixed and attentive, as only men looking to hear new things could be!

Lenski writes that "Paul had learned to take sinners as they are. The gospel had power (dunamis) to transform any of them. The old and ever new gospel was intended for all of them. Two Sanhedrists had been converted (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea), so here one at least of the Areopagites ("Dionysius the Areopagite" - Acts 17:34) was converted....Paul's address is a masterpiece in every way: in its introduction, in its line of thought, in its aptness for the audience, in its climax. It is bold but it does not offend in a bungling manner; it refutes but it does this so as to convince and to win; it states the truth squarely and fully but so as to lift it far above the follies of error.; it is reasonable but it is directed at the heart; it seeks to win men but only by glorifying God and the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not quite concluded but it did not fail of divinely given fruit. Just ask yourself, "If you had stood in Paul's place that day, what would you have said?"(The Interpretation of The Acts of the Apostles) - PA

Vs. 24-26 As though He needed anything - Their idols needed to be made, and God has said not to make any graven images, not even an attempt at making something to worship Him. Their idols had to be carried or in later times given motors to move them. Their idols made nothing, and Paul is introducing them to the Creator Who made the things the idols are made of. He even lets them in on a wonderful truth, in v. 26 that He made from one man every nation. We all come from Adam and Eve, and we are all fallen in Adam, proved out by a simple holding up of ourselves to the mirror of God's word, where we can see that we all sin, we all fall short. Science today backs up the statement of our shared parentage. 

1This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him: 2“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Judah will be besieged, as well as Jerusalem. 3On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured.… Zechariah 12: 1-3

…7As my life was fading away, I remembered the LORD. My prayer went up to You, to Your holy temple. 8Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion. 9But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!”… Jonah 2: 7-9

…19I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right. 20Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save. 21Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.… Isaiah 45: 19-21

…4They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. 5Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.” 6There is none like You, O LORD. You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.… Jeremiah 10: 4-6

Vs. 27-31 He has fixed a day - He fixed a day in which Christ would come as the substitutionary atonement for my sin. He painted the picture with the ram in the thicket that took the place of Isaac. Read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and you will see that He was to come first as the Lamb of God, the only acceptable sacrifice for my sin. Jesus came and went to the cross, just like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, and at the appropriate time that God had designated from eternity. The wages of sin is death and He paid those wages for me. He took my place, what I deserved. Now Paul is proclaiming to them repentance because He is coming back one day to judge. In saying, we are all His children, Paul is proclaiming to them that we are all made in the image of God, but a lot will walk away before they hear that that imaged has been mauled, damaged by sin, and there is no place for sin in God's kingdom, so repent and believe in Christ. 

…3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.… Romans 2: 3-5

…17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, 19in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison… 1 Peter 3: 17-19

1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.… 2 Timothy 4: 1-3

Vs. 32-34 Some began to sneer - We should expect this and not take it personally. They always roll their eyes at or even kill the messenger. He said, "if they hated Me they will hate you also." It's not like our Lord didn't warn us. There is hope and beauty here too though, some believed, and the credit for that belongs to God.

…5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role. 6I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.… 1 Corinthians 3: 5-7

#1589 Acts 17 Part 2 Noble Bereans

 

10 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, along with not a few prominent Greek women and men. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, shaking up and disturbing the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. Acts 17: 10-15 LSB

Acts 17:  10-15

V. 10 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea - Things went south in Thessalonica, and it says "the brothers", meaning in Christ, sent them away. There is a great sense of this in Christianity, that we are among brethren, and in a far deeper way than earthly familial ties. This passes away, our relations in the flesh, but what Christ has done as the first born of many brethren, that is infinite. The older I get in Christ, the more pause it gives me when I hear about the persecuted church elsewhere. Those are my brothers and sisters in China, in Africa, in the middle east, and now even in the persecutions that arise in the West. I believe sending Paul and Silas away by night was not only to protect them, but also to ease some of the tensions that stirred up against those who housed the Apostles and allowed them to speak. 

