Spiritual understanding vs. worldly wisdom

Dear friend

It sounds blatantly braggadocious to boldly claim to know more, or know better, than others. Yet people of faith the world over make just such challenging claims of greater knowledge in their expository exchanges with non-believers. Of course, believers often receive more than their share of criticism for suggesting as real their support for the supernatural, such as; miracles, life after death, and answers to prayers from an unseeable deity. The ubiquitousness of the unbelievers' lack of understanding has been a problem for centuries. The Apostle Paul warned against manifestations of sceptical secularism as recorded in the New Testament, Ephesians 4:17-21.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Those not-of-the-faith ancients are characterised in ways which have their equivalences in our times. These features include: mental vanity which can mean anything from intellectual emptiness to moral depravity; darkened understanding, as in, not illuminated by gospel light; alienation from God due to ignorance; hearts that are blind, cold or hard; being past feeling which is possibly somewhere between apathy and spiritual insensitivity; and, having a tendency towards immorality, impurity and excess.

Paul reminds the Church members in Ephesus how they have been taught about Christ. They have the greater light and knowledge that distinguishes them from non-believers.

I hope we can see through worldly wisdom and it's predictable predilection for wicked ways. But let us strive to be humble, non-confrontational testators of truth.

Samuel.