Wisdom

“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.” This is not a pious introduction to a practical guide for successful living. It is a statement about the foundation of all genuine knowledge and understanding. Wisdom in the Bible is not intelligence or learning; it is the ability to see reality as it actually is, which begins with recognising who God is and what he requires.

The wisdom literature of the Old Testament explores what it means to live well in a world governed by a holy and sovereign God. Proverbs sets out the patterns of wisdom and folly in concrete, practical terms. Job wrestles with the failure of simple cause-and-effect theology in the face of real suffering. Ecclesiastes presses hard against every attempt to find ultimate meaning in the things of this world apart from God. Together, they do not offer a system; they describe the texture of a life lived in relationship with the living God.

The New Testament declares that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that what the world calls wisdom and what God calls wisdom are directly opposed: the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. The wisdom of God is displayed not in sophisticated arguments but in the death and resurrection of the Son of God for sinners. The articles below trace this theme through several of its key passages.