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Worldly Wisdom
| 1Co_3:19 For the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He
taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
There is a certain type of wisdom (or perhaps cleverness) that those in
the world can apply to their advantage. The person who is skilled at
deception, manipulation, seduction, intimidation or coercion can gain a
considerable material advantage over others. However, these skills are
generally self-serving and thus have a deleterious and corrosive effect
on those that use them.
2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Perhaps an effect of deception not often fully appreciated is the harm
one does to oneself through deceiving others. One becomes increasingly
vulnerable to deception oneself as a result of practicing deception.
Since most people are driven by the ambitions and desires of the flesh,
the world is simply the extension and result of all of these desires.
Those “wise” in the way of the world can exploit those others that may
not be as perceptive. Regardless of the desire for material gain
(greed), prominence or position (vanity), or various sensual
indulgences (lust), most are held captive to their consumptive desires.
Basically worldly wisdom is reduceable to the tactics needed to get
what you want. Often what is not understood is that the consumptive
approach to life feeds a hunger that is never satisfied. Rockefeller
was supposed to have answered the question, “How much money is enough”
with “Always a little bit more”.
The bible calls riches uncertain and deceitful. Even for those who
manage to acquire enough to provide them comfort, as the years slip
away and health fades, one has to face the reality of death. Ultimately
this all passes on to others and what is left is what is in the heart.
A life spent in self-seeking might offer pleasures for the moment, but
at some point will reveal that worldly wisdom has little lasting value.
In a way worldly wisdom might be seen as the ability to hide from or
avoid reality. Poverty, abuse, misfortune, and reversal of fortune can
happen to anyone and tends to introduce reality in a forceful way.
Worldly wisdom can pull the strings of the world to obtain that which
can seem to satisfy but only creates a growing hunger. This hunger is a
consumptive darkness.
In contrast, abandoning self interest in favor of investing oneself in
others might be considered growing out of darkness into light. This is
the hope of Christianity. That we can abandon the destructive and
consumptive effects of self and be transformed to be light and have
eternal life. Those for whom worldly “success” has blinded to reality
may not ever be free from the prison of self-deception.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil.
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