Philosophy, Knowledge, Wisdom: Important Concepts For Christian Living
If you have a real love for learning how to walk in wisdom you might be called a philosopher. Our English word philosophy comes from two Greek words, philos and sophia, which mean love and wisdom. A philosopher then is one who is a lover of wisdom. Of course, to know a wise course of action and to choose a wise course of action is two different things and the latter is sometimes illusive to us all. Preferably, knowledge comes before wisdom. If we know we can act wisely. If we don’t know, it is the consequences of our ignorance which may help us to act wisely the next time. In our quest for wisdom and wisdom’s application in our lives it is necessary for us to be honest and personal. That’s the best way to get at truth because that makes it genuine and not artificial. So truth then is, according to Webster “the act, fact, or state of knowing: an acquaintance with the facts”.
The problem today is that science, in its naturalistic approach, says we cannot find truth in that which is supernatural. Methodological naturalism doesn’t necessarily say the supernatural doesn’t exist, but it does say it doesn’t matter. If it can’t be tested empirically and scientifically it doesn’t matter. God’s word says something different. God says that both He and His Word are eternally and absolutely true and that we should be directed by the relationship with Him that comes about by faith, for God says without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6.) If we hope to avoid limited and incorrect philosophies, knowledge, wisdom and faith must be factors in our quest. Knowledge is not anything we say it is. For instance, about the time President Lincoln was born our universities were departing from the faith upon which they were established. Methodological naturalism was replacing the hegemonic construct of the Christian worldview from which America’s universities were born. By the time Lincoln was assassinated, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Oxford had all forsaken their Christian foundations. The propositional revelation of God’s truth recorded in sentence form was abandoned. Only that which was observable through the scientific method was acceptable. Without God’s eternal truth knowledge is corrupted as is wisdom and philosophy. Ps 111:10 says; “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight.” Knowing God’s will, therefore, is part of knowledge and is necessary for making proper ethical and moral choices. Once this departure was made the gates swung wide for humanistic and evolutionary teaching that are still rampant today. Human life was devalued and one’s existence is explained as devoid of any eternal purpose. Civility declines, society corrupts, and institutions like marriage and family are weakened when we say we cannot consider eternal concepts of right and wrong to guide us.
By the time Lincoln was assassinated some of those university professors probably thought He was a buffoon for he was a deeply religious man. If these judgments were being made in his day can we expect anything less in our day? As the proponents of evolution proliferate in education, politics and religion we who are in minority seem to increasingly stand out as weird. Appearing radical or weird is a fair price to pay for seeking truth. Yet to the godless philosophers, scientists and professors of our day God warns, “the fool has said in His heart there is no God” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1).
“If there were no God, there would be no atheists”. -G.K. Chesterton