Answer: Heavenly wisdom is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere, (verse 17).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Heavenly wisdom is FIRST OF ALL pure, THEN peace-loving:
In the order of what heavenly wisdom is, purity is first in rank and time. The Greek for "pure" is hagnos, and is from the same root as hagios, which means "holy." It is an old adjective, meaning "pure from fault," "not half-good and half-bad," and "like that above (like that in heaven)."
This heavenly wisdom is pure in its essence--that is, it is pure in its basic nature, not being an "add on" or a "masque (mask)"-- and, consequently, it produces peace-loving deeds/actions, because there is no other way that pure heavenly wisdom CAN act.
In Proverbs 3:17, it is said of wisdom that "Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace."
Our training in God's Word (putting His Word into action in our lives and being guided by that Word) is His discipline for His cherished children so that we might share in His holiness, and so that we may reap for Him, and for ourselves, a harvest of righteousness and peace:
Hebrews 12:10-11: "Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Heavenly wisdom is considerate ("gentle" in the KJV):
This is not the usual word for "gentle." The usual word for "gentle" is epios, which is "mild, gentle," and was frequently used by Greek writers as characterizing a nurse with trying children or a teacher with refractory scholars, or of parents toward their children.
THIS word is epieikes, meaning "seemly, fitting." So, to say that heavenly wisdom is considerate (gentle), is to say that it is equitable, fair, moderate, forbearing, not insisting on the letter of the law; it expresses that considerateness that looks humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case.
Heavenly wisdom is submissive:
This is also translated "easy to be entreated." The Greek word eupeithes (appearing only here in the New Testament) is compounded of eu, meaning "well," and the verb peithomai, meaning "to obey, to be persuaded." So the KJV is a literal translation ("easy to be entreated"). It may be translated "reasonable" or "submissive."
Another word that applies here is "compliant." Heavenly wisdom is ready to submit to and obey Truth. Heavenly wisdom in a child of God can be easily entreated (asked earnestly, beseeched, implored) by the Father through His Word, and then the child of God ACTS on the wisdom gained from submission to heavenly wisdom, thus gaining heavenly wisdom!
2 Corinthians 1:12-14: "Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace. For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Heavenly wisdom is full of mercy:
The Greek word for "full" is mestos. It means "replete"--meaning "plentifully supplied, stuffed, gorged." We are to have no lack of mercy. We are to be absolutely stuffed or gorged with it! After all, God showed unlimited mercy to us.
The Greek word for "mercy" is eleos. It means "the outward manifestation of pity" (action, not words); it assumes need on the part of the person who receives mercy and it assumes that the one who shows mercy has adequate resources to meet the needs of the one who is in need of mercy. God has adequate resources to meet the needs of all of His created ones, and all of His created ones stand in need of His mercy. Since God is merciful to us, He wants us to show mercy to one another. We should be ready to pass by a transgression, and to grant forgiveness to those who offend, and be constantly performing every possible act of kindness:
Matthew 9:12-13: "On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'"
Matthew 12:7: [Jesus said,] "If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent."
Matthew 23:23-24: [Jesus said,] "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."
Luke 6:32-36: [Jesus said,] "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' lend to ‘sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
Luke 10:36-37: [Jesus asked,] "‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.'"
James 2:12-13: "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!"
Heavenly wisdom is full of good fruit:
Again, the word for "full" is to be replete--plentifully supplied, stuffed or gorged. There is no skimping on being "full of good fruit."
"Good" here is intrinsic good, not an "appearance" of good. It is within you, belonging to the real nature of you. It is inherent--existing in you as a natural and inseparable quality.
You are to DISPLAY, SHOW, MANIFEST this good fruit by your good life, by the good deeds you do that are so much a part of you that they ARE you, because they are CHRIST IN YOU. This fruit, which is good, and with which we are to be plentifully supplied, stuffed or gorged with is listed in several Scriptures.
Speaking generally of bearing good fruit:
Matthew 3:10: [Jesus said,] "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."
Matthew 7:16-20: [Jesus said,] "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."
Matthew 12:33-37: [Jesus said,] "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
Read John 15:1-17 concerning Jesus as the "vine" and those who are in Him as the "branches," which must bear fruit, or be thrown away to wither, be picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Romans 7:4-6: "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him Who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."
Colossians 1:10: "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..."
Speaking specifically of what "good fruit" is:
Galatians 5:22-25: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:8-11: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and Truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them."
Philippians 1:9-11: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God."
Hebrews 13:15-16: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His Name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."
1 Timothy 6:11-12: "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
2 Peter 1:3-9: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His Own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."
1 John 2:15-17: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the Will of God lives forever."
Heavenly wisdom is impartial:
"Impartial" is translated "without partiality" in the KJV or "without variance" in the AV. The word "partial" is from the Greek dia, meaning "asunder" and krino, meaning "to judge." Thus, the Greek word for "impartial" is diakrino, meaning "to separate, distinguish, discern, judge, decide." It also came to mean "to be divided in one's mind, to hesitate, doubt."
The negative form of "partial" is adiakritos, and primarily signifies NOT to be parted, without uncertainty or without indecision. Heavenly wisdom is unhesitating, not doubting, without favoritism, without uncertainty, without indecision.
The child of God, by constant study and increasing knowledge of His Word, KNOWS what God wants, and, therefore, DOES IT:
Leviticus 19:15: "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly."
Deuteronomy 1:16-17: "And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God."
Deuteronomy 10:17-19: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, Who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt."
Deuteronomy 16:19-20: "Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you."
2 Chronicles 19:7: "Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery."
Proverbs 24:23-26: "These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good: Whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent'--peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips."
An ironic and cruel twist was the lack of impartiality shown to Jesus by His own people as they tried to trap Him, flattering Him with the words, "You do not show partiality but teach the Way of God in accordance with the Truth," Luke 20:20-21: "Keeping a close watch on Him [Jesus], they [the teachers of the law and the chief priests] sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something He said so that they might hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor. So the spies questioned Him: ‘Teacher, we know that You speak and teach what is right, and that You do not show partiality but teach the Way of God in accordance with the Truth."
1 Timothy 5:21: "I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism."
James 1:5-7: "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. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
Heavenly wisdom is sincere:
The word "sincere" is also translated "without hypocrisy." It is from the Greek word hupokrisis. The primary meaning is "a reply, an answer, to answer," but there is added the meaning that this is done as in play-acting--as actors speaking their rehearsed and memorized lines. So we have a pretence, or hypocrisy.
It was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak while wearing large masks with mechanical devices for amplifying the voice so that it could be heard. So the word became used metaphorically of one who dissembles--a hypocrite--one who conceals the truth, or one's true feelings, etc., under a false appearance.
The opposite of this hypocrisy is "sincere." It means "without guile--without slyness and cunning in dealing with others." It means "pure, true, genuine, acting with pure motives."
It is a quality possessed, and given, by God: 2 Corinthians 1:12: "Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace."
This sincerity is to be part of the character of the conduct of believers. It is to be "uncorrupted," and is thus compared to "unleavened bread": 1 Corinthians 5:6-8: "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and Truth."
