Living With the Grain of God’s Word

People who reject God can still demonstrate real wisdom. They may live prudently, exercise discipline, show patience, act courageously, give generously, and practice restraint. They may build stable families, operate ethical businesses, and live peaceable lives. They do not possess saving wisdom, but they are wise nonetheless.

      Why? Because wisdom is embedded in the structure of reality itself.

      To live wisely is to live with the grain of God’s world. To reject wisdom is to live against the grain of creation. Just as ignoring gravity carries consequences regardless of one’s theology, ignoring God’s moral and relational design produces damage no matter who does it.

      It is no surprise, then, that Proverbs often reads like observations about how life actually works.