James 3:18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
The final outcome of heavenly wisdom is peace. This peace starts within us and flows outward to affect other people. Peace is the result of right relationship with God (Romans 5:1) and obedience to God’s commands. In the Old Testament, peace (Hebrew shalom) came as the people kept their terms of the covenant with God, namely obedience to God’s laws. James is very consistent with Jewish teachings and re-envisions his traditions through the filter of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). There is an interesting connection James makes in this verse of righteousness and peace. The result of godly wisdom is peace. Peace also results from righteousness. Righteousness comes through abiding in Christ and living out His teachings. The wisdom from heaven comes through the fear of God shown in worship. The fruit of this type of humbleness before God is a life of righteousness. Righteousness then becomes the primary characteristic of those with wisdom. If any of these qualities are missing, then we must look into our lives and ask God to show us.
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