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I have a 990 KB text file I wrote of wisdom I learned from God. No one asks me to hear what God teaches me, but I share anyway because it will do good for them. Is this OK? Does wisdom always need to be solicited, or are relevant wise statements always presumed to be socially acceptable?


Several comments here recommended that I write a blog. Look, of all the wisdom I have chosen to share, here is a man who sees more than I do: https://haginjohn.wordpress.com/

The information is available and in the minds of so many people, but how many among them actually want to know? Have you proven in your actions that you value wisdom enough to seek it out? But why should someone tell me how to handle wisdom if they don't even like it? If you are proving to me with your own words that you do not base your actions upon wisdom, you have no right to tell me anything about wisdom; speak for yourself, if you can! Because in the end of the day, everyone is held accountable for their own words and decisions and actions, whether wise or foolish, whether good or evil. Where is all the wisdom you gained from your experiences? If a man does not pay attention enough during his own lifetime to learn for himself what is right, he has no right to guide another. But there is one more fact most people choose to ignore: all wisdom comes from what God says. But arrogance in the heart would have you ignore that wisdom also!

Or how can a civilization be built upon rotted soil? How can stackexchange thrive if there is no place for wisdom? Is wisdom appropriate in situations where it is only rejected? Think: is it appropriate to sow expensive seeds on gravel? That would be considered foolish, not wise, even by those who have by their own mouths condemned themselves as cruel -- "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit." -- so yes, wisdom is always appropriate, but there are those who absolutely hate it and as soon as they see it will say and do anything they can in the most surreptitious and deceitful way to hinder its progress, as thieves and murderers who stab a person in the back in secret and then abscond before the authorities arrive. I dare you to prove to yourself that this is a solid foundation for philosophers.

Had they known the love that awaits them, they would never turn to evil. But the liar has control over their minds and prohibits all understanding because he loves deceit and sows deceit; how can a person understand by ignoring truth? Yet not one of you asks for truth. Why did I bother asking you for a proper judgement?

Look how you ask to be judged. Look how you want to fight. Look how you want to argue yet fear being disproven. There is no place for wisdom here, except to say this which you have already rejected: if anyone wants to understand all things, they must listen to Jesus Christ alone. But you would rather make this an ego fight because in your minds, it is all about you, not wisdom, nor philosophy. I am not worth the time or consideration of the author of wisdom; and you dishonor him, so how can you know his love? Does a murderer or thief know the love of the person they have murdered or from whom they have stolen?

If anyone, in any situation, truly wants wisdom and understanding, then God will make them find it. "Seek and you will find. Ask and it will be given to you..." But in every situation I have a choice to make: do I share wisdom now or do I keep quiet? If you've never shared nor accepted wisdom, how can you advise me according to your own experiences? Stop making things up and make a right judgement! Yet my saying this causes anger instead of understanding. How can you understand anything if all you do is become angry when hearing wisdom?

So it is better to share love; and everyone can see God's blood on the Cross. "The will look upon the one they pierced." And in seeing love will a person also see wisdom.

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    The philosopher Nicholas Maxwell is also interested in the topic of wisdom, so you are not alone! As far as offering your file, that is a way of communicating today. Some people may not be interested because they want to discover their own wisdom. Some people may be very interested. You will just have to test the waters and see.
    – Gordon
    Mar 10, 2018 at 22:11
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    Do you know Kierkegaard already? If not, you may want to read his biography or read about his philosophy. I don't know much about him, but from what I do know, he seemed to enjoy getting his stuff into print, under pseudonyms I think.
    – Gordon
    Mar 10, 2018 at 22:16
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    Your references are much appreciated and I am completely unschooled in the matters of philosophy. How is it then that I share almost a megabyte of wisdom? [Matthew 11:25-26] But we who understand must value more the reputation of God than our own reputations. As Rev. Stephen E. Beard described, (and I paraphrase), "I don't want to be the star of my own show. I know myself too well."
    – Sparky
    Mar 10, 2018 at 22:58
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    YW. Here are some more suggestions: Ancient Philosophy: Title: Speculation in pre-Christian philosophy, Author: Kroner, Richard, 1884-1974 Publisher:Westminster PressPub date:[1956]. Also, works by Paul Tillich, Protestant. Catholic: Etienne Gilson, "The Unity of Philosophical Experience" (1937). It may help to have access to a college or a good public library. Don't be intimidated. If you don't understand at first, be patient, you will.
    – Gordon
    Mar 10, 2018 at 23:19
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    This encyclopedia of philosophy is available in most good American libraries in the reference section: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_of_Philosophy (Macmillan). There are also online references: e.g. SEP. Also, you may check to see if Internet Archive has a particular book.
    – Gordon
    Mar 11, 2018 at 0:05

2 Answers 2

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1 I think there could be such a thing as wisdom learned from God which is, if I may put it so, private between God and the individual. I am thinking of the wisdom received in prayer, where the situation that is the subject of prayer is absolutely specific to the individual. It is not a general message to be broadcast.