…13And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the true word of God—the word which is now at work in you who believe. 14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men,… 1 Thessalonians 2: 13-15

V. 10b They went into the synagogue of the Jews - A synagogue is a place where Jews met in cities away from Jerusalem, where they did the reading from the Torah. They had to have a minyan which was the equivalent of 10 Jewish adult men in order to build a synagogue in a city. Paul usually went to these places first in order to proclaim to the Jews that Messiah had arrived, the One they were reading about in the Torah. 

To Berea (See note; Wikipedia) - Berea (population about 6000 compared to 200,000 for Thessalonica) was about 45-50 miles away from Thessalonica on the eastern slopes of a mountain on the way to Achaia, the province that corresponds to southern Greece today. Timothy is not mentioned and presumably must have remained at Philippi (he is not mentioned at Thessalonica although Paul did later send him to them 1 Th 3:2ff).

They went into the synagogue of the Jews - Berea though considerably smaller than Thessalonica still had enough Jews for a synagogue and as was his custom, Paul made a beeline for the place of Jewish worship. Paul did not take a rest break but sought to preach the Gospel posthaste! We always see an urgency about Paul's zeal to proclaim the Word of God that men might be saved by faith in Jesus. God give us all such a persistent, consistent zeal to preach Your Word! Amen

Matthew Henry wrote, “That command of Christ to His disciples, ‘When they persecute you in one city flee to another,’ intends their flight to be not so much for their own safety (flee to another, to hide there) as for the carrying on of their work (flee to another, to preach there).” - PA

V. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica - They didn't turn them away straight off. The Jews meeting here took what the Apostles said, and there were things in what they said that resonated. Now here is where they differ from so many today. If someone comes and says, "I am a Christian", then most in the evangelical world that I grew up in will accept that at face value. They will let them teach Sunday School, get up and say, "God told me", and even those who don't fancy that so much intellectually will let it go on in the name of unity, or brotherly love, but is that really your brother? Is what they are saying true because they share some of the same vocabulary, because they vote conservative, agree with you on moral topics like abortion? The Bereans were more noble minded, not because they were quick to agree with the Apostles, but because they heard them out and then weighed it against Scripture. You see, once you know that the Bible is God's word, then you realize that it is also the standard for everything. Does what Paul and Silas say about this Jesus agree with Scripture? One of the greatest things to happen to me in my life, was to get closer to Scripture. When I was in the charismatic movement it took a back seat, everyone said they needed a "fresh word" from the Lord, and Scripture was used more like a book of spells, pray this and get that. When I decided to seek atheism, and had to come up against the word, then I could see deep, contrasting lines between the God of the Bible and humanism. I could also see that much of what I thought I knew was wrong. I started to believe that there was something special about the Bible, but I didn't want Christ as Lord. I didn't want to bow the knee. When God changed my heart then I developed a love for His word, and eventually took up the challenge to examine every verse from Genesis to Revelation, to study, to meditate, and eventually share it with my family and coworkers. 

John MacArthur - The noble Bereans carefully sifted the evidence and concluded that the gospel Paul proclaimed was the truth that fulfilled Old Testament promise. Those who honestly examine the Scriptures will always come to that conclusion. In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me."..." “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me." (Jn 5:46, cf Jn 7:17, Lk 24:25-27)...Most people who reject the gospel have little knowledge of the Scriptures. Some of the Bible's harshest critics over the centuries have displayed a shocking ignorance of its teachings. The primary duty in evangelism, then, must be to demonstrate the truth of Christianity from the Scriptures. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Acts) - PA

13Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined Him here in your presence and found Him not guilty of your charges against Him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.… Luke 23: 13-15

…13And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.… 1 Corinthians 2: 13-15

…7because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.… Romans 8: 7-9

V. 12 Therefore many of them believed - Not because they were tricked, but because they were searching and knowing Scripture. The Holy Spirit had prepared them and they did not receive the word because someone spoke it, but because it was true. God opened their eyes and ears to see that what these men were proclaiming was founded in something unchanging, God's Word, that said Messiah would come, be rejected, and die. We can see that this Christ perfectly fulfills OT prophecy about His first coming, and so I can rely upon it to know that He will perfectly fulfill the Word about His second coming, that every knee will bow. 

