“This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly,
natural, demonic.” - James 3:15
True wisdom is from God; false wisdom is from the Devil.
Wisdom that is bitterly jealous and self-centered is not “from above.” Such
traits constitute a wisdom that doesn’t come from God, the source of true wisdom
(cf. 1:5, 17). Human wisdom, rather than being from above, is “earthly” (3:15).
It is limited to the sphere of time and space and marked by the curse of man’s
own fallenness, which is characterized by pride and self-centeredness.
Everything the world initiates in the way of supposed truth is self-centered.
Unregenerate man’s finite system demands an earthly wisdom and nothing more.
Man’s wisdom is also “natural” (v. 15), which means “fleshly” and refers to
man’s humanness and frailty. First Corinthians 2:14 says, “A natural man does
not accept the things of the Spirit of God.” The natural man is sensual. All his
feelings, impulses, and appetites are locked up in a fallen and corrupted
system. All of man’s wisdom comes from his unsanctified heart and unredeemed
spirit.
Besides being earthly and natural, human wisdom is “demonic” (James 3:15).
This is the only place in the New Testament where the Greek word translated
“demon” appears in its adjectival form. Human wisdom is actually generated by
demons, who have been made captive to the same evil system as man. Satan and his
agents disguise themselves as ministers of light when in fact they are ministers
of darkness (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
The wisdom of the world is spawned by demons, reflects man’s humanness, and
proceeds no further than the fallenness of mankind. Since that is so, be sure to
“be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10). Don’t let
Satan and the world beguile you with their so-called wisdom.
~John MacArthur, Strength for Today
Of human and demonic "wisdom" is psychology, which many professing Christians have adopted into their thinking and behavior, even though it is contrary to Scripture. We are to reject psychology precisely because of what James 3 and Col. 1-2 clearly teach.
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