“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold” (Proverbs 3:13-14).
In this proverb of Solomon (known as the wisest man of all times), we can see the value that our Lord God gives to the man who seeks to be wise. It is no secret that for our God, wisdom was always a requirement He established for the people of Israel. Therefore, it is no secret that it is a requirement established for us as the Israel of the new covenant. Let us first consider what was happening in the times of the apostle Peter when he wrote his second letter. History teaches us that the church was being heavily persecuted by the Roman Empire under the rule of Nero. It is said that Nero had placed blame on the church for the burning of Rome and decreed a law that made it illegal to openly practice Christianity. While our brethren were being persecuted, a wave of false teachers began to plague the church from within. Groups such as the Gnostics, Epicureans, and Stoics had risen within the church teaching their philosophies and opposing the doctrine of the apostles resulting in the destruction of the faith of many. Our Lord’s church was in a tumultuous time suffering both internally and externally. As a result, we now have the 2nd letter of Peter. Peter being an elder of the church (1st Peter 5:1-2) knew that the church needed to be consoled and encouraged to continue walking the path that led to eternal glory. He begins to write his second epistle with the mentality of teaching the church about the Antichrist or as he calls them “false teachers” so that the brethren could recognize them and beware of them (2nd Peter 2:1). In his teachings, we see that Peter comes to the same conclusion that Solomon did; the secret to victory is knowledge. Peter understood that what makes a Christian strong is the growth he has had in the Word of God. The apostle Peter himself was proof of this. Therefore, he ends his letter by insisting to his fellow brothers and sisters to grow in grace and in the knowledge (2nd Peter 3:18). So the question then is why? Why is it that knowledge becomes key to the victory against evil? Before the apostle Peter ends his letter, he warns us to beware of those who were pulling away from the truth the faithful (2nd Peter 3:17). Peter teaches us that our steadfastness depends on the growth we have had in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, how well did we comprehend the teachings of Christ? We must understand that growing in the knowledge does not mean how much bible we know verbatim, but rather how well do we follow the instructions put before us. The difference between being intelligent and being wise lies in what we do with our knowledge. Again, God has always demanded of a wise nation and not just an intelligent one. Without a doubt, the apostle Paul shared the same view of Peter regarding the power of knowledge in a Christian (Ephesians 4:11-14). Paul explains to us the purpose of the Lord giving us apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers. Their purpose is to instruct the body of Christ so that it may grow as one and become stronger. Let us observe that each one of the mentioned talents by Paul are related to teaching. The apostle understood that one of the greatest weapons against doubt is wisdom. Do you recall the Lord’s words versus the devil in his temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:1-10)? In every response Jesus gave, he always mentioned “it is written.” Satan was making an attempt to carry away the Lord from fulfilling his task by placing doubt in him. Just as Christ always said “it is written,” the devil always began with “if.” The word “if” is a word that intends to place doubt in the heart of men. Because our Lord understood very well the scriptures, he was able to withstand Satan’s temptation and therefore remain steadfast in his journey. We mentioned the second letter of Peter was written as a result of the many false teachings that had arrived at the footsteps of the church. In our times, this is no different. Consider the millions and millions of “religions” that exists in our world today. Why are there so many? This is a consequence of what began many years ago as challenges to the true doctrine taught by the apostles through Christ was willfully tolerated and accepted by all who lacked spiritual growth and maturity. Those who were carried away were undoubtedly weak in the spirit and strong in the flesh. They were not knowledgeable in the Word and were therefore carnal men (1st Corinthians 3:1-4). Just as a wise man is of strength for the church, so is a carnal man of danger to her. We all know that in Corinth one of the main problems was the factions that had been created by carnal men. Due to their lack of understanding the doctrine of Christ, they began to choose who their favorite speakers were as if they were a sports team. Paul condemned such action and explained to them that this was a result of their spiritual ignorance. The same is true today. There exist many religions because there are now religions established on human desire and not Divine commandments. Even amongst us we may come to have that same erroneous mentality of going to the church of our choosing because it fits our personal wants. This brethren is not allowed by our God. This is a result of our lack of knowledge in the Word of God. Instead of responding as the Lord did with “it is written,” we ask what is best for me. Our lack of spiritual wisdom creates an evil and selfish mentality that robs our God of His worship. Consider the attitude that dwelled in the hearts of God’s “priests” in the days of Malachi as they served at the temple (Malachi 1:11–14). Because their wicked hearts were enveloped in selfishness, the Lord’s service became a “weariness” to them that was keeping them. Their spiritual ignorance blinded them from the fact that they were despising the table of the great King of kings. This is how the apostles concluded that only a wise man would be victorious at the end of this struggle. He would be crowned victor, because he joyfully obeyed the commandments of God and did not sway to the traditions of man. Due to his wisdom he knows that knowledge stems from the fear of God (Job 28:28). So we must understand that he who is diligent in knowing about God will not be persuaded easily by the opinions of man, but rather will be steadfast and persevere until the end. Let us then grow in the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that we may then be perfectly capable for all good works (2nd Timothy 3:16-17).