Jack Arnold - All the Bereans started out as skeptics but they ended up as true believers and followers of Christ. Once they were intellectually convinced, the bowing of their wills to Christ was a rather easy step. One of the problems in modern day evangelism is an appeal to the emotions without proper understanding with the mind. Consequently the mind is passed over, and while some kind of a commitment has been made, it was not based on a persuaded mind. This, of course, sets up a terrible conflict between the mind unconvinced and the heart not fully committed to truth. This has left many so-called Christian converts in total derision. Many infidels have confessed that they had never carefully read the Bible. Thomas Payne, who wrote The Age of Reason, a book that shook Puritan New England for humanism, confessed that he wrote the first part of his book without having a Bible at hand, and without its being possible to procure one where he then was in Paris. He said, “I had neither Bible nor Testament to refer to, though I was writing against both; nor could I procure any.” (Acts 17: 1-15 Ideal Evangelism) - PA

…20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.… James 1: 20-22

V. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out - No rest for the weary. These men were the Karens of that era. It is eating their lunch that people are not following them, that they are hearing and weighing it out in Scripture, and then coming to the conclusion that this is the true gospel. I have seen atheist angry with a family member who gets saved and stops drinking, doing drugs, but starts going to church and talking about Jesus. It is as though, and this is less than a stretch to say, but they preferred the drunk, the adulterer, the dependent, and even catered to them in that state, enabled them towards demise. There is only one true religion out there, and it is based upon what Christ has done, not me, all else are cults, from atheism to Daoism to Zoroastrianism, and when you leave them, you leave their rule and influence, it upsets their egos. These men are zealous, but zealously wrong. 

Vs. 14-15 They left - We have to remember that even when things seem to be going so well that an interruption like this is not unknown by God. It will only sift out the wheat and send the seed of the gospel into new fields. I am certain that is difficult, and I have heard from missionaries in the field, who go and learn the customs and language of another culture, and find brothers and sisters there as God  raises them from death into life. They tell of the trauma of being ripped away from this family, of developing such close bonds but then being forced out of the country by communist regimes, guerillas, warlords. It was never in their plans, but it was in God's. Timothy and Silas remained for a time, and Paul must have had great confidence in them, but also a very fatherly concern.

2To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines 4or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.… 1 Timothy 1: 2-4

Ray Pritchard on modern America and ancient Athens - In his book, Therefore Stand (written in 1945), Wilbur Smith has a chapter on Paul’s speech to the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). Along the way he comments on the similarity between ancient Athens and modern America. For all the obvious differences in culture and language, there is a similar approach to the problems of life.Professor Smith brings forth three evidences of that similarity that seem even more true a half-century later. He notes that the men of Athens worshiped the human intellect. They also loved newness and the endless discussion of new ideas. Finally, they valued tolerance and diversity as seen by their ever-expanding pantheon of gods. The same is true today. We too worship the human mind, love new ideas, and exalt tolerance as our highest virtue. What does such a worldview produce? When you worship intellect, you get educated arrogance. When you love newness, you get restless dissatisfaction. When you exalt tolerance, you get endless uncertainty—always seeking for the truth you can never seem to find. The more you travel around the world, the more common humanity seems to be. Athens knew everything that was knowable except the most important thing. She did not know God. Or what to do about her sins or where to find peace or how to discover the hope of heaven. That leads me to the following crucial point: It is possible to be highly educated and deeply religious and still be totally ignorant about God. Is that not an apt description of our own generation? To quote another writer, we have become a nation of “intellectual giants and moral pygmies.” We know more and more about the details and less and less about the meaning of life. (Acts 17:26-28 Empty on the Inside: How God Reveals Himself to Us) - Precept Austin

