Monthly Column

Dear Members and Friends of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church,

In 1 Corinthians 1 (:24) Christ our Savior is called “the wisdom of God.” In Ephesians 1 (:17) we read of the hope “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give [us] the Spirit of wisdom…in the knowledge of him.” And in Colossians 3 (:16) we read that we, as Christians, are to “let the word of Christ dwell in [us] richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.” So there must be something to this “wisdom” and even more so, the wisdom that is Christ our Savior. We hope for it as a gift from the Spirit. We are to let it “dwell in [us] richly” so that we can teach and admonish each other with the wisdom of Christ.

What is wisdom? Wisdom is right thought and right action which is God-pleasing. Wisdom is for our benefit and the benefit of our neighbor. Wisdom, therefore, is good for us! “A wise man will hear and increase in learning,” we read in Proverbs 1 (:5), “And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.” To what end? Security. Our security. So Proverbs 2 (:9-12)

Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech.

Proverbs 2:9-12

In other words, it is for our safety, our safety in this world, that we are to pursue wisdom, the wisdom which is from God, the wisdom which is Christ—who always thought and acted rightly!—in order that we are not drawn into the evil of this world, the devil and our flesh by clever arguments, faulty reasoning, persuasive rhetoric, or emotional appeals. As Christians, we are as sheep among wolves, and are therefore to “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

So how do we acquire this wisdom? By studying the Bible. By listening to a sermon on a Bible text. By attending Sunday school. By participating in Vacation Bible School. In short, we acquire the wisdom of God by means of the Word of God. Why? So that we can live safely within this world.

And of course, Christ is at the heart of that wisdom. Why? Christ was God’s gift to us as our Redeemer from sin and death and the power of the devil. But Christ was also God’s example to us of His wisdom. Of life lived according to the wisdom of God.

So through faith in Christ, we receive the gift which He is: The forgiveness of sin. In other words, peace with God. And from faith in Christ, we pursue the wisdom which He is: Right action and right thought.

Your Servant in Christ

Pastor Strawn