Christ is All I Need: Wisdom and Knowledge
For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9
Knowledge and wisdom. Two different words, different concepts, that are used occasionally interchangeably (incorrectly) and very often together. Let’s look at them:
KNOWL'EDGE, noun nol'lej.
1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or
of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or
disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.
WISDOM, noun s as z. [G. See Wise.]
1. The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of
laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act,
effect, or practice. If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it
is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful,
and if it is to be considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of
what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness.
wisdom in the first sense, or practical wisdom is nearly synonymous with
discretion. It differs somewhat from prudence, in this respect; prudence is the
exercise of sound judgment in avoiding evils; wisdom is the exercise of sound
judgment either in avoiding evils or attempting good. Prudence then is a
species, of which wisdom is the genus.
* Definitions from the Webster’s 1828
Dictionary
So, knowledge is what
you “know”, and wisdom is what you do with what you know. First you need to
know something in order to correctly deal with it. How do we get knowledge?
God’s Word would be source #1! And we can’t know God’s Word without spending
time in it. You have to open it up, read it, immerse yourself in it. There’s a
million ways to do this, and I don’t think any of them are the best or only
way. The most important way is the one that works for you. In fact, that might
change based on your season in life. For many seasons, I sat down with a large,
physical Bible in my lap and read. These days, I’m far more likely to read
passages printed in my Bible study book or open the Blue Letter Bible App on my
phone or computer. While there is a convenience factor, I also find that using
the digital versions of the Bible helps me to dig deeper. I can click on the
text and learn the original language behind it, see it in different versions,
and read what good, Christian teachers have written about it. I can
cross-reference and see what else the Bible has to say about a subject, so I
don’t take one scripture out of context. I can learn, and that’s really what
knowledge is all about. I need to get the information from the text, from God’s
Word, into my heart and mind. Then, once it’s there, I need to do something
with it.
That’s where wisdom
comes in. The correct handling of knowledge. Knowledge is often neutral – it is
in itself neither good nor bad. It is what you do with it that can make it
those things. I could learn what my daughter got my son for his birthday and
rejoice with her over the surprise or I could tell him all about it and spoil
the surprise. I could gain the insight that interrupting my husband bothers him
and then choose to avoid this in order to strengthen our relationship or
interrupt him on purpose in order to irritate him. Which seem wiser? As we gain
knowledge of scripture, we need wisdom to help us correctly handle that
knowledge. And where do we get wisdom? From the
Holy Spirit! When Jesus ascended into heaven, which you can read about in the beginning of
Acts, He did so so that He could send His Holy Spirit down to be with us
always. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, counselor and guide. He shows us how to
correctly handle scripture and gives us wisdom and understanding (1 Corinthians
2:10–14). True wisdom does not come from ourselves, it comes from God, and
that’s why we need to ask Him for it, why Paul is constantly asking Him for it
for himself and all those he cares about – and we should too.
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