#1591 James 4 Wisdom About Slander

 

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have, so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself as an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 Do not slander one another, brothers. He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judge your neighbor? James 4: 1-12 LSB

James 4: 1-12

V. 1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you - He gives the question and then takes them immediately to the answer, and not the one I would come up with naturally. I might summize after a time that it has something to do with my pride, but it's a work of the Holy Spirit to get me to accept that. James tells us that it's our pleasures that wage war in our members. I would say, instinctively, that it is external. It is what that person said or did to me. It is because something is unfair in that I did not receive what I think I deserved, and boy is that a slippery slope. James is saying that the war is from inside you, that there is a problem with my heart. Think of Cain and Abel, what did Abel do to Cain that deserved that type of retaliation. He envied that Abel received the Lord's blessing, and he very pridefully, from an entitled heart, expected God to accept his offering as well, though it didn't conform to God's will. Cain, like Satan, like me, anytime I sin, was saying, "Yes, God, you said this, but this is what I am going to do, and You need to be not only good with that, but elated." He apparently had a problem with obtaining an animal to offer up to God, representative of a life for a life, atonement, but he had no problem offering his brother's life to his own ego. Cain was actually angry at God, but He couldn't kill him, so he attacked the image of God in someone else. 

…5but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. 6“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “ and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”…

8Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9And the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I do not know!” he answered. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10“What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.… Genesis 4: 5-10

V. 2 You lust and do not have - I remember about 7 years ago when God crushed me, and one of the things was lust, that Jesus took it so far as to look at a woman with that intent, or to be so angry that you wished someone was dead. He equated them to adultery and murder, even though to me they were just thoughts. That started a war inside me where I asked Him for a holy hatred of such things, and the war then moved to the level of my thoughts. I started to train my eyes away from such, and it instantly bothered me, but the sensual is not the only problem. What about when I am wronged, or I am in the right? What about when I am slandered? I long for justice of course, but when does it turn to revenge, when does it exceed the crime, and am I able to forgive? I had no breakthrough with the first till I asked in prayer, but why have I not asked to hate my unforgiving spirit, why have I not asked God all the more to be my vindication, to shut the slandering mouths? As long as I have played down my gluttony I have remained fat, openly showing my disdain for the thought of it as sin. I have lost in the last year the appeal and identity that fishing once held for me. I still enjoy it, but it's not the everything to me that it once was. There was a time when I wouldn't do it because I did not have the fancy equipment that I wanted, but I got over that with God's help, but it consumed me for a long time. I want my marriage to be a beacon of hope and light for others, but I demand rather than pray. 

As Matthew Henry said "Natural desires are at rest when that which is desired is obtained, but corrupt desires are insatiable. Nature is content with little, grace with less, but lust with nothing....Our desires must not only be offered up to God, but they must all terminate in Him, desiring nothing more than God, but still more and more of Him." (Read Mt 6:33+, Ps 37:4)

A W Pink writes that worldly lusts "are those affections and appetites which dominate and regulate the man of the world. It is the heart craving worldly objects, pleasures, honors, riches. It is an undue absorption with those things which serve only a temporary purpose and use. "Worldly lusts" cause the things of Heaven to be crowded out by the interests and concerns of earth. This may be done by things which are quite lawful in themselves—but through an immoderate use they gain possession of the heart. "Worldly lusts" are "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16+). (Grace Preparing for Glory) - PA

3. So that you may spend it on your pleasures - When I was a Pentecostal I heard a whole message on you have not because you ask not, but the pastor left out this tidbit of context. We don't ask for God's glory, we don't ask in humility, but we ask to indulge ourselves. It's not wrong to do well or have nice things, but our motives aren't usually so pure as we would like to convince ourselves. Sometimes we do good because others are looking, or we want much, we say, so that we can give, but we give so we can again look like philanthropists and honor ourselves. We are not even good stewards in our giving, though we pat ourselves upon the back, did we weigh out if that was what the person really needed, or could we have helped more people if we wouldn't have dumped upon one what they did not know how to handle? Did we just add to their materialism?  

