My professor defined wisdom as "the ability to apply Scripture to a specific situation." I feel that a better definition is "the ability to apply knowledge to a specific situation."

But the professor still amazed me as he cited verse after verse about the value of wisdom:

1) It provides happiness 3:13
2) It gives you glory 3:35
3) It's the principal thing 4:7
4) It's better than everything else 8:11
5) It's the key to other virtues 8:12 This was a flaw in the professor’s teaching-he made every virtue sharply distinct from the others, when they actually overlap and build each other. Without wisdom, it is difficult or impossible to advance to other virtues.
6) Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord 9:10
7) Wisdom produces helpful, truthful talk 12:18, plus the verses surrounding it. Also 15:2 & 16:23
8) Associating with wise men gives you wisdom 13:20
9) Better than gold 16:16
10) Makes you strong  24:5 Yelling "Don't quit!" over and over can help. But wisdom gives Christ's servants the strength to keep going when things get rough.

Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom.

WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPAL THING

"Wisdom is the principal thing!" my college professor thundered to the classroom. "Therefore get wisdom!"

Sitting in that class, I was shocked. I was uncomfortably aware that I knew of that verse, but had pushed it aside. A heavy reader of Baptist literature, I had never heard this taught.

Talk about powerful teaching, and it was better than almost every sermon I have ever heard. The professor pounded out verse after verse showing the value of wisdom. Go ahead. Get a colored marker and mark the word "wisdom" every time you find it in Proverbs. Then go back and read those verses again. Wisdom is more valuable than soul-winning. It is more valuable that separation. Wisdom is the principal thing.

KNOWLEDGE   Part 3

Knowledge comes from listening to God. Many Christian errors come from studying the philosophies of theologians. 

From his mouth come knowledge 2:6


Should you listen to the knowledge that comes from critics of a corrupt system?
Wise people store up knowledge. 10:14
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.  11:9
Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge. 19:2
Apply….your ears to words of knowledge.  23:12


Are Christian leaders doing right when they hide sins from regular Christians?
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so.  15:7
But the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.  20:15

KNOWLEDGE  Part 2

The Proverbial virtues actually overlap and build on each other. I'm jumping ahead, but knowledge is necessary in order to have wisdom. Wisdom is necessary to have understanding, etc. Without knowledge, you can only advance slightly into the other Proverbial virtues.

Christian colleges that teach all sides of an issue don't get the scandals that stricter colleges do. Knowledge is a source of Godliness, not a threat to Godliness.

Knowledge and the fear of the Lord go together.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge  1:7
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD. 1:29

KNOWLEDGE Part 2

The Proverbial virtues actually overlap and build on each other. I'm jumping ahead, but knowledge is necessary in order to have wisdom. Wisdom is necessary to have understanding, etc. Without knowledge, you can only advance slightly into the other Proverbial virtues.

Christian colleges that teach all sides of an issue don't get the scandals that stricter colleges do. Knowledge is a source of Godliness, not a threat to Godliness.

Knowledge and the fear of the Lord go together.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge  1:7
Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD. 1:29

THE VIRTUES OF PROVERBS

The Ruckmanites teach that Christians need to blindly obey Ruckmanite leaders in order to prevent sin. If you point out problems, such as the Ruckmanites have replaced the Catholics as the most sexually corrupt religious leaders in the United States, you are accused of gossip and criticism. But how do you keep yourself out of sin?

"Knowledge"--the ability to recall truth.

Notice that I did not say "the ability to recall Scripture." Scripture is truth, but there are other historical facts that are true. One evangelist actually teaches that Christian liberty consists of obeying leaders whom he approves. Knowledge tells us that he had approved a high school principal as his unaccredited Bible College president, and the president later went to prison for sex crimes with a minor.

The Holy Spirit gives us knowledge  John 14:26  “ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Because ALL Christians have the Holy Spirit giving them knowledge, it is better NOT to isolate yourself from Christians outside of your own group. Proverbs 11:14 tells us "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Will the Devil destroy you if you listen to saints outside your group? The Holy Spirit will teach you, and He has been teaching them as well.

Christian groups try to keep from losing members by keeping them from reading outside writings. But Calvinistic Charles Spurgeon has been a great blessing to large numbers of non-Calvinist Christians. Soft on Catholicism, Bill Gothard has helped so many saints with Scriptural methods of dealing with spiritual problems that his "radical" teachings are now commonplace.

Some Christians are  surprised to learn that there is only one command in all the Epistles to go soul-winning, while entire chapters are devoted to spiritual gifts. In my college, we were taught nothing about spiritual gifts, which have opened many doors of Christian service to me.

Knowledge is not something to fear. Unless you're an organization that has something to hide.