Godly Wisdom vs Worldly Wisdom

Today, I was thinking about Godly Wisdom vs worldly wisdom and felt led to share some thoughts on the subject. In 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 NASB Paul writes to us…

Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God. For it is written: “He is the one who catches the wise by their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are useless.”

Interesting statement made by the Apostle Paul. James tells us in…

James 1:5 NASB

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

And David tells us in…

Psalm 51:6 NASB

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in secret You will make wisdom known to me.

And in…

Psalm 111:10 NASB

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; All those who follow His commandments have a good understanding; His praise endures forever.

Moses instructed the nation of Israel in the commandment of the Lord and instructed them thus…

Deuteronomy 4:5-7 NASB

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you are to do these things in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’  For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?

The Book of Proverbs has many things to say about Wisdom. Just do a word search and you will see many verses that talk about Wisdom. One passage is…

Proverbs 4:4-6 NASB

He taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart take hold of my words;

Keep my commandments and live;
Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not abandon her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.

Isaiah 11:2 NASB gives us some insight about Wisdom…

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

From an in-depth study of Wisdom, we can learn that Godly wisdom is from the Lord and is something to be sought after. Wisdom is a Spirit of God that works with Understanding. It leads us to obey the commandments of the Lord and keeps us safe. It causes us to walk in the blessing and prosper. As we continue our study, we learn from the Apostle Paul about the “foolishness” of the cross as wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:17-19 NASB

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made of no effect.

The Wisdom of God

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the understanding of those who have understanding, I will confound.”

In 2 Corinthians 1:12 NIV, we read about Paul’s Change of Plans

Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.

So, in closing, let’s also strive to seek after Godly wisdom and rely on God’s grace. Let us abandon worldly wisdom that leads us in ways contrary to God’s ways. As this is a blog, I am unable to give a full teaching on this subject, but I hope that I have piqued your interest and encouraged you to study the topic for yourselves as we are instructed in 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV to…

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Shalom dear ones.

 

 

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