…12The younger son said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need.… Luke 15: 12-14

You may spend it on your pleasures (hedone) - The idea of spend in context is our English word "squander" which means to to spend thoughtlessly, foolishly, extravagantly; to throw away or waste in a reckless manner. Clearly God does not not respond positively to prayers that have one's own pleasures as as one's chief goal. - PA

V. 4-6 Friendship with the world is enmity towards God - The world is proud and God opposes the proud. The world is based upon self love, self preservation, and the Spirit of God that dwells in the believer is fixed on the person of Christ, the love of Christ that is evidenced in our relationship to His children. 

Consider the accusation of James concerning the illicit love affair with the world as stated in the following paraphrase: "You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world's friend is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God."(James 4:4, Amplified Bible).

Being a friend of the world indicates that the person agrees with the values of the world system. The Old Testament Prophet Amos asked, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3).

V. 7 Be subject therefore to God - We forget that we were bought with a price, that we no longer belong to the ruler of this present age. Disobedience to what God says is no one's problem but my own. 

V. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you - This is only to be found in Christ, God is holy and we are not outside of the blood and life of His Son. If you are in the wrong, which I am often, and I want to be near God again, then there is only one thing left to do.

8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.… 1 John 1: 8-10

Vs. 9-10 Be miserable - Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. 

…9And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.… 2 Corinthians 7: 9-11

Vs. 11-12 Do not slander one another - If you don't know and you keep on talking then your speculation may become slander. Some will throw up with this "judge not lest ye be judged", but that means don't be a hypocrite. We are also told to judge among ourselves, to evaluate people based on their doctrine and their life. If I say something unsound then it is also a responsibility of other members of the body to correct me. We have to protect the flock from wolves, and they abound, some are rather difficult to spot, as they seem the happiest and most outgoing, but listen closely to what they say, and watch their life. Now, on the other hand, if you see a woman talk to a man, that does not mean they are having an affair. If you hear that one of the church members is a used car salesman, that does not give cause for you to spread that his is a dishonest man because all the car salesmen that you have ever met are dishonest. 

Speaking against another is an "old" sin and even Moses' own brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam, spoke against him for marrying a Cushite woman (see Nu 12:1-8, note Moses' character in Nu 12:3!). And again in Numbers we find the people of Israel speaking against God and Moses by complaining about their conditions in the wilderness (Nu 21:5)! Job’s friends spoke against Job (not in the classic sense of slander which is speaking bad when one is not present), insulting, tormenting and crushing him to his face with their malicious words (Job 19:1-3).

Swindoll bluntly says that "James is suggesting that Christians who “speak against” their brothers or sisters in Christ include themselves in that biblical register of rebellious mumblers, moaning grumblers, deceitful slanderers, crushing insulters, and wicked slanderers. Not exactly the best company! Let me show you how this game works. You speak against the other person in the ears of the hearer, hoping to lower their estimate of the person—and in the process you hope to make yourself look all the better. Of course, you have to cover up your malicious intent with creative sentimentality. So, you begin your statements with “Now, stop me if I’m wrong, but . . .” or, “Now, I don’t mean to be critical, but . . .” or, “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this about him or her, but . . .” or even, “I really like so-and-so as a person, but . . ."(Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary – James, 1 & 2 Peter)

Steven Cole - YOU JUDGE SOMEONE WRONGLY WHEN YOU CRITICIZE HIM OUT OF JEALOUSY, BITTERNESS, SELFISH AMBITION, OR SOME OTHER SIN, RATHER THAN SEEKING TO BUILD HIM IN CHRIST. In other words, your motive is crucial!....Slander, which means maligning someone or damaging his reputation by sharing false or deliberately misleading information, is always sin. But the word that James uses has a broader meaning that includes any form of criticism or running someone down from selfish motives. In other words, what you are saying may be true, but the reason you’re sharing it is to make yourself look good and to put the other person in a bad light. If your motive in criticizing someone is jealousy, selfish ambition, rivalry, pride, or hatred, you are judging wrongly. (The Sin of Judging Others) - PA

