Balancing Wisdom and Faith

One of the truly incredible things about God is that His attributes never contradict one another. God is perfectly just and perfectly gracious. He is love and He is truth. He is holy and merciful. Now, we shouldn’t think of this as God balancing out two opposites, as if God can’t be too much truth or too much love. He is perfectly both at the same time, as hard as that is for us to grasp.

We struggle with that. We often think of attributes like justice and mercy as opposites, even though they’re not. In a similar way, the Christian virtues of wisdom and faith often seem like opposites, at least they do to me. It seems that some believers approach issues from either a faith perspective or a wisdom perspective. They are either ready to charge forward, confident that God will back them up, or they are very cautious, and view taking unnecessary risks as putting God to the test.

Those who lean more toward faith often find themselves quicker to take action and despite the risks. They tend to be missionaries, church planters, entrepreneurs. They jump and trust that God will hand them a parachute on the way down. I think of people like George Muller, Jim Elliott, or Adoniram Judson. People like this often make incredible strides for the kingdom, not because they are anything special, but because God does incredible things through them.

But there are others who are more cautious. They think and plan and wait and pray, and then move forward slowly. They are quick to notice the risks, and want to make sure that they have a plan for everything. They are the plodders, and we need them. They are the ones who spend a lot of time studying and thinking carefully about Scripture, life, and faithful living. 

I’ve seen this contrasting dynamic at play in my own life. I’ve received advice on issues and had people from different perspectives give caution or encouragement. Some wanted to see me take a leap of faith, others wanted me to move forward but to do so slowly and carefully. I’ve thought a lot about this dynamic, and wanted to share a few random thoughts and observations that have helped me to process this tension.

 

We Should Always Have Faith and We Should Always Be Wise

As we’ve already said, courage and wisdom aren’t opposites. We shouldn’t think of this as a continuum where if you go all the way down one direction you end up wise, and if you go the opposite direction you end up faith-filled. Although it might seem in the moment that a given decision will need to lean more toward a faith or wisdom decision, all of our choices in life should have both. 

Every choice we make must be filled with faith and carefully weighed by wisdom. Faith should push us to move forward, and wisdom should temper our recklessness and carelessness and make sure that we are moving forward carefully. Muller, Elliott, and Judson weren’t reckless. Did they trust God and take big steps of faith? Absolutely. Did they carefully plan and pray over those steps? They sure did. Similarly, those who tend to be more careful must be willing to take steps of faith, or they aren’t obedient to Scripture. 

 

Wisdom and Faith Might Look Different for Different People 

One of the more important points to make here is that not everybody is going to come to the same conclusion on many of these questions. Some of that might be temperamental. A naturally adventurous person is going to be quicker to step forward in faith. A naturally cautious person is going to take their time before making decisions. 

Some of this may also have to do with God’s individual calling. Some people are meant to go forward and be entrepreneurs, pushing the Kingdom forward with courage, tenacity, and grit. Others are called to courageously do the work of slow, steady building over the decades. God doesn’t expect everyone to blow up the system or start from scratch. Many people are called to be rope-holders, and there’s nothing wrong with that so long as those rope-holders are also showing faith.

 

Our Flesh Could Use Faith or Wisdom as a Cloak for Our Sin 

A word of caution is in order as we think through this rubric. We are really good at convincing ourselves that our sin is not that bad, or even worse that our sin is actually a good thing. The opposite of faith is unbelief or cowardice, and the opposite of wisdom is foolishness. Sadly, it’s more than possible that someone might be a coward or a fool, and soothe their conscience that really they are wise or courageous.

It’s possible that someone might excuse their cowardice and unbelief as wisdom. “Well, it seems like God is leading in this direction, but it’s really hard financially, logistically, or practically, so I don’t think it’s wise.” Others may use faith as an excuse for their lack of careful planning. “I’m just trusting God” may be code for “I don’t want to do the hard work of planning, working, or doing hard things so I’m just going to hope God makes up the difference.” How do we avoid this? Through rigorous self-examination saturated in prayer, counsel, and the study of God’s Word. 

 

God’s Grace Is Sufficient for When We Get it Wrong

God doesn’t expect us to get everything perfect. He knows what He’s getting when He saves us, and He realizes that we are going to take a lot of work. Obviously, this does not excuse disobedience, but it should encourage us when we try to do things right and mess it up along the way. I’ve seen people take leaps of faith and wondered if they should, only to see God catch them. I’ve seen people hold back from what I thought was the next step, and watched God continue to bless them. We should try to get this balance right, but we should be comforted by the fact that when we don’t, God will help us and will still use us. 

I doubt one post will be enough to answer all the questions and issues that arise from this discussion. I have been wrestling with this question for several years now. Transparently, I think I lean more toward the wisdom side of this equation, and sometimes I wonder if I’m doing so in a cowardly sort of way. I’m trying to constantly evaluate what God would have me do, being faithful in the little things and yet taking steps of faith when I feel God directing. Like you, I’m a work in progress, and God’s continuing to teach me. I hope the few brief thoughts I’ve shared can be a help to you wherever you are. I hope they encourage you to show both faith and wisdom, and to show understanding to those who don’t line up with exactly where you land. Above all, I hope that these reflections point us all back to the God who freely gives wisdom, and who is deserving of our unflinching faith. 

 

 

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Ben Hicks is the Associate Pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis. This article originally appeared on his Substack.

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