Wisdom is Not Always Wise
I’m not as wise as I used to be—and that’s a good thing.
The common saying is that wisdom comes with age, but I prefer the way Oscar Wilde said it. “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.”
Sad, but true. So many of us think we’re wise, but we’re far from it. At least we’re far from the right kind of wisdom. I look back on the early years of my ministry. I came into the church with my arsenal: my theology in place, plans ready to go, and wisdom. Lots of wisdom! And why not? I’d been to seminary—twice!
I owe an apology to the first church I pastored. Looking back, I realize that underneath my preaching and plans was a layer of arrogance. Then I came to Lifeway—Lifeway sought me out, not the other way around—and that only fueled an unspoken feeling that I must be doing something right.
Any wisdom that is grounded in what I know (my skills, my understanding) is worldly wisdom, because worldly wisdom is a self-focused wisdom. This type of wisdom may know the right things and have the facts correct, but it wants to let everyone know that. Worldly wisdom wants to take what it knows and apply it to life in the way that best serve self. The book of James described worldly wisdom this way:
“But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice” (Jas. 3:14-16).
Envy. Selfish ambition. A wisdom that is manifested in such self-centered traits is described as demonic. Ouch.
A danger with this type of wisdom is that it doesn’t like correction. Whether you’re a doctor, a mechanic, or a quilter—in whatever field you feel like an expert—when someone corrects you, it doesn’t set well. Your pride is wounded, so your self-defense mechanism kicks in. After all, you’re the expert. You’ve done this for years. You might try to justify why your way is better or pontificate on what’s wrong with the alternate approach. In the end, you just come across looking arrogant and maybe even foolish.
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22).
Thankfully, there is another form of wisdom, and it is available to us. Godly wisdom. In my foolishness, I thought I had godly wisdom. Through it all, I’ve loved Jesus and I wanted to please Him, and while the things I knew and practiced were good, I wasn’t always wise with a godly wisdom. So, what makes godly wisdom godly? It is seeing things from God’s perspective. As I’ve learned to see things from His perspective, three truths stand out.
- I am not God.
- I don’t know near what I think I know. In fact, I’ve discovered I know very little.
- Therefore, I’ve got nothing to boast about.
Deep down I’ve known these truths, but aggressively embracing them and letting them impact the way I live has taken time. There was not a singular event where “a switch was flipped,” but I notice now that I am much more easy-going with correction from others. I’m more open to others. I’m willing to look vulnerable (because I am). I am far more encouraging to others. This change struck me recently as I was reading through the book of James. In the same section where James discussed godly wisdom and worldly wisdom, he said,
“Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom” (v. 13, emphasis added).
There’s no gentleness with worldly wisdom. When I am boastfully seeking to do things my way and impart my wisdom, gentleness is absent. But when I realize I’m not God and I know very little in the scheme of things, I can be gentle in my dealings with others. The pride is gone, and I’m secure in who I am in Christ. The knowledge of who I am in Christ includes an awareness that anything I am able to do is purely because of the grace of God. When I embrace Christ and walk with Him, wisdom follows—the right kind of wisdom.
“The wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense” (v. 17).
There’s a humility that comes with godly wisdom, and that’s what I want to pursue in Christ. After all, that’s the wise thing to do.
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