Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Sept/87

Contributor - Unknown

Title - Human knowledge - Divine wisdom

Topic - Wisdom

1 Cor. 1:18-31

Twice a year school and education and everything they stand for are in the centre of attention, practically all over the world. In June everyone is concerned whether he or she, the son or daughter, the grandson or granddaughter have made it to a higher grade. In September there is the new class, the new school, the new experience.

This matter of education is of extreme importance in the life of mankind; all the wisdom, knowledge and skill that mankind has accumulated in the course of the centuries have to be handed over to the next generation by means of education. Because so much depends on it, we should listen carefully to what the Lord God has to say about this matter of education. For the Word of God (and that means God Himself) has some definite things to say about education, about knowledge and wisdom, about the right knowledge and the right wisdom; for instance in the tenth verse of Psalm 111: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who practise it." The question arises: "Is this wisdom, founded upon the fear of the Lord, offered unto our children in highschools and universities? If it is not, what is it then and what has God to say about it?

The beginning of the new school year does not only concern the parents with an eye upon the future of their children, it also brings reflections and considerations with an eye upon themselves. Nowadays in this country young people have far better opportunities to receive a highschool education than was the case 25 years ago. Especially in rural areas it was very difficult - in many cases simply impossible - to let children attend highschool. That is why many parents nowadays have less formal education than their children have. This often causes a feeling of inferiority; the parents think "How much better off are our children than we were in our days. How nice would it have been if we too had been able to attend highschool for several years."

That in turn brings up the question: What is the real value, the enrichment of life that highschools and universities can bestow upon a person? How is our training of the mind related to the more valuable things in life: knowledge and fear of the Lord, obedience to Him, willingness to go His ways, to do what He demands, to carry the burdens that He puts on our shoulders; willingness to spend one)s life in the service of God and the neighbour? Is that increased or decreased by training of the mind? Seen from the standpoint of eternity: Is the gain here greater than the loss or the other way round?

In the first place, we know both by our own experience and seeing it in the lives of our children, ha quite an amount of strength, oi effort, has to be applied to be awarded in time with junior or senior matriculation. The same applies to university-degrees. Why do we expect our children to go through all that? The answer is: to equip them better for life,.that they will enjoy more happiness than we did. The years of highschool (except for who are brilliant) are a time of slavery for the children; every night piles of homework which is mostly not finished before 10 or 11 p.m. In many countries not a few children (and university students) commit suicide in the month of June because they did not make the grade. This is already an indication that something is seriously wrong here. We want to make our children happy, we say, and except for the most gifted ones the years of highschool are hard and demanding. Indeed, there is gain here: broadening of outlook for instance, but definite disadvantages as well. Pascal, the great French thinker, noticed that several hundred years ago. He wrote that this is a strange way indeed to make young people happy.

To mention one disadvantage: schools, more often than not are guilty of developing in the students a burning sense of ambition (1); a bright student is constantly and abundantly praised. The impression is given that mental brilliancy is the only thing that counts in life. That is fundamentally wrong. Moreover, have you ever heard that the most learned men and women are at the same time the most happy ones? Our experience is just the opposite. This one-sided emphasis upon the ability to study is injustice to those with a high intelligence, to those with a low one as well. The first group is given the wrong impression that it is merit in itself to be gifted (2); the others are tacitly given to understand that they are vastly - and in every respect - inferior to their more gifted classmates. This is an outright rejection of the yardstick of the Kingdom of God!

Development of a person's intellectual abilities in itself does not contribute one ounce to the strengthening of his character. Fifty years ago people were very optimistic and said that if you opened up more schools, you could close the jails! Never was there more schooling than there is in our days and at the same time: never has crime been more rampant, especially juvenile delinquincy!

Once I heard someone say: "Education without the Christian religion only produces clever devils". That is boldly and bluntly stated, unfortunately it is true. A criminal with highschool, or even college-education is a far more dangerous criminal than one who had only elementary school. It is a great misunderstanding to start from the assumption that training of the mind in itself will bring a person nearer to God, will help him to love his neighbour, will make him happy. Often the opposite is the case. Our Lord said that He had come so that those who belonged to Him might have life and have it abundantly. It is Jesus Christ and He alone Who gives us the real life, the schools cannot do that, although many people - in their pursuit of the fullness of life, in the pursuit of happiness - bypass the Lord to expect everything from training and learning. Dr. Is. van Dijk once said: "For a good many people a long life is not long enough to discover that the tree of knowledge is not the tree of life!"

Let us try to see these things soberly, to discover what a highschool or university education can do for you and what it cannot.