2 If by contrast the wisdom concerns living rightly and living well and is applicable to all humankind then why should God reveal this wisdom solely for the benefit of one person ? God, it is to be presumed, loves all humankind equally and the idea of keeping God's wisdom to yourself would appear to run counter to God's equal love for all. A God who loves all equally does not reserve revealed wisdom to one person only. From this it seems naturally to follow that you should share your wisdom. It does not need to be solicited. But you must of course not obtrude your wisdom on others. You must offer it but respect the right of others to close their ears if they choose. You have a duty to share your wisdom; others have no obligation to listen. This is not a flippant remark; it simply signals the right of others to go their way as you go yours.

I don't know if this answer will help. All I can say is that it seems on reflection the appropriate response.

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    But there is an internal conflict present in this situation: trusting God to teach others as he knows, vs. sharing wisdom taught by God, the understanding of which God controls. "I praise you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and educated and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. Come to me, all of you..." And so the demonstration God provided by sharing wisdom repeatedly and in Jesus Christ was this: speak even though it will be rejected, because God controls the limits of one's understanding.
    – Sparky
    Mar 11, 2018 at 1:08
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    I think it is just morally difficult for me to stand by and watch as others suffer, when I clearly know the solution to that suffering. There are many sayings related to this, such as "do good even though you get kicked in the teeth for it". I think the entire matter comes down to respect and trust; a person who respects God and trusts his wisdom will not be accepted by someone who does not respect God or trust his wisdom. ...and everyone who disrespects God also disrespects man who God created, as is obviated by human history [notably wars]. That would be your second point.
    – Sparky
    Mar 11, 2018 at 1:14
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    But isn't it odd how we say that people have no obligation to listen to us when God commanded everyone to listen to him? So we do all have an obligation to listen to God and to wisdom that serves his purposes. What we are really saying is that a person who shares wisdom should not expect that wisdom is received by the person to whom they share it; because we do not control others, and wisdom is not intended to control, but to direct. Jesus Christ spoke in parables so that it was not obvious to everyone the depth of his understanding. And so some made fun of him and called him demon-possessed.
    – Sparky
    Mar 11, 2018 at 1:46
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    @Sparky This is my opinion regarding such topics/comments on Philosophy SE. People at philosophy SE are generally well read, they tend to be serious readers. So, for instance, if someone on this SE is a Christian, then you can make the assumption that they have studied the subject pretty seriously. I realize that assumptions are dangerous. But I am afraid if you ever get too "preachy" your question will be closed. You probably already know this, but since we get people from various backgrounds here, we should probably try to keep it for the most part on philosophy of religion.
    – Gordon
    Mar 11, 2018 at 2:22
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    @Sparky For your 990 KB file, I suggest you open a WordPress or Blogger account and post it there. Then you could paste the link to the post in a comment here. Those who wish to read it may read it. Mar 12, 2018 at 14:24
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Any voice that accuses a person who already believes in Jesus Christ, or any voice that crushes a person who has already humbled themselves in their heart, is not God's voice.

We already know that "Heaven and Earth will all pass away, but my words will never pass away," that both Heaven and Earth will end and all who ever lived will face judgement by God on the Last Day, and so man will be judged based upon what he accepted; and by their own words will the wicked be condemned (as explained). So rationally, "do not fear the reproach of men or be terrified by their insults..." and the matter of what to share is not entirely based upon what is being shared, but upon the recipient. The saying "know your audience" is intended to convey this point.

Succinctly, anything that honors oneself is questionable and subject to censorship before leaving the mouth. Anything that pleases the only true God who alone is good is justified. The role of man is to obey God; and knowledge of God is gained by obeying God [note that the entire matter in this question is addressed by John 7:16-18]. Ergo, goodness that a person demonstrates is not credited to them, but to God who taught them. "After you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, 'we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'." And man has a duty to do good to each other. "Love your neighbor as yourself." And glory goes to God through man returning to God the glory that already belongs to him: Kindness, Justice, and Righteousness (Jesus Christ in the flesh).

