Pursuing Wisdom Wisely

Inside Cleveland Church

If, as Peter Enns says, the purpose of the Bible is to invite us to pursue wisdom, then can we see evidence of that in the Bible itself?  Did the later writers recognize that the scripture they had was ancient, ambiguous and diverse?

If you read his book, How the Bible Actually Works, then I think you will find that the Bible there are several examples of how biblical writers practiced wisdom in what they wrote.  They saw that the work they were reading, even in their time, was not a history book, but a story of truth. 

For example, compare the books of Kings to the books of Chronicles.  Same story - same time period.  Very different telling.

Look at Paul.  He quotes prophets when he writes his letters, but he pulls sentences out of context to apply to Jesus. They weren't written to speak of Jesus, but in them, Paul sees Jesus, so he writes of them.  I don't think that gives us permission to pull scripture out of context, but I do think it releases us from the idea that scripture can't be used to speak to today.