When you travel in Europe and you have learned German in highschool it is certainly a great help to be able to speak the language when you are in Germany. If you want to be a lawyer or a doctor, of course you will have to dedicate many years of your life to hard learning in order to be able to do your work well later on. But does this in itself mean that a doctor, a lawyer is of necessity a better man, a more loving husband, a more devoted father than a carpenter, a blacksmith, or a farmer who never went beyond elementary school education? Is it less honorable (not in the eyes of people of course, what they think does not matter at all), but in the eyes of God to be a capable farmer carpenter or housewife than to be a capable statesman, doctor lawyer? Certainly not! And in relation to God and His Kingdom those with higher education run very grave risks and dangers from which others escape more easily.<br><br>

Take the real issues of life. Ten years from now, we hope that our children will be married or in another way are able to fill a valuable place in life. They will have their full share of real life with all its joys, sorrows and risks. We must not hide the fact from each other that hardships and the tragedies of life will surely not be spared to them. Some will lose children, others will be widows and widowers at a comparatively early age; others will be ill for many years and suffer greatly before they die. And then, when they are hit by the blows of life, it does not make the slightest difference whether they have learned French, Latin, etc. or not. The only thing which counts then is whether a person knows Jesus Christ and the Spirit Who is called: the Comforter.

Moreover, never forget that parents who never received a highschool education - by virtue of their knowledge of the Lord and a long life of experience in which they acquired wisdom - possess something that is far more valuable than the things they teach the children in the schools. Therefore, a wise and loving parent can often be of great help to his or her child, no matter that this child had years and years of highschool and college which the parent lacked. For: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all who practise it.

Besides, as one who is a member of this bowling club himself, and thus does not run the danger that it will be said that the grapes are sour, let me assure you that even university training is no guarantee for sound thinking and common sense (3). Narrow mindedness and unbelievable stupidity I have seen in many men with university degrees. On the other hand I was so fortunate to meet many men and women with no more than elementary schooling for whom I had and have the highest regard, to whose words I listened and listen with respect and profit.

No, we certainly must not exaggerate the value of training of mere intellect; it has its value, certainly, but a limited one; there are things in life, independent upon intellectual training, which are far more valuable.

Some years ago I read the following story. Its title was: Pride without prejudice. A small storekeeper had died rather young, leaving a wife and two sons, aged 14 and 8 behind. The widow carried on the shop with the aid of her oldest boy, who therefore was not able to attend highschool and college. By the time the youngest boy had finished highschool, mother and oldest son were sufficiently well off to let the youngest boy attend college and then medical school. In time he became one of the famous surgeons in U.S.A. A lady who had been operated on by him was so grateful that she wanted to meet the mother of this famous man. She travelled many miles to the city where the old lady lived and then spoke enthusiastically to her about her famous son. Finally she said: "Mrs. X you must be very proud of your son!" But the mother asked: "Which one?"

That brings it home, this penetrating question. What is more valuable in the eyes of God, to develop one's talents which God gave to a person (2), being enabled to do so by the sacrifices mother and oldest brother made on his behalf, or to sacrifice every chance of learning, of improving one's social status in order to help a younger brother along so that he might enjoy what the older brother gave up? That mother was not blinded by the vain light of glory and fame. She put first things first and she was rightly proud of her oldest son and his sterling character.

Moreover, the dangers of development of the intellect, if it is not accompanied by a growth in the life with God and therefore in humility, are very great. Thousands have paid the price for higher learning with the eternal loss of their soul. It is especially in universities that the tempter repeats his old lie: "You will be like God, knowing what is good and what is evil."

For to know a thing often means to have power over it, and for a scholar it is more difficult to confess humbly before the Lord that the Lord knows best than it is already for everyone of us. The habit of examining, of "explaining" everything; expressing an opinion about everything, often develops the false idea that finally everything will be mastered by human intellect. This mental attitude makes a person deaf to the Word of God, develops in him habits which are hostile to the life with God.

Paul was a learned man, indeed, but the other apostles were not. If and when a learned man is a humble Christian at the same time, his influence can be an enormous blessing to many others. Unfortunately, scholarship and walking humbly before the Lord do not often go together. What is the Noble prize, the highest prize in the field of learning, if it is to be paid with eternal separation from God? Our Lord prayed: "I thank Thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to the simple minded."

Human intellect may try to master everything, but God will not and cannot be "mastered" in this way nor in any other way. He can only be found in humbleness of heart, in complete surrender to His holy will, and an attitude which is so rare among intellectuals (and pseudo-intellectuals). Not the wise and learned will conquer the Kingdom of heaven, matter of fact it will not be conquered at all; it will be given to those who are perfectly satisfied to be children and children only of the heavenly Father. Michael Angelo was one of the greatest minds who ever lived, a great musician, sculptor and painter at the same time. His works have been admired for centuries and will be admired as long as this world exists.

Yet, when he had grown old, he said good-bye to all his works of art with the words: "These vanities have robbed me of the time which was given to me to know my God better." "Jews call for miracles, Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ - yes, Christ nailed to the cross; and though this is a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to Greeks, yet to those who have heard His call, Jews and Greeks alike, He is the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1 22-24).

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.