I won't go into detail regarding the topic, the arguments, or any side issues. But I will say that where Wisdom comes in, or should have, was firmly illustrated for me in the way one side argued. One might be completely satisfied for someone making an argument to present a number of passages from Scripture which, they say, supports their position. I think Conservative, Evangelical (and Fundamentalists) have gotten lazy, and just accepted such arguments in toto without consideration. Now, I'm not saying that one side prooftexted, and that the other side didn't. What I'm saying is that one side pulled out all sorts of "evidence" from Scripture to support their argument.
What does 'Wisdom' have to do with this, you might be wondering. Thanks for wondering. I see the convergence in this: we need to read, interpret, and present our reading of Scripture in a wise manner. By bringing 'Wisdom' to bear at this point, I'm suggesting that it's not enough to just read a passage of Scripture, give some background, talk about the Koine Greek grammar, syntax, and the semantic range of important words found in said passage. We also need to excercise 'Wisdom'. Wisdom should get us to think before we read, before we analyze out loud, before we pontificate for the Good of man and beast. Sometimes, dare I say, often I wonder if we have not either gotten lazy, or, more likely, forgotten or unlearned the differences between 'Knowledge' and 'Wisdom'. There is a difference, and I hope you'll agree, they are both important. But, as my friend and fellow THS student, Jake said, of the two, he would rather have more 'Wisdom' than 'Knowledge'.
I think of St. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13, where he writes ...
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Forgive me for playing the part of "Captain Obvious", but allow me to point out a couple of things here ... 1) Paul's main idea (in this passage) is what God's love is versus how the Christians in Corinth were treating one another. 2) more specifically, one of the things that Paul is addressing is that 'Love' is greater, and more important than 'Knowledge'. Interestingly, Paul talks about 'Love' earlier in the same letter (1 Cor 8:1b-3), where he writes, "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." Clearly, we know 'Knowledge' is important, and it serves an important role ... afterall, who wants to go a doctor who doesn't "know" what he's doing?
But my point this morning is that we Christians need to love AND live Scripture wisely. It speaks of, it points to, and it leads to the Triune God who continues to freely reveal His love for us in Jesus Christ. God offers us His wisdom through the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit, in the life of each believer, and, at the same time, within the life of each local body (the local church), but we must faithfully appropriate this wisdom, and, we must appropriate God's wisdom in faith. James, in his letter, reminds us, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
We Christians who value and seek to learn from the Word of God in Scripture are generally pretty good about "knowing" Scripture. But looking around at the state of the Church in the West, and, looking at a vast number of Christian lives, as well as homes and marriages, clearly we do not know how to wisely read, interpret, or apply the Scriptures as God intends. I do not point any fingers. But if you are one who feels a certain degree of conviction, pray, and try asking for Wisdom, and believe that God will give it, and ask Him to reveal the state of your heart, what you need to confess, and how you need to appropriate God's wisdom (as a sidenote: this may entail wisdom that shows itself in asking for help).
Proverbs has a lot to say about 'Wisdom'. You may be familiar with this verse, Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." But there are around 50 references to 'Wisdom' alone in just the book of Proverbs. Consider "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion." True knowledge, it would seem, is born of 'Wisdom' - that is, the wisdom that God offers us.
Ironically, there would be no real 'Wisdom' in concluding here. 'Wisdom', I think, by definition, calls into real situations, and demands application in a real context. So, getting back to my original thought, 'Wisdom' continues to assert itself in my mind. What does this mean? My prayer to God is for His wisdom to fill my heart and mind. I consider it critical on the best of days that this should be so. But as I am but a few steps into my doctoral studies, I find my heart and mind hungering not so much for more knowledge - though I want to have a better idea of knowing what to do - but for the Wisdom of God the Father in Jesus the Son through God the Holy Spirit. The making of wise decisions leads to life and contentment. The making of unwise decisions, even those made with much knowledge, can lead to disaster, guilt, and suffering. I want to make decisions that honor God, that will help me to understand better who He is, and therefore understand better who I am, and what I am to do in and with my life.
As I read, interpret, and apply Scripture, I pray that God's wisdom would be full to overflowing, so that I may not merely be a clanging symbol, nor puffed up. God's wisdom applied to life leads to God's love being shared generously. It means knowing wisely, and loving wisely. It means that when we seek to talk to someone about the good news of Jesus Christ, the gospel, we may share wisely, in a way that speaks to where a particular person is in their life; it means that when we speak Scripture into someone's life, whether to encourage or confront, we must do so wisely - this is one of my biggest concerns, to be honest - so that we are not just prooftexting, for one thing, but also that we know what the verse is really saying, and that we wisely utilizing it in order to speak truth to love into someone's life.
This is just an initial thought on 'Wisdom'. What do you think? As always, you're invited to respond.
