In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
In the Book of Proverbs you find concise wisdom which upon an initial reading seems to be entirely geared towards the world’s wisdom. I suppose some might say that this book of divine inspiration contains secular proverbs intermixed with spiritual proverbs. You might find one chapter dedicated to worldly business, and another chapter devoted to golden rules concerning the spiritual life. In truth, God’s divinely inspired word does not separate wisdom into two categories. It does not segregate wisdom regarding the things beneath us (the aspects of civil life in the here and now) and the things above us (the things of God). To be clear, that last statement is not another version of “as above so below” which is undoubtedly a devilish doctrine.
Wisdom is not only useful, but a necessary part of the Christian life. Not worldly wisdom, but godly wisdom, which begins with the fear of God. It’s a great temptation to fall into the gnostic lie and separate day to day life from our spiritual lives. The faith that is our rule is not just for the church house, bible studies, or Christian gatherings. Our common salvation, for which we are uncommonly thankful, does not separate our salvation from the life that we live and how we live it.
As Christians we are not only to hear the Word, sing hymns and spiritual songs, pray and fellowship, but we are to be distinguished by honesty, courage and faithfulness, which is a reflection of our great salvation in Jesus Christ. At home, church, on the job and everywhere else the providence of God may call us, we are to be witnesses of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It is an invaluable confession, indeed our hope and joy, and by God’s grace may our confession be reflected towards love and compassion for our neighbor.
Grace Alone
Faith Alone
Christ Alone
Scripture Alone
God’s Glory Alone
