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And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. (James 3:18)

And the fruit of righteousness. This righteousness is the product or result of having the wisdom from above. Righteous; upright; just: (צֶדֶק tsedeq;) refers to one who is in a righteous standing before God, who is characterized by righteous, virtuous actions and morals following God’s moral standards. What does this mean? The person adheres to God’s standards, His moral code. He does what is required according to this moral, ethical standard. (Ps 7:9) He is honest, fair, truthful in his actions, which is correct according to God’s standards. He is not deviant in any way (Lev. 19:36). He can make moral judgments when deciding what is right and wrong without prejudice. Only one who is a true, genuine Christian will be able to live a life that heeds the standards found in God’s Word. The wisdom from above that is from the Word of God is like seeds of righteousness that are sown on the ground (the mind), which will produce a pure and clean moral compass, as seeds will produce a harvest. – Gen. 18:23-24; Deut. 16:20; Prov. 3:33; Zeph. 2:3; James 3:18.

Is sown in peace. These seeds of righteousness are scattered throughout our lives in peace. It is not sown amid contention, arguments, and strife. There is nothing more peaceful than the farmer walking his grounds in the early morning, sowing his seeds. This is our example of how we are to sow the seeds of the kingdom, wherein we are preparing our field for the great harvest of righteousness that awaits mankind. Everything about it is peaceful, gentle, with seasoned words. Everywhere we go, we go in peace, possessing a spirit of peace, not beating people down, humiliating them, shaming them, or scaring them into accepting the kingdom good news. We peacefully go about our lives scattering our seeds of righteousness, which will result in an abundant, peaceful, and orderly harvest peace.

For them that make peace. These ones long to make peace, who possess a peaceful spirit and temperament. They are busy wherever the opportunity presents itself in scattering these seeds of peace, happiness, and joy. At the end of this Satanic age, what we will have is a magnificent harvest for those scattering these seeds of peace and for mankind, a harvest both in heaven and on earth. The whole purpose for all true, genuine Christians, therefore, is to make peace. True Christians and Christianity should be about peace in all that they do. We recall back to when James began this chapter, which dealt with such persons who should reach out for the office of a teacher. This person should be about the business of producing peace. His very nature is peaceful as it begins in the heart (inner person), and as it is developed from the wisdom from above, which is then sown into the church; then sown into the community. Then, the seeds of “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20; Acts 1:8.

It is more than acting peaceably for those who make peace, as he also endeavors to preserve and promote that peace. This peace is the opposite of jealousy and selfish ambition mentioned in verse 16. The one pursuing peace has a righteous standing before God. “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Gal. 5:25-26) While all Christians desire peace, this does not mean that we passively allow untruths to go by unchecked or that we water down biblical truths to appease. All the same, the one making peace can respectfully share the biblical truth, but at the same time respectfully let others maintain their viewpoints. The primary concern for the teacher of the congregation is that the disciples within have a correct understanding of God’s Word, protecting them from being influenced by false teachers. (Rom. 14:1-4, 10; Tit. 3:9-11) The teacher of the Christian congregation would follow the apostle Paul’s counsel to young Timothy,

2 Timothy 2:23-26 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

²³But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings,^[1] knowing that they produce fights. ²⁴For a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be kind to all, qualified to teach, showing restraint when wronged, ²⁵instructing his opponents with gentleness, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to accurate knowledge^[2] of the truth, ²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

A teacher such as this will make peace. The recurrence of different forms of “peace” shows that this is the essential quality of wisdom. Heavenly wisdom continuously endeavors for oneness within God’s congregation.

[1] Lit uneducated or ignorant seeking; to disagree and argue about something; forcefully expressing different opinions without the desire of finding the truth.

[2] The Greek word (ἐπίγνωσις epignōsis) behind the English rendering accurate knowledge is a strengthened or intensified form of gnosis (epi, meaning “additional”), meaning “true,” “real,” “full,” “complete,” or “accurate,” depending upon the context. Paul and Peter alone use epignosis.