Biblical Answer

Understanding Wisdom

Wisdom is a gift of God, and it is not fundamentally discovered by human effort alone. In the Old Testament, wisdom is described as a gift that God gives to those who seek it (Prov. 2:6). This is a crucial point to understand, as it means that wisdom is not something that we can attain through our own strength or ingenuity. Rather, it is something that we must seek from God, and it is something that He graciously gives to those who are willing to receive it.

Attaining Wisdom

To attain wisdom, we must be willing to receive it from God. This involves a process of seeking and surrendering to God's ordering of the world. We must be willing to align ourselves with God's relational, triune nature, and to live in conformity with His ordering of the world. This is not a one-time event, but rather a lifelong process of seeking and surrendering to God. As we seek wisdom, we must be willing to listen to God's voice and to trust in His guidance. We must also be willing to learn from others, including those who have gone before us, and to seek wisdom from God's Word, the Bible.

Finding Wisdom

Wisdom is found in the Bible, particularly in the Psalms and the Proverbs. The Psalms provide a distinction between the wise and the wicked, with the wise being blessed with God's favor and the wicked suffering the consequences of their actions (Psalm 1). The Proverbs provide practical wisdom for living a virtuous life, with sayings such as "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7) and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Prov. 3:5). By seeking wisdom from God's Word, we can gain a deeper understanding of how to live rightly and to navigate the challenges of life. Ultimately, wisdom is not just about knowing what to do, but about living a life that is aligned with God's ordering of the world.