Solomon put a high value on wisdom. According to him nothing that we desire can compare with it (Prov 3:13-15).
But then came Paul. He wrote that God made Christ to be wisdom for us (1Cor 1:30). Since wisdom is the ability to use knowledge to reach a desired goal, Paul seems to be saying that Jesus used his own life, death, and resurrection to secure our relationship to God in a way that our pursuit of wisdom could never accomplish (1Cor 1:17-31).
Does that mean that finding Christ brings our pursuit of wisdom to an end? If so, what do we do with the emphasis Paul gives to wisdom in some of his other letters (Eph 1:17; Col 1:9, 28)? In his last letter he even reminds his readers that all Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for knowing how to grow to maturity in Christ (2Tim 3:16). Even though Paul doesn’t use the word “wisdom” in that text, he seems to imply that’s what all Scriptures helps us find.
Just as importantly, if Paul means that knowing Christ brings our need for wisdom to an end, what do we do with the Apostle James? He assures followers of Christ that if in the middle of the tests and troubles of life they find themselves in need of wisdom, God stands ready to give it for the asking (1:5). Later in the same letter, James even goes on to list the marks by which such wisdom can be recognized (James 3:13-17).
According to James, the wisdom that comes from God (1:5) is first of all pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and without hypocrisy (3:17).
These words raise an important question. Is it possible that James here is doing far more than giving us a list of Christ-based virtues? Could he be showing us how Christ himself used wisdom to do for us what we could never do for ourselves? Do we find here insights that help us understand the wisdom of the cross?
Could those same insights help us see what it takes to see the character of “Christ formed in us” (Gal 4:19)?
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