A Simple Case for a Biblical Worldview<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
 
Prov. 9:1 ¶        Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
Prov. 9:2           She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
Prov. 9:3           She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
Prov. 9:4           "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!"
To him who lacks sense she says,
Prov. 9:5           "Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Prov. 9:6           Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight."
Prov. 9:7 ¶        Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Prov. 9:8           Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Prov. 9:9           Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
Prov. 9:10         The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Prov. 9:11         For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
Prov. 9:12         If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
Prov. 9:13 ¶      The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
Prov. 9:14         She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
Prov. 9:15         calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
Prov. 9:16         "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!"
And to him who lacks sense she says,
Prov. 9:17         "Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."
Prov. 9:18         But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
 
In the ninth Proverb of Solomon we see a stark contrast drawn between wisdom and whoredom.  Interestingly both are described as plying their trade in the marketplace of ideas or even simply the marketplace.  Wisdom has its place and its provisions.  It has its plea and its platform.  Finally it has its promises.  Wisdom is said to bring hurt when given to a fool.  The connotation is that of Jesus not giving the pearl to swine in Matthew 7:6.  The wise heed wisdom and hear her voice and will be thankful.  Immediately a type of Christ is brought out here in that Jesus calls to His own and they hear His voice becoming more and more like Him.  The result of this education in the case of wisdom is long life and prosperity. 
            Whoredom on the other hand is really folly.  It is getting wisdom, from sources that cannot provide life but death.  Sexual immorality promises refreshing fun and adventure.  It delivers an illusion and leads not to abundant life but to certain death. 
            The contrast could not be greater.  This is a black and white distinction that causes a line of demarcation in the sand between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God.  The point is that knowledge coming from sources not in the Bible is not able to deliver on what it promises.  Worldly wisdom promises success in every aspect of life.  When worldly wisdom comes forth in an effective way one finds that it is in line with the Bible making it superfluous.  It is truly a matter of a stopped clock being right twice a day.  Where it is not in line with the Bible it produces death.  According to Weirsbe:
When it comes to possessing eternal life and living so as to please God, it's an either/or situation. Either we accept the invitation or we reject it; either we obey His wisdom or we reject it. Those who claim to be neutral are rejecting His Word as much as those who turn away from it completely. "He that is not with Me is against Me,"  said Jesus (Matt. 12:30).[1]
 
Think of the many churches depending on wisdom from the Bible AND the world.  They are now unequally yoked with the world and are in the same place producing life and death, life in their doctrine (hopefully) and death in their worldly practices.  Does this mean that the church is not to find teachers and sources of wisdom outside the Bible?  Not at all, what it does is define a biblical worldview as the answer for true praxis.  In the marketplace of ideas I would rather take wisdom from a man coming from a correct worldview than from a man coming from a worldview of death.  If you start with the wrong premise you have no hope of getting to the right conclusion.
God has thus given us a litmus test for examining sources of knowledge.  In other words, does the person we are about to trust believe the following: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight (Proverbs  9:10)."   If not than why do we give them credibility?
 
Matt Smith
Pastor, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Barabbas Road Church
pastormatt@whoisbarabbas.com
www.whoisbarabbas.com
619.459.3873

[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Skillful, An Old Testament study. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1995), Pr 1:8.