5 Things You Need to Know About Wisdom

The Bible constantly encourages us to walk in the wisdom of God - Biblical wisdom. But what is Biblical wisdom and what does it take to walk in it? Learn 5 Things You Need to Know About Wisdom today.

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I use to think that a big part of wisdom was being good, being kind, and not making wild and reckless decisions - the kind that I saw my peers making frequently. I thought that being wise was about my works. I thought that wisdom was the good advice I gave to my fellow classmates.. I thought that being wise was an accomplishment I was meant to earn so that the Lord would be more proud of me.

The older I've gotten, and the more I've grown in my knowledge of the Bible, I've seen that wisdom is not of me. In fact, I am not capable of wisdom apart from the Lord. Even my best deeds and good advice are foolishness compared to God's wisdom.

Thankfully, God does provide His children with wisdom. Being a child of God means that we aren't stuck in foolishness anymore. Our words and decisions and deeds actually can be wise now, because we know the God of all wisdom. Want to know more about Biblical wisdom? Grab a cup of coffee and keep reading.

Biblical Wisdom Comes from God

"For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding" (Proverbs 2:6, ESV)

The Bible tells us that Biblical wisdom comes from God. Without God, there is no real wisdom, because God is the very definition of wisdom. Apart from Him, there is no real wisdom or discernment.

Growing in wisdom requires that we spend time in the presence of God. We must commune with Him and be immersed in His truth. Seeking the Lord and surrendering to Him is a type of wisdom in and of itself. Because God is wise, seeking Him is the wisest thing we can do.

Biblical Wisdom Helps Us Understand Scripture

Scripture can be hard to understand - even Peter, a disciple of Jesus, admitted that (2 Peter 3:16). But Biblical wisdom aids us in interpreting scripture. This happens through the Holy Spirit working in us and providing us with insight into the truths of God.

We aren't going to understand every single thing the Bible says, but God gives us His wisdom so that we can discern His will (Romans 12:2) and so that we can grow in our knowledge and trust in Him (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

Related: 5 Tools to Help You Understand the Bible

Biblical Wisdom Helps Us Become More Like Christ

Biblical wisdom is imperative when it comes to discerning how we should live - specifically, what it means to live like Jesus. Christ is our example and His way is wisdom because He is God (John 1:1).

Everything that Jesus teaches us in scripture is wisdom, and we are called to walk in that wisdom. This means that as we seek Christ, we should pay close attention to what the Bible says about how we should live. Living as the Bible says is wisdom on our part. Jesus is called the Word of God, and the Bible is also the word of God - spoken and written down for us so that we can read it and know it.

The Bible is active; it isn't just words on a page (Hebrews 4:12). Rather, it is the living word of God that is able to make us more wise, change us, and teach us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through the Holy Spirit, through reading the Bible, and through prayer, we receive the wisdom of God, which has the power to make us more like Christ. Biblical wisdom makes us more like our Savior.

Biblical Wisdom Helps Us Discern Each Situation

We all face tough situations in which we have a hard time knowing exactly what is true or right. There will be people in the church who don't actually have pure intentions. There will be situations that we come across that may seem okay on the outside, but actually end up being displeasing to the Lord. In a fallen world, these are inevitable, and we aren't always going to get it right.

We may trust someone who never deserved our trust. We may find ourselves in a work situation where we have to discern whether or not it is godly to behave in the manner that our boss is asking us to.

But thanks to the Holy Spirit giving us wisdom and discernment, we can often recognize the signs when a situation isn't godly, or when a person is being deceptive. We can discern patterns and subtle suggestions that may point to whether or not something is pleasing the Lord (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Obviously, we aren't fortune tellers, and we will not always recognize the validity of a given situation. But if we are seeking God regularly, asking Him to help us be wise, and we are keeping our eyes fixed on the ways of the Lord, we will find that we can often make wise choices in hard-to-maneuver affairs.

And to be honest, even if we aren't sure about a particular situation, we can still make wise choices by living in obedience to God's Word. Even if we aren't sure if we can trust a new friend, aren't sure what to do about a relationship, or feel confused about a work decision we need to make, we can still choose to walk in the wisdom of Scripture. We can choose to live that out regardless of if we feel we have the answers to one particular, tricky situation.

Some People Have More Wisdom Than Others

Biblical wisdom is also listed as a spiritual gift in scripture (1 Corinthians 12:8). And since we know that God does give different people different gifts in varying measure (Romans 12:5-8), it's true that not every Christian has the same level of wisdom naturally. Some Christians will have a harder time discerning than others.

But the Bible also tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God to provide us with more and He will give it to us (James 1:5). Likewise, in Paul's letter to the Colossians, He tells them that He has been praying that God will fill them with spiritual wisdom (Colossians 1:9). Therefore, though some people may have more of a natural gifting of wisdom from God, He is still pleased to give more wisdom to His followers when they ask Him for it. Our Father wants all His children to live in the obedience that Biblical wisdom produces.

Refined by Wisdom

Back in November of 2018, I published my first book. Refined by Wisdom is a 31-day devotional all about using the wisdom of scripture to walk in wisdom in your normal, day-to-day life. We cannot have wisdom if we don't know the wisdom that God laid out plainly for us in the Bible, and Refined by Wisdom points to some of the ways that the Bible gives us wisdom for our ordinary, daily lives. You can buy your copy of Refined by Wisdom on Amazon!