Verse of the Day (May 19, 2020) #BMSeminary – The answer to the “disorder” of v. 16 is to seek wisdom from above, which produces character qualities beginning with purity and concluding with peace (cf. Gal. 5:22–23, where godly qualities are the fruit of the Spirit). first pure, then. Purity (blamelessness) is the primary virtue, with the rest providing aspects of this moral purity. Peaceable is the polar opposite of “selfish ambition” and the discord it produces. Peace, further emphasized in James 3:18, is one of the critical attributes of the pure believer (Matt. 5:9; Gal. 5:22; Heb. 12:11). The legacy of those who bring peace rather than conflict is a harvest of righteousness. The “fruit” that comes from peacemaking in the Christian community will be the righteous conduct that God will bless (but this is not produced by “the anger of man”; see note on 1:20). (ESV Study Bible)
Baptist Ministerial Seminary 