top of page

Latest Thoughts

Recent Blogs

Wisdom (2)

“… the acquisition of wisdom is always conditional, for God makes wisdom available only when two major “ifs” apply to us: “if [we] call upon wisdom. and search for her as treasure” (Proverbs 8:3, 4). God reveals wisdom but we must undertake the work… Take heart, for the “if” clauses are followed by God’s promise that we will then “understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God” (vs. 5).” (Dynamis 3/13/2023)


“…wisdom is not merely the result of a long life of experience, but is a spiritual state for those who make it a priority in their life to seek God’s righteousness and kingdom (Matthew 6:33). The wise person seems to have a wisdom beyond his or her years.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)


“…Wisdom is Christ, and those who follow Him are known by this name. And His good grace is worth more than silver and gold, for by His grace Christians live according to His virtues implanted within them.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 22:1)

“Of all of the answers to the question of “What do you seek?” our reading [Proverbs 8:1-21] recommends the search for wisdom. Today’s study suggests where we can find wisdom. The book of Proverbs points to the answer when it personifies wisdom. That answer is that wisdom is to be found in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul makes this personification complete and specific when he associates wisdom with Jesus Christ. He states, “But of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (OSB 1 Cor. 1:30). Thus, the incarnate Son of God is the fulfillment of the Book of Proverbs. He embodies the wisdom from above to which Proverbs points.” (Fr. Basil)


…we are part of the Wisdom of God – not just knowledge, even if that is a principle part of Wisdom. By itself, knowledge is simply being able to remember certain natural laws, or forms of math, or historical memory; by themselves they are little more than a memory chip of the brain that we can call on when we need a given area to take action or respond to a situation. But Wisdom is much more than this. It is the collective use of all that knowledge to use in a beneficial way. Sometimes it is the result of our own years of experience in a given area, other times it is when we call upon others who we know to be wise and seek their guidance. You cannot find Wisdom on your iPhone. And Wisdom seeks to answer bigger questions about life rather than simply knowing a fact, like water boils at 212 degrees. Wisdom seeks to answer questions like, why do we exist in the first place? Deep in our being we begin with a longing for answers that we do not have. We have a yearning that says we are certain we can find the answers, but first we need to know how to go about looking for the answers, discovering where they are. And they are in God. Our relation to God sets us on the right path to discover and become more aware of our own existence and what it means to be in the world. Only by looking to the Wisdom of God can we find those authentic answers that fill our need to know about the life we are living. That is why it is the first stage in our relation to God, for we are always becoming what He intends us to be, the ones made in His Image and after His Likeness.” (Bishop David of Sitka and Alaska)


“When our Lord Jesus Christ, during His teaching ministry, taught us the true Wisdom of God, he turned much of the wisdom of the world upon its head…The Apostle Paul distinguish between two kinds of wisdom: “the wisdom of this world” and “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:20-21). He declares Christ to be the Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24), for those who are united to Him receive true wisdom, while those who resist Him are self-condemned (Jn 3:18).” (Father Stephen De Young, Dynamis 7/8/2020)


“The wisdom of this world (1 Corinthians 3:19) is attractive and reasonable, and on the surface appears to be true. But such earthly wisdom denies God and leads us away from Him—not to fulfillment, but to death. True wisdom and life are found only in Christ, in our total abandonment to the love of God and neighbor.” (Orthodox Study Bible, 1 Corinthians 3:18-20)

“…worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom are often at odds. The wisdom which he so earnestly sought is indeed of inestimable value; it opens the path to a life with true meaning and far surpasses the riches of this world. It is the way which indeed leads to life.” (Fr. Andrew Demotses)


“One of the many sad results of the Industrial Revolution was that we came to depend more than ever on the intellect and to ignore the intuition with its symbolic thinking…The Pharisees’ failure to recognize the Christ is a warning to us not to base our lives on human reasoning. God gives wisdom to those who live not by “the spirit of the world, but [by] the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor 2:12).” (Madeleine L’Engle, Dynamis 7/8/2020)


“One of the big differences between being enslaved to the wisdom of the world versus acquiring over time the wisdom of God is that of the marriage or divorce of our intellect and our perception and intuition. God speaks to our minds and our hearts using both the language of words and symbols; and often what He speaks and wants us to do is counter to the world’s ways…In prayer, in the creative process, these two parts of ourselves, the mind and the heart, the intellect and the intuition, the conscious and the subconscious mind, stop fighting each other and collaborate.” (Sacramental Living Ministries, Madeleine L'Engle)

“Most people think of faith and spirituality as consisting of doctrinal beliefs, moral behavior, and spiritual experience. So when thinking of God giving us a “moral compass,” they imagine a set of ethical rules and regulations, a kind of divine instruction manual from God for life. And it is certainly true that in the Bible Christians receive many practical ethical principles for how to live and many boundary markers showing us what behavior we must completely avoid. If that were all God provided us, it would be helpful, but insufficient. Because there is a whole category missing—wisdom.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)

“Wisdom comes from knowledge. This statement understood through human logic and reasoning means simply the more you learn, the more you amass knowledge, the more you know. This has to do more with information and intelligence than real wisdom. This statement understood spiritually, and correctly, means that we understand “knowing” more as an intimate relationship. This intimate relationship is with Wisdom Himself, Christ, the Logos, the rationale principle of all of creation. Through our relationship with Christ we gain true knowledge and discernment which is wisdom.” (Sacramental Living Blog)

“…knowledge suggests an intimate understanding based on a relationship with a person…In our closest relationships, there is a kind of knowing that transcends just knowing about someone. This kind of intimacy goes to the heart of what it means to be in communion.” (Foundation Study Bible, Philippians 1:9, Father Barnabas Powell)

“Wisdom [Christ] speaks to every human being… If they obey Wisdom out of love for Him, He will give them astuteness (Proverbs 8:5, 6). Astuteness is the crown of the virtues (Proverbs 14:25)…Everything necessary for our salvation is contained in the perfection of discernment which is embodied in Christ.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 8:4-6, Wisdom of Solomon 6:15)

“Wisdom imparts wisdom – an intelligence and understanding far superior to the knowledge or so-called “wisdom” of this world (1 Cor 1:30). As Wisdom within, Christ will transform us into the righteous who have the ability to distill wisdom and grace, and to attain humility and light (Prv 10:32-3; 11:2; 13:9).” (Dynamis 1/3/2019)

"We understand that the Wisdom in today’s passage (Proverbs 8:22-30) – and throughout Holy Scripture – is the very Person of Christ our God.” (OCPM 3/13/2017)

“Wisdom is inherent in all of creation (Genesis 1 and John 1, Proverbs 8:22-30). Wisdom is Christ Himself. Creation is the work of the Father, who made all things through Wisdom, the Son, and by the Spirit. Creation is the work of the Holy Trinity and it is imbued with Wisdom. Here is a simple takeaway from this deep theology. We don’t become wise through human knowledge. We become wise through union with Christ and then we become knowing instead of simply knowledgeable.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

"...human reason has been corrupted since the fall of man; therefore, it must be submitted to faith and revelation and thus raised up to a higher level." (Father Seraphim Rose)

“Wisdom is rooted in knowing and revering the God who has revealed himself in Christ through the Scriptures. We find wisdom in the Bible, in creation and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, in the practices and traditions of the church, and in our service to others.” (David Kinnaman)

“A Christian receives divine wisdom in three ways: by the commandments, teachings, and faith. The commandments free the mind from passions. Teachings lead it to true knowledge of nature. Faith leads to the contemplation of the Holy Trinity." (St. Maximus the Confessor)


Quote of the Day

News

bottom of page