A genuine life of faith is driven by wisdom from above.  James helps us plug into God’s wisdom by contrasting the two types of wisdom available to us every day. One type produces self-focused instability. The other, completeness and peace. Which wisdom you embrace makes a huge difference.

This is one of the most straightforward sections—and one of the most universally indicting—in the book of James. If there’s anything we have learned about James so far, it’s that he has a strong distaste for worthless religion. To James, talk is cheap—and yet, our words matter more than we realize. How we talk to others and about others is a critical indicator of our overall spiritual health and maturity.

James continues the theme of doing and working versus being hearers only and deceiving ourselves (1:22). A faith that is lacking in external evidence of works is useless and dead. James argues that you can’t separate the two because true faith is proven by its fruit – works.