What is wisdom? Where is wisdom found? How does a person recognize wisdom? What does wisdom look like? What is the purpose for wisdom? While in the pursuit of studying wisdom one will discover that there are more questions raised than questions answers. Though wisdom may be of great significance, highly publicized and frequently analyzed and debated, no theologians or biblical scholars have yet to be able to formulate a precise and adequate definition for the term. Despite the fact that wisdom cannot be easily defined, held as if it were something tangible, nor seen with the naked eye, many people would concur that wisdom is real, and is truly what makes people wise. This wisdom leads to knowledge, and knowledge leads to understanding God and the world around them. Therefore, it is sufficient to say, most people would agree that wisdom is valuable, it comes from God, and it is worth obtaining. The book of Proverbs admonishes people to get wisdom (4:5) for it is more valuable than silver and gold. Wisdom directs a person on a path of discovering God on a deeper level. Proverbs 2:5-6 states: “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Those who seek wisdom will not only obtain an acute reverential perception of who God is, but they will find that their lives will have a more meaningful purpose in this world. Subsequently, they will discover too, an in-depth awareness of who God created them to be, as well as discover how their skills, talents and abilities have been designed by Him to enhance the earth. Hence, by becoming wise, people are more apt to avoid personal pitfalls, evil, and moral decay.
So, the million-dollar question is, “What is wisdom?” Perhaps, wisdom could be God’s principal truth of who He is and what He represents. Is it possible that wisdom shouts the melodious crescendo of God’s praises and glory as it is displayed in the lives of men and women throughout the universe? Could wisdom be a part of God’s glorious redemption plan to offer men a way of escape from their spiritual sin, moral imperfections, and selfish deeds and motives? Is it possible that wisdom can be an extension of God’s goodness and the favor He so graciously bestows upon man to display His sovereignty, mercy, and grace?
Another pertinent question one might ask about wisdom is, “Where is it found?” The bible declares that wisdom is found in God and it has been with Him from the very beginning of time. Proverbs 3:19 supports this concept. It states: “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens.” God created the earth by His infinite knowledge and skill. In wisdom God created the earth, so it follows that wisdom existed before the creation of earth. In Proverbs 8 and 9, wisdom is personified. Proverbs 8:22-23 states: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.” Perhaps one might ask whether or not it is paradoxically correct to say, ‘Wisdom is a divine attribute of God which also exemplifies the deity of Christ,’ while at the same time state, ‘Wisdom is Christ, and with God, they are one in the same.’ 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30, states: “But unto them which are called Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom…” Christ not only embodies the awesome power of God, but He – Christ – is also wisdom. Colossians 2:3 gives credence to the fact that Christ and God are one, and with wisdom and knowledge encapsulate the mystery of the divine union of the two revealed as one. In Colossians 2:3-4 states: “…To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The deity of Christ, which declares Himself equal with God, is definitely a mystery. 1Timothy 3:16 unfolds this mystery. It states: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” The Incarnation of Christ being one with God speaks volumes, not only about the Divinity of Christ, but it also unequivocally proclaims the mystery of the triune God. 1 John 5:7 declares: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” This mystery can only come by the revelation and the wisdom of God.
How does a person recognize wisdom? What does wisdom look like? What is the purpose for wisdom? If wisdom is imparted to others by God, how does one recognize wisdom? And what does wisdom look like? Perhaps man must first begin to see himself through the eyes of God in order for him to know what wisdom is? If this summation is correct, maybe before a person can recognize wisdom, he must embrace a few important spiritual truths about God, himself, and the purpose in which he has been called to live on the earth.
First, a man must believe that his life is valuable to God, to himself, and to the world around him. Then, he must believe that his purpose on earth is to live life to his fullest potential. Also, he must believe that man was created by God to use his skills, talents, gifts, and abilities to honor Him and live a productive life on earth. Wisdom gives a man understanding about why he has been created by God as well as encourages him to develop attitudes and behaviors that will enabled him to live a life of fulfillment, fruitfulness, and peace with the world around him. In Proverbs 4: 7, it elaborates: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Could it be that wisdom does not only exist around us, but could it also be that wisdom dwells within us? Is it possible that wisdom is waiting to be released within the life of an individual as he becomes faithful to perfecting that which God has already made him to be? In Josef Pieper’s book, An Anthology, he states: “We are not yet what we already are” (pg.4). This alludes to a potential within us all. Wisdom could be the driving force behind launching a man into his divine destiny. Wisdom may be the vehicle which God uses to direct a man on the path he is destined to go on. It is God’s will that man shall prosper, be in health even as their soul shall prosper (3rd John 1:2). Could God use wisdom to motivate a man to reach beyond what he knows that he is capable of becoming? Ecclesiastes 10:10 states: “Wisdom is profitable to direct.” Wisdom calls forth the hidden things of God that dwells within the soul of a man. Sertillanges states: “We must not lean on ourselves; but to God within us we cannot accord too much trust. We never have too high an idea of the self, if it is the divine self”(pg.258). It is the will our heavenly Father for a man to evolve into the “divine self.” God calls forth the “more” out of a man so that he evolves into the man that heaven has called him to be.
Finally, what is the purpose for wisdom? The purpose of wisdom is to instruct a man on how to practice living a lifestyle that is profitable to God, to himself, and to all who come across his path. Sertillanges states: “Give out all that is in you, and if you are faithful to yourself, and faithful up to the end, you may be sure of attaining the perfection of your work – your work, I say the work that God expects from you and that corresponds to His graces, interior and exterior” (p.259). There is much potential in a man. Sertillanges continues: “Every individual is unique: therefore every fruit of the spirit is unique also. What is unique is always precious, always necessary. Let us not fail God, and God’s success will in part be ours” (p.259). With God and wisdom, all things are possible!
Leave a Reply