«If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, . . . and it will be given to you» (James 1:5, NIV).
THOMAS JEFFERSON was the main writer of the United States Declaration of Independence. His fame as a good reader dates back to his youth. At the age of twenty-eight, he was already a renowned bibliophile. When he visited great European cities—Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, London—, he would visit bookstores and buy books. According to Edwin S. Gaustad, «by the time [Jefferson] sold his books to the United States Government in 1815, to launch the Library of Congress, he estimated his collection to be between nine and ten thousand volumes.»
Jefferson’s passion for reading induced him to adopt ideas from the Enlightenment and cling to the Baconian revolution, and made him an enthusiast of logic, science, and mathematics. Finally, the wisdom of the world led him to create what has come to be known as «Jefferson’s Bible.» The famous statesman got a razor and cut pieces from the Greek, Latin, French, and English text, glued them on a book, and produced a version of the Gospels that adjusted to human logic, without any miraculous incidents that couldn’t be explained through reason and science.
One might criticize Jefferson, but at the expense of doing the same: submitting the Scriptures to our own reason. The prophet Isaiah warns us that many are deceived by their «wisdom and knowledge» (Isaiah 33:6). It is delusional to claim to be a Christian and at the same time expect our faith to pass the rigorous scrutiny of the scientific method.
Biblical faith goes beyond what is logical and reasonable from a human standpoint. That kind of faith doesn’t feed on «worldly wisdom but on God’s grace» (2 Corinthians 1:12, NIV), and it finds its maximum expression in «spiritual wisdom and understanding» (Colossians 1:9, NLT).
Those of us progressing toward being «mature in [our] faith» (I Corinthians 2:6, CEV) should aspire to that wisdom. It’s not found in a library like Jefferson’s, with 10,000 books—it’s wisdom that comes to us as God’s gift.
«If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you» (James 1:5, NIV).
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
