What is true wisdom? Have you known people who are educated beyond their intelligence? Mark Twain said the sad thing about common sense is that it is not so common.
Proverbs says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. You may find numerous wise sayings, but true godly wisdom begins with knowing reverence of God.
3. WISDOM.
In Revelation 7:12 the third attribute to God praises God for His wisdom or in Greek “sophia.” This attribute of God is listed as the third attribute
here and also third in Rev. 5:12. The Bible says in Luke 2:40, and again in
2:52 that when Jesus was on earth, He grew in wisdom.
Philippians 2
explains that Jesus who was God and equal with God, made Himself of no
reputation, or as the Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it, “He
emptied Himself” of some aspects of His omniscience or all-knowing attributes
of wisdom when He took on flesh. If Christ grew in wisdom, how much more should
we?
While there is a
realm of man’s wisdom, only God is truly wise (see Rom. 16:27). Jude 1:25 says
that “To God our Savior, Who alone is
wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”
(Found in the KJV and NKJV, but omitted in later versions). God’s wisdom is wiser than that of man’s
wisdom
Read 1 Cor. 1:17-30.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
When the saints in Revelation extol
God’s wisdom, it means that Christ possesses and exemplifies the wisdom of God which
is hidden and a mystery to the world.
Col. 2:2-3 says, “1 For I want you to know what a
great conflict I have for … (those who) have not seen my face in the flesh, 2
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining
to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of
the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom
are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
In what ways
is God’s wisdom greater than that of the wisest of all humans? In what ways is
human wisdom different than God’s wisdom?
If Jesus grew in wisdom while
on earth, what are ways we also can grow in wisdom? Will there ever be a time
in which we can stop growing in wisdom?