So these are some guidelines for knowing when to communicate wisdom:

  • If God orders you to tell a person something, say it to them, only to them, and add nothing further. "I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries can resist or contradict. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. It will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Heavenly Father speaking through you." (etc. said time and again throughout history) "What is whispered into your ear, proclaim from the rooftops," means offer to speak "openly to the world" what you have learned from God.
  • In the situations that I have wanted to say something that God had told me, the recipient was often unready to understand it. In the situations when God said something through me, it was done not of my own initiative but was brilliant for that situation for them. And if a person does not want to understand, additional words will not make them understand. Accept the fact of a person's refusal to accept, and ["you have only one Teacher: the Christ"...] move on, even though their rejection is unacceptable.
  • God's words override and overrule everything man says. And everyone who listens to him ["they will all be taught by God", "everyone who belongs to God hears what God says", etc.] can see this and the superiority of his words obviously. "I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself, but there is one who seeks it, and he is the Judge. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
  • In the matter of "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" versus "whatever you did not do for [them], you did not do for me", understand that wisdom suggests direction, it does not control. Therefore, merely offer when there is a need obvious to you (as in the anecdote of the good Samaritan) but do not hold the person to accepting your offer or seeing it through to fulfillment. Accept rejection, because all one must do is offer help and, if help is accepted, help.
  • "My kingdom is not of this world." "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of this world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. For them, I have sanctified myself so that they also may be truly sanctified." "Protect them by the power of your name." And so forth. So while those who belong to God do not belong to the world, they belong in the world as long as they are in the world. "Who are you, to fear mortal man who is like grass but forget the Lord your Maker who holds in his hand your life and all your paths?" Speak what God says, you whose mouth was made by God.
  • "I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and we testify as to what we have seen, and yet still you people do not accept our testimony."

And so here is a one-liner motto, because God and Jesus Christ alone is Absolutely Trustworthy: Wisdom belongs to those who accept it. Because if God is in a person, they will accept wisdom from God in their own hearts; whether it is said through you or another, it is the Holy Spirit working for God's pleasure.

But there is one glaring point clarified in Matthew 7. When a person shows unwillingness to understand, leave them alone. As Jesus Christ warned, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." And he also said of the Pharisees, who hated God in their hearts and were offended by his glory, "Leave them; they are guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

So, in surrounding all his logic and reason and arguments with good trust [which I unfortunately truncated from my paraphrases, but it's there if you want to check], the bottom line here with everything Jesus Christ insisted upon was the following axiom: that in all the matters in life, including wisdom and understanding, trust God, and so do not be afraid to do good even when the times are evil. This is all part of the journey of life, which is learning what it means to trust God and Jesus Christ. And I have already seen that the greatest wisdom was spoken by God: "This is my Son who I love and with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!" So in all matters, wisdom is fully justified in God's sight, even though some men care for it not. And the Lord is Lord of the Universe, and of all matters, trivial or otherwise. This I have seen; it was revealed to me!

This is my conclusion.

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    Here is another book you might want to consider reading at some point, though I must warn you it's boring. This book looks at the history of the coverage of "testimony" in books of logic. Testimony plays a part in religion, of course, but also in law and in daily living. "A history of reasonableness : testimony and authority in the art of thinking" Kennedy, Rick, (2004).
    – Gordon
    Mar 11, 2018 at 1:23
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    Alas, it is a boring read, but it is a valuable reference. The publisher of Kennedy's book is Univ. Rochester Press.
    – Gordon
    Mar 11, 2018 at 1:33
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    Here is another suggestion. A fascinating book, though it is a bit disorganized at the beginning: Jacques Ellul, "The Humiliation of the Word", William B. Eerdmans Pub. (1985).
    – Gordon
    Mar 11, 2018 at 3:45
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    @Gordon I have a problem reading books other than the Holy Bible. You see, I have seen and know the absolute truth, so all these other publications are either horribly trivial or overbearingly wordy or complete foofaraw or simply false. If the summary and written reviews on Amazon for this Jacques Ellul, "The Humiliation of the Word" book are correct about the book at all, I see it as at least simply false, which is something I seriously don't want to touch. But I up-vote your comment here because it is again a thoughtful suggestion :D
    – Sparky
    Mar 12, 2018 at 13:27
  • Thank you. Yes, I myself don't agree with everything Ellul says in his book.
    – Gordon
    Mar 12, 2018 at 15:42

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