John Calvin said that true wisdom consists of 2 parts: 1) knowledge of God, and 2) knowledge of ourselves. For many months I have been seeking a better understanding of that second part and finding it difficult to formulate my thoughts in writing. As I read what other Christian writers are saying on the subject I find different points of view, or is it just differences in emphasis? Perhaps the difficulty I am experiencing is not just in me but is characteristic of our postmodern culture, in which secular psychology has dominated thinking about ourselves and our relationships with others, and has even infiltrated Christian thinking about ourselves. Since I am just an ordinary Christian with a layman’s knowledge of the Bible I would not be so bold as to try to critique the other writers I have been reading. After all, they have degrees in Biblical theology, Christian counseling, and other Christian disciplines. I do not! The writers I have been focusing on are John Piper, Edward T. Welch, and Neil T. Anderson. I have found them all helpful. But I need to think through the issues for myself, so I will take the plunge in my next post, which will be a meditation on Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” That scripture is both a command and a promise. To obey the command I must know God; to receive the promise, I must know myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment