What Is True Wisdom? How God’s Wisdom Produces Peace and Righteous Living
- Jack Selcher
- Oct 4, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 2
Summary
Knowledge is not true wisdom. Wisdom is skillful, godly living rather than clever speech or hidden insight. True wisdom flows from fearing God and applying His Word in everyday life. It is humble, peace-loving, self-giving, and produces righteousness. Earthly wisdom, driven by selfish ambition, creates conflict and disorder. God’s wisdom bears lasting spiritual fruit and is freely available to those who seek it in faith.
Knowledge Versus True Wisdom
Facts build knowledge as bricks build a house. True wisdom is the mortar that makes the bricks useful. So, what is true wisdom? Where can you find it? How will you know you have it?
A senior high school student whom a school official interviewed said that he advised underclass individuals to get eight hours of sleep a night. Asked whether he got that much sleep, he answered, “No.”
Wisdom Is Lived, Not Just Learned
True wisdom is not knowing something others do not. It is not clever words and pithy sayings.
It is right living. It is knowledge plus show-how. It depends on a healthy relationship with God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
It is teaching God’s word and living according to it (James 3:13). You can discern the truly wise better with your eyes than your ears. True wisdom is a skill in godly living. It is living for God as Aaron Judge crushes a baseball or Stephen Curry swishes three-point shots with a basketball.
Since the essence of God’s will is to love Him and your neighbor as yourself, true wisdom is being skilled in godly loving. What does that look like?
The Marks of Earthly Wisdom
Such wisdom does not flaunt itself. It does not covet the spotlight. It does not need the spotlight at all.
Where envy and selfish ambition are, true wisdom is not (James 3:14). Earthly wisdom covets others’ attention and praise.
Those who teach or serve to bring glory to themselves are not truly wise, no matter what words they use or deeds they perform. The truly wise lift others, not themselves.
The Source and Fruit of False Wisdom
Behind earthly wisdom is the desire for personal gain. It is not spiritual. Satan is its ultimate source. It is the currency of those who have not been born again or those who live like they have not been born again (1 Corinthians 3:3).
It results in “disorder and every evil practice” (James 3:16 NIV). Earthly wisdom brings turmoil to the church. You can list ten reasons a green carpet is better than a blue one for the church, but that is not true wisdom. Competing camps, each armed with earthly wisdom, cause many church fights.
The Characteristics of Godly Wisdom
True wisdom is pure (James 3:17) without self-seeking and self-exaltation. It is not I-centered. It is God-centered and others-centered.
True wisdom is peace-loving. It does not compete with others spiritually. It does not have to win.
It is gentle, considerate, and forbearing. It does not insist on its rights. It is not stubborn. It yields to others. It is compassionate. It is ready to help the needy. It does not play favorites. It is sincere.
Wisdom That Produces Righteousness
Earthly wisdom bears no spiritual fruit. True wisdom produces a harvest of righteousness.
Wise people promote peace through their words and actions. They are lubricators, not agitators.
Wisdom Is Available from God
True wisdom comes from God. The truly wise skillfully apply God’s word to real-life decisions and situations.
True wisdom produces spiritual fruit. It is marked by self-giving, not self-exaltation. It is worth far more than gold (Proverbs 16:16). It is yours for the asking (James 1:5)! See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.
God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,541 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,361 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting.
Comments