This is the second post about wisdom. The first is here.
An appropriate question to ask at this point is simply this:
how can a person gain wisdom? The Bible is quite clear
about where to start.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. Proverbs 9.10
The fear of the Lord. There is a problem here for many.
Being afraid of God is out of vogue. As a result, there are quite a few
Christians who don't know what to do with a verse like this. That means that
there are quite a few Christians who don't know the first step when it comes to
gaining wisdom. And the reason is that they have not been taught what this fear
of the Lord actually is about.
There is a kind of fear that is the dread of a slave before a
harsh master who has the power of life and death and is not afraid to use that
power. And it's not as if this master has to worry about someone holding him
accountable for what he does with his slave. The slave is his property. He can
do with him as he pleases. That is one kind of fear, and the Bible speaks about
it.
There is no fear in love, but perfect
love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has
not been perfected in love. 1 John 4.18
But fearing God has nothing to do with that scenario. We are
not slaves, and God is not harsh master.
The fear of God that Proverbs praises is rooted in the
awareness that we are accountable to God. Our lives are going to be evaluated.
Like the servants in the parable of the talents (Matthew25), one day we will be
called upon to give an account of what we did.
There are lots of places in the Bible that speak about this.
First, Peter.
And if you call on him as Father who
judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear
throughout the time of your exile… 1
Peter 1.17
Next, Paul.
For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he
has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5.10
And now, Jesus.
For the Son of Man is going to come
with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person
according to what he has done. Matthew 16.27
Our lives are going to be evaluated.
Unfortunately, way too many Christians think of this in terms
of being in trouble. God is going to get them for all the evil things that they
have done. Not even close. This is where I get to include just some of the
verses that talk about rewards. There will be a reward for those who were
faithful.
Moreover, by them is your servant
warned; in keeping them [God's laws]there is great
reward. Psalms 19.11
Mankind will say, “Surely there is a
reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges [evaluates] on
earth.” Psalms 58.11
The wicked earns deceptive wages, but
one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Proverbs 11.18
And this is not just some Old Testament thing. Jesus adds His
two cents.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5.12
But when you pray, go into your room
and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who
sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6.6
Why do we think that being evaluated means bad things
happening? It doesn't sound like it from these verses. (And there are more!)
Now, here's an objection that might come up in response to
this kind of thinking. 'There's no way that I will get any reward. I've sinned
so much that the only thing that I can expect is going to be bad.' So, who are
all those verses written to? Perfect people? Is that
who Jesus was talking to? No, all of that was for people just like us, people
who sin. This is where the grace of the Gospel is so precious. The Father knows
all about our sinfulness. But He has provided for that. Jesus has come to deal
with our sin. So, when the Spirit points out some sin, all we need to do is
repent of it and come again to Jesus for forgiveness and for change. And that
repentance includes going back into the fray to work at living as faithful
disciples. And the next time the Spirit points out some sin, we do it all over
again. That's a part of the Gospel. People who sin, people like us, can still
expect a reward.
And that explains how the fear of the Lord motivates. To be
sure, there is the threat of bad things happening if we goof off, that is, if
we refuse to repent when the Spirit points out some sin. So, we know not to
fall into that trap. But there is also the promise of reward. Think of it:
reward! As much as the motivation is to avoid the bad, how much more is it to
gain the good? It's from here that wisdom can begin to grow. More
on that next time.