#1590 James 3 Wisdom

 

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good conduct his works in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not coming down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, without doubting, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3: 13-18 LSB

James 3: 13-18

While some writers feel James is speaking primarily to teachers (James 3:1), there is nothing in this section which indicates it would not also be applicable to all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. And so I agree with John MacArthur's analysis of James 3:13-18 - "Some interpreters believe the phrase who among you refers only to the teachers, or would-be teachers, addressed in James 3:1. But it seems more probable that, like the intervening section on the tongue (James 3:2-12), this section on wisdom (James 3:13-18) applies to everyone in the churches to whom James was writing, true believers and mere professed believers. James is seeking to identify who is truly skilled in the art of righteous living. "In what way are you wise?" he is saying, in effect, "and in what way are you understanding? The answer will reveal not only your inner character but the spiritual condition of your soul." (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – James) (Bold added) - PA

V. 13 Who among you is wise and understanding - Wisdom to some cultures could include cleverness or a vast array of knowledge, but to the Hebrews there was not just knowledge, but the application, not just saying but also doing. 

Stulac explains James' question "For those who do not care about true wisdom but only want the status of being thought wise, the question is a challenge; James's answer will expose them for what they are. For those who honestly aspire to being wise, the question is an invitation; James's answer will divulge the way to attain their aspirations. James is saying, "I am about to tell you the nature of true wisdom; treasure this." Let all readers, then, first examine their own hearts before reading beyond the question posed in James 3:13. Do you really want to be wise? (James 3 - IVP Commentary) - PA

…4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.… James 1: 4-6

…4So if you need to settle everyday matters, do you appoint as judges those of no standing in the church? 5I say this to your shame. Is there really no one among you wise enough to arbitrate between his brothers? 6Instead, one brother goes to law against another, and this in front of unbelievers!… 1 Corinthians 6: 4-6

V. 13b Let him show by his good conduct his works - This sort of wisdom is not merely doctrinal recitation, but just as a tree is known by it's fruit and saving faith is always produces good works, repentance, so is the way of that wisdom which comes from above. 

…3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else. 5For each one should carry his own load.… Galatians 6: 3-5

…27then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out. 28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” Job 28: 27-28

…17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.… James 2: 17-19

V. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart - It is easy for me to be self seeking and dismissive of others. When I see wrong I naturally want to confront it, but it is often without love for the person who has wronged me, or has said something wrong. I think zeal is good, but it has to be matched, or even exceeded by humility. 

…2How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? 3Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. 4Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.… Habakkuk 1: 2-4

Rod Mattoon - The word "bitter" is from the Greek word pikros which can also mean "harsh." It is derived from a Greek root word which means "to cut, prick, pierce, or fasten together." When someone gets bitter, they pierce themselves and build up or fasten together hate for someone else. The biggest loser of your hatred and jealousy is you. Two men were envious and covetous. Their ruler summoned them to grant them one wish. The first man to choose would get his wish, but the other man would get double of the first wish. The envious man spoke up first and asked that one of his eyes be put out. The other man lost both of his eyes. Envy and bitterness hurts you as well as others....Do you rejoice when others succeed or do you have a secret envy, bitterness, and criticalness in your heart? If so, you have the wits of a withering world. (Treasures from James)

Hiebert - Since the reference seems to be to a religiously motivated feeling, "bitter zeal" or "harsh zeal" seems the best rendering. Religious zeal or "enthusiasm" for God and truth is a commendable attitude, but the subtleties of sinful human nature can readily pervert it into bitter antagonism against those who do not express their adherence to God and His truth in the same way we do. (Ibid)

