Discussion Questions:

1. Worldly Wisdoms

• According to James, how is true wisdom demonstrated (v. 13)? Why does he point to conduct rather than credentials?
• James calls false wisdom “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” What does each of those descriptors add to our understanding of worldly wisdom?
• Verse 16 says selfish ambition and jealousy produce “disorder and every vile practice.” Where have you seen this pattern- in churches, workplaces, families, or your own heart?
• How does our speech reveal the kind of wisdom we are operating in? (Connect to James 3:1–12.)

2. Heavenly Wisdom

• James doesn’t define wisdom abstractly; he describes how it looks in one's life. Why is that significant?
• Which of the seven attributes in verse 17 most challenges you right now: pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, full of good fruits, impartial, sincere? Why?
• Verse 18 speaks of “a harvest of righteousness sown in peace.” What does that image communicate about the long-term fruit of godly wisdom?

3. Application

• The sermon emphasized that “Wisdom begins with relationship” and “Wisdom is received, not seized.” How does this connect with your understanding of grace?
• How does Proverbs 1:7 (“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”) shape our understanding of wisdom as covenantal rather than merely practical?
• Who in your life models the kind of wisdom described in verse 17? What specifically do you see in them?