by Elder Mike Chon

All of us make specific decisions in life that are not explicitly spoken of in Scripture. For some, these areas of freedom that God gives us can lead to making rules and man-made laws that can in turn lead to legalism. For others, they see these areas of freedom as areas where their decision simply doesn’t matter and therefore they can do anything they want. So how do we reconcile these two views?  How do we make these decisions in regards to areas of life that are not clearly spoken of in Scripture? Questions such as…

• Where should I go to college?
• Which career path should I take?
• Who should I date?
• What should I wear?
• Should I purchase a home?

Last time we examined some of the common mistakes that believers make in attempting to make God-honoring decisions. Today we will examine how we are to make decisions that are truly honoring to God.

We need to make sure that we are obedient when Scripture is clear on a decision in our life. We also want to make sure that we follow the principles that are clearly given to us in Scripture in how we should make decisions. In the many “gray” areas of the Christian life, those areas where Scripture does not prohibit nor command us to obey, there are many principles in Scripture which we need to consider when we make these decisions. These principles are presented in an article by Grace To You, “Decision Making to the Glory of God” which Stephen Rodgers listed on the Weekly Links (1/07/2011). Along with these principles there are other areas of our life which will require us to use wisdom in making decisions.

The beginning of any true wisdom in this world begins with a fear of God (Prov. 9:10). If you are wondering how to make a decision in your life, first you need to ask yourself if you have a relationship with God that is growing in your knowledge of who He is and of His Word. Even in Scripture there are books that we call “Wisdom Books” and in particular the book of Proverbs has much to say about wisdom and the importance of wisdom in our life (Prov. 8:12-36). As well, throughout the Scriptures we see examples of how important wisdom is in decision making. For instance, in the life of Moses, Jethro his father-in-law advises him to teach God’s statutes and laws as well as appoint leaders over groups of people so that he wouldn’t wear himself out (Exodus 18:17-23). In the life of David, we also see an example of wisdom being exercised. When David’s son, Absalom, usurped the kingdom, David gathered his loyal soldiers and wisely chose Joab, Abishai, and Ittai in command of these soldiers (2 Samuel 18:1-2). As well, David told them, “I myself will also go out with you” (2 Samuel 18:2). But instead of welcoming David to fight alongside them, they realized that putting David at risk was not a wise decision, since he was the only lawful king (2 Samuel 18:3). Even though David was courageous and selfless to want to go out in battle with his soldiers he realized that it was better to do otherwise (2 Samuel 18:4). Even Jesus calls His followers to be wise as serpents (the serpent being symbolic of wisdom and cunning in that culture) (Matthew 10:16). The apostles also command believers to use wisdom in decisions involving how we should live (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5).

Since Scripture is clear on the importance of wisdom in our life, how do we receive this wisdom so that we can make decisions with it? The simple answer to this question is that wisdom is gained from God by those who seek for it (Prov. 8:17). The only source of true wisdom is God Himself. As much as we would say that love, truth and goodness is of God, we also would proclaim that God in His nature is “wise” (Job 9:4; 12:13; Isaiah 40:28; Daniel 2:20). So if God is the only true source of all wisdom (Romans 16:27), then all wisdom must come from God alone (Proverbs 2:6). But who does God give this wisdom to? The “who” are believers that value wisdom enough to pursue it “as sliver and search for it as for hidden treasures” (Proverbs 2:4). The “how” involves the believer’s attitude and approach in seeking wisdom.

Our attitude must reflect the fact that no man, including ourselves, is naturally wise (Proverbs 3:7), therefore wisdom must come from another source. Since Scripture is clear that God is the source of all wisdom, our conviction must be consistent with that as well. Scripture shows us that God grants wisdom to those that manifest certain spiritual qualities, including reverence of God (Proverbs 9:10), humility (Proverbs 11:2; 15:33), being teachable (Proverbs 9:9), diligence (Proverbs 2:4-5; 8:17), and uprightness (Proverbs 2:7). As well the believer must have faith in God as the source of all wisdom (James 1:5-6).

Our approach to pursue wisdom also matters to God. God calls us to ask for wisdom (James 1:5-6) from the source of true wisdom. Since God’s Word is from God Himself, it is also a source of wisdom which God has already given to us. Therefore we must seek wisdom first and foremost from God and through His revealed Word. God has also provided another source for wisdom which are wise counselors (Proverbs 11:14; 13:20; 15:22). When seeking wisdom or counsel from someone, you should seek those that are mature and have spiritual insight to direct you to the biblical principles that may apply to your decision making. Many times, we come with preconceived conclusions or gut feelings on what we should do that we do not take the time to consider all that Scripture may say regarding our decision, therefore we should seek those that can direct us to consider different principles that may apply to our situation such as those given above from GTY as well as others that may not have been mentioned. Also, those that may have gone through a situation or experience that is similar may be a benefit as well. What you want to find out is what biblical principles did they consider that was helpful when they were making their decision. Warning: Don’t just make the same decision because someone else did in a similar situation. They could have been totally wrong no matter how much you may trust their discernment. But most likely their situation was not exactly the same as yours. Another area that you will need to consider is to get all the facts before making a decision, making a list of pros and cons, assets and liabilities connected with each option in your decision (cf. Luke 14:28-32). You want to gather all the data that you can before making a decision, for example if you desired to purchase a home, but after calculating the mortgage payments, you realize that you will be in debt every month, it probably is an unwise decision to purchase the home.

After seeking wisdom from God and His Word, asking for wisdom from wise counselors, and getting all your facts and data, what do you do next? We will conclude, hopefully, in our next article as we examine how we are to make our decision as well as how God’s sovereignty is involved in our decision making.