The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
August 27, 2006
In
This Issue:
Wisdom
by
Steve Klein
Humility
by
Bill Robinson Jr.
Wisdom
Among the things in this world that are the most elusive, one might count a greased pig, a good running back, the ivory billed woodpecker and wisdom. Wisdom in spiritual matters appears to be particularly hard for most folks to get hold of. There are many aspects of worship and teaching in man-made religions that may seem to be wise, but are not. Examples would include doing penance, fancy pageantry in worship, offering carnal enticements to increase church attendance, and celibacy of the clergy. Paul says, "These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (Colossians 2:23)
The root of the problem is a failure to recognize the Source of wisdom. The Lord has all wisdom. Man has none. Listen to the words of Job in these excerpts from Job 28.
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"But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living." (28:12-13)
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"From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air." (28:20-21)
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"God understands its way, and He knows its place." (28:23)
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"Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.'" (28:27-28)
And so, if man would obtain wisdom, he must go to God to get it. James 1:5 commands, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
But you should be warned that God's wisdom may not seem to be wisdom at all. Just as man's thinking may seem to be wise when it isn't, God's wisdom may appear to men to be foolish. This is true "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25). "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Perhaps you've heard the story of the village idiot who, when offered a choice between a dime and a nickel, would always take the nickel. For years, villagers would parade the fool before visitors who would eagerly offer the man the choice, and then laugh in amazement as he chose the nickel. One day, someone finally asked the man why he always chose the nickel. Didn't he realize that the dime was worth more? "Yes," he said. "I know that the dime is worth more, but if I take the dime, people will stop giving me nickels!"
The wiser the wisdom, the less obvious it may be. God's wisdom is not always obvious to us. The entire story of Job illustrates man's inability to fathom how God's wisdom works in human affairs. Our task is not to understand it, but to trust it and follow it. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil" (Proverbs 3:5-7).
--Steve Klein
Augustine said, "...Ask me what is the first precept of the Christian religion I will answer, first, second and third, Humility."
Humility, as an intellectual virtue, is not an abstract or theoretical concept. To the contrary, it is practical. The Bible demon-strates humility's practicality by showing it as an activity. The model of humility is Christ, "&ldots;he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8).
To be sure, humility is to be a "mind-set." "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus..." (Phil. 2:5). Yet, it is also a demonstrable virtue. It is to be demonstrated in prayer (Luke 18:8-if). It is characterized by greatness being reflected in a child-like reception of the kingdom (Matt. 18:1ff) and serving others (Mark 10:43).
Humility is essential to developing a proper view of and conduct in life. It must begin with a humble attitude toward God. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isa. 51:15). We must recognize the greatness of Jehovah in relation to man as it is reflected in the question of the Psalmist, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:4). As created beings, in our own creative accomplishments, we often forget the seem-ingly insignificant and the less fortunate people. This is not so with God. In spite of His power and accomplishments in creation, He is mindful of us.
Jesus own view and way of life is dem-onstrated by His "meekness and lowliness" (Matt. 11:28if). Humility towards others is "counting others better than self" (Phil. 2:3). The foundation for such humility toward others is grounded in a proper view of self "...not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think..." (Rom. 12:3). For Jesus, true humility (i.e. Self-denial), is only achieved by doing the will of God, "...if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39).
-- Bill Robinson Jr.
Via The Castleberry Bulletin, Castleberry church of
Christ, Fort Worth, TX, Sept. 1987