The Wisdom of This World Human Philosophies That Affect Christians Today Colossians 2:8

Wisdom from God and Man Like Paul, we all encounter worldly philosophies (Acts 17:18) Epicurus Zeno

Wisdom from God and Man Do we choose wisdom from above (Isa. 55:6-9)? Wisdom from above or below … which (James 3:13-18)?

Wisdom from God and Man Wisdom for the Christian is found in the NT gospel (Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:9, 28; 2:3; 3:16; 2 Pet. 3:15) Christians are to walk in this wisdom (Col. 4:5)

Wisdom from God and Man “We must of necessity wait, till some one from Him who careth for us, shall come and instruct us how we ought to behave toward God and man … We cannot know of ourselves what petition will be pleasing to God, or what worship we should pay him; but it is necessary that a law-giver should be sent from heaven to instruct us … This law-giver must be more than man, that he may teach us the things man cannot know by his own nature” - Socrates, 430 B.C.

Worldly Wisdom Direct indoctrination: education Indirect teaching: media Unspoken influence: peer pressure

Worldly Wisdom Asceticism – “lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals” Colossians 2:20-23

Worldly Wisdom Atheism – “the absence of belief in the existence of deities ... the rejection of belief that any deities exist … the position that there are no deities” Psalm 14:1

Worldly Wisdom Calvinism – “a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of John Calvin and other Reformation theologian; the core doctrines are predestination and election” Jer. 31:29-30; Ezek. 18:2-3

Worldly Wisdom Denominationalism – “devotion to denominational principles or interest; acceptance or support of religious sects and divisions” Matthew 22:15-16

Worldly Wisdom Gnosticism – “the material world is created by an emanation of the highest God, trapping the divine spark within the human body. This divine spark could be liberated by gnosis of this divine spark” 1 John 4:5

Worldly Wisdom Hedonism – “pleasure and happiness are the primary or most important intrinsic goods and the proper aim of human life” Luke 8:14; Titus 3:3; James 4:1, 3; 2 Peter 2:13

Worldly Wisdom Humanism – “emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively, and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence (rationalism and empiricism) over acceptance of dogma or superstition” Judges 17:6; 21:25

Worldly Wisdom Liberalism – “not restricted to the literal meaning; tolerant of views differing from one’s own; broadminded; founded on ideas of liberty and equality” 1 John 2:19; 2 John 9; Revelation 2:20

Worldly Wisdom Materialism – “matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental aspects and consciousness, are results of material interactions” 1 Corinthians 15:32

Worldly Wisdom Pantheism – “the belief that all reality is identical with divinity, or that everything composes an all- encompassing, immanent god; the universe is God” Genesis 3:4

Worldly Wisdom Pluralism – “a diversity of views or stands rather than a single approach or method; reality is composed of a multiplicity of beings, principles or substances; truth is relative” Acts 17:21

Worldly Wisdom Polytheism – “the worship of or belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religions and rituals” Daniel 3:18; Acts 14:11

Worldly Wisdom Professionalism – “the practice of using professionals instead of the uneducated or amateurs” Matthew 23:5-10

Worldly Wisdom Situationism – “takes into account the particular context of an act when evaluating it ethically, rather than judging it according to absolute moral standards; one looks to personal ideals of what is appropriate to guide them rather than an unchanging universal law such as the Bible” Romans 3:8

Worldly Wisdom Subjectivism – “knowledge is merely subjective and that there is no external or objective truth” Proverbs 12:15; 14:12

Worldly Wisdom Traditionalism – “the adherence to traditional beliefs or practices” Matthew 15:3, 6

Worldly Wisdom And many more… Naturalism Millennialism Universalism

The Wisdom of This World It sounds good, but it is foolishness (Rom. 1:22; 1 Cor. 1:17-24, 30) It is popular, but it is empty (Jer. 8:9; 1 Cor. 2:1-7, 13; 3:18-20) We have a choice: God’s wisdom or man’s wisdom (Deut. 4:6)