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Question:
Is wisdom, which is the supreme level of the believer, the result of study with perseverance or is it a gift received from God?
God’s word sets you free
In the Gospel of John, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to the Jews who believed in Him:
As He said these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:30-32 NASB)
In these verses, Jesus said that His true disciples are only those who abide in His Word in order to know the truth. I want you to know that the word disciple is most often used in the Bible, about 50 times, while the word Christian is only used three times. So the early Christians were called disciples, and the word disciple means one who learns. The Lord Jesus Christ teaches us the Word of God which is Holy Scripture. Jesus says that those who claim to be Christians but do not study the Bible do not qualify as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. True disciples are the ones who stay, and stay means to persevere, to do something systematically, intentionally, to put all the effort into what you do. These people remain and persevere in the Word of God in order to know the truth, and this truth sets them free.
He who fulfills the Word of the Lord has the wisdom to see all things through to an end.
In the Book of Psalms it is written thus:
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalms 1:1-3 NASB)
So, you see, it says very clearly what this man is doing. He has the wisdom to accomplish all things and has blessing in all things. He is like a tree planted by a spring of water, which bears fruit in its season and whose leaves do not wither. This blessing comes from the fact that he does not go to the counsel of the wicked, does not stop in the way of sinners, does not sit on the seat of mockers, but finds pleasure in the law of the Lord and day and night thinks of His law. This man continually searches the Holy Scriptures.
Wisdom comes from the Word of God
You know that Moses is the one who brought the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, and they wandered through Egypt for 40 years. When Moses was 120 years old, God chose 80-year-old Joshua to lead this people in his place. Joshua stayed with Moses for 40 years. He was his servant. He went with Moses on Mount Horeb when the Law was given. He witnessed all of Moses’ ministry. He saw how Moses interpreted God’s Word, how he fulfilled it, and how he wrote it. There was no one in Israel who knew the word of God better, for Joshua stood by Moses, the one through whom the word of God was given.
In the book of Joshua it is written:
Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot steps, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No one will be able to oppose you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not desert you nor abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. (Joshua 1:1-8 NASB)
God says these words to a leader who was to lead a people of two and a half million. For a leader who led a rather rebellious people and walked through the wilderness, it was an extremely difficult job. You realize how solicited this man who led such a large number of people must have been. People constantly have to come with questions, ask for directions, advice and so on. God tells this man that first of all the Book of the Law must be before him. God tells him that if he thinks day and night about it, then he will work wisely in everything he does and succeed. So we see that the wisdom of this man will come from the Word of God.
Whoever fulfills the Word of God will be happy in his work
In the Epistle of James in the first chapter it is written:
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25 NASB)
Most people are like that. They go to church, listen to the sermon, and receive instruction or rebuke. But if you limit yourself to preaching, my dear, when you leave the church, Scripture says you immediately forget how you were. Everything you saw, everything the Word of God rebuked you for, if you stay with it alone, you forget, and then tell me how you can implement something you forget? Therefore, you are expected to make a personal effort. To study the Scriptures, to deepen your gaze in the perfect Law. If you persevere in your study not as a forgetful listener, but as a doer of the Word, seeking to apply and fulfill all that is written, then you will be happy in your work and you will succeed.
Wisdom is given by God with a generous hand and without rebuke to the one who asks for i
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8 NASB)
Wisdom is a gift from God. It is very important to pray to God continually and ask Him for wisdom. He does not hold it as if he were stingy to give it, but gives it with a wide hand and without rebuke. No matter how much wisdom you want, God can’t wait to give it to you. He tells us that He gives wisdom through His Word. The Holy Scriptures were written by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit helps us to understand them. Never think that you study the Bible too much. No matter how much you study, it’s still a little. Have the discipline to search the Holy Scriptures. Pray and ask God for wisdom and then you will receive it. If you ask for it and seek it in faith, then He will give it to you. The channel through which God will give you wisdom is the Bible. If you want to get it from somewhere else, you will not succeed.
If you do not know how to study the Holy Scriptures, I want to recommend two inductive Bible study textbooks that will help you learn to study the Scriptures. The study “Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days” written by Kay Arthur is an introduction to inductive Bible study. For 28 days you will learn and develop practical skills on how to study the Bible. Another course I recommend is “God, Are You There?” a study of the Gospel of John. Those wishing to purchase these manuals can contact us by phone at (+373) 067629102.
I would also like to recommend that you read the following articles on this topic:
Translated by Didina Vicliuc