James alerts us to two kinds of wisdom, two ways to become adept at navigating the world. There is a kind of wisdom marked by pride, it comes “from below,” it is “earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.” But there is a second kind of wisdom, a wisdom that sees every sign of goodness not as achievement but as gift. This wisdom, true wisdom, will be found in being rescued from a life centered on self, and finding pride displaced by the shocking power of grace.