Jealousy (2205)(zelos from zeo = to be hot, boil) was originally a good word which described fervour or zeal in advancing a cause (cf Ro 10:2) or in rendering service. Notice that "zeal" is related to fire (to be hot, to boil), so if the fire (zeal) burns under control, the results are good and God honoring. But if zeal gets out of control, it can reduce everything to ashes (so to speak). Clearly in James 3:14 zelos is used with the negative nuance describing an unholy zeal (as in Acts 5:17+, Acts 13:45, Ro 13:13, 1 Co. 3:3, 2 Cor 12:20, Gal 5:20). This negative connotation describes envy of someone else’s possessions, achievements, or advantages. It describes the spirit which cannot be content with what it has and looks with a jealous eye on every blessing given to someone else and denied to itself. Zelos describes wanting what belongs to someone else without regard for their rights. Ropes defines it as “a fierce desire to promote one’s own opinion to the exclusion of those of others." - Precept Austin

V. 15 This wisdom is not coming down from above - This isn't God's wisdom, it comes from what works best for me by human measure and reasoning. It is limited to earthly advice, like Dr. Phil, or your unsaved or spiritually immature friends. It is easy to find a million people that can hear your story and reaffirm that you are in the right, and that this or that is what you should do. Spiritual wisdom offers ends that men can't reach outside of the Spirit. It doesn't pretend to not have enemies, but tells you to love your enemies, to forgive those that slander you, to hope for reconciliation. 

…2I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man? 4For when one of you says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?… 1 Corinthians 3: 2-4

V. 16 There is disorder and every evil practice - Pride is the root of all sin, and everything else, though sin, is but the head the pimple. 

Fetid means offensively malodorous. My wife and I returned from several weeks away from our home and immediately detected a fetid smell upon entering the house. It took us two days to discover the rotting potatoes hidden in a bin out of view! It has taken us many more days to rid the house of this fetid smell. The fetid fruit of worldly wisdom is similar, because you can "smell" something is not right in a church body, but it may take a while to discover. Even sadder it may take much longer to reverse the adverse effects of disorder and wickedness that are reaped when seeds of worldly (earthly, natural, demonic) wisdom are sown! - Precept Austin

…19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.… Galatians 5: 19-21

MacArthur - James has already made clear that disorder does not characterize God’s people but rather the “double-minded man, unstable [akatastatos]” (James 1:8) and the unredeemed tongue, which “is a restless [akatastatos] evil and full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). Because “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33), biblical wisdom, on the other hand, brings harmony, unity, peace, and love. All the conflicts, crimes, battles, and wars of the world are evidence of the devastation caused by human wisdom. - PA

V. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure - It is not confusing gossip with discernment, not vengeful, not trying to get in digs. It submits to Christ, and look at the example He set, He was obedient even to the cross. You can say you forgive somebody, but how true is it if you keep smoldering on it. Even if they don't want your forgiveness, you can still give it. 

13Make straight paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. 14Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.… Hebrews 12: 13-15

7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think on these things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.… Philippians 4: 7-9

V. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace - Christ is our peace with God, as in that which has brought us back into relationship. As Christians we should easily recognize our fault in a situation and seek Christ who giveth even more grace. True wisdom would always seek peace. 

…8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.… Matthew 5: 8-10

John MacArthur - There is an inexorable causal relationship between godly wisdom, genuine righteousness, and peace. Godly wisdom produces a continuing cycle of righteousness, which is planted and harvested in a peaceful, harmonious relationship between God and His faithful people and between those people themselves. As Isaiah declared, "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever" (Isa. 32:17). As James continually emphasizes, the person who professes to be a Christian must prove it by his works, his daily living. If he is a true believer, he will possess his Lord's own wisdom, and that wisdom will manifest itself in righteous, selfless, and peaceful living. He has the revelation of God's wisdom in Scripture and the teacher and interpreter of God's wisdom in the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul therefore prayed for the church at Ephesus, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17). He later admonished them, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise" (Eph 5:15). "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food," the apostle elsewhere assures us, "will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness" (2 Cor. 9:10), the righteousness "which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). (Ibid) - PA