Sowing righteousness in peace

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 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. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. – James 3.16-18

Since it is clear that there is no room for envy and self-seeking I am going to leave that aside. I am much more interested into how James describes the ‘ wisdom from above.’ 

Pure

Peaceable

Gentle

Yieldable

Full of mercy

Full of good fruits

Without partiality

Without hypocrisy

Now James points out that the wisdom is first pure. I like that note that it is first because everything else must be based on this purity. That is the very foundation. All of the rest must be based on purity. That means that we can’t sacrifice purity, and later righteousness, in order to achieve any of the rest of the descriptors. Peace and gentleness and a willingness to yield and so on are all based on the fact that it includes purity.  You can’t have one without the other. 

That peace vital. The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. The fruit of righteousness is not sown in ugliness and a judgemental spirit. In meekness it is spread in peace by those who are meek enough to realise that we too had to be rescued from our own righteousness. 

Blessed are the peacemakers indeed. Pursue peace with all men, and also holiness. The two must go hand in hand.