We live in the most educated age in history. More people than ever hold degrees, master’s and doctorates. We have never known so much about so many things. And yet many brilliant people reach the end of their careers with a full calendar, a flawless résumé… and an empty soul.
Studying and preparing ourselves is good. But the Bible reminds us that the wisdom that matters most begins with God. That is why professionals, business owners and students need something no degree can give them: to seek God deliberately.
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
MORE EDUCATION, LESS FAITH?
Surveys show a clear trend. According to the Pew Research Center (2017), in the United States 55% of college graduates believe in God with absolute certainty, compared with 66% of those who never went to college. And college graduates are almost three times as likely to be atheist or agnostic (11%) as those with a high school education or less (4%). Among scientists the gap is even wider: in a 2009 survey of AAAS members, only 33% said they believed in God, compared with 83% of the general public.
But there is a hopeful finding: among those who are already Christians, college graduates pray, believe and attend church just as much as everyone else; in fact, they are the most likely to attend weekly (52%).
In other words, education does not extinguish faith by itself. What happens is that academic and professional environments tend to reinforce the direction we are already heading. Those who seek God keep seeking Him; those who don’t drift further and further away.
WE WERE CREATED TO KNOW GOD
From the very first pages of Genesis we see a God who creates human beings, speaks to them and walks with them. We were not designed to live independently of our Creator.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27
Because we were made in God’s image, we are creative, we reason, we plan for the future and we have a sense of justice. Our very intelligence is a gift from God. But that same design leaves in us a need that nothing else can fill. Many try to satisfy it with a cause, with art, music or nature, and still don’t find what they are looking for. That hunger is only satisfied by the truth about God.
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Two thousand years ago, at the Areopagus in Athens, the apostle Paul spoke to the intellectuals of his day —the “university crowd” of the time— and explained why God keeps sustaining humanity, even though most people never think about Him:
“That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:27-28
WORLDLY WISDOM IS NOT ENOUGH
Today there is no shortage of experts: doctors, engineers, economists, tax advisors… How did they come to know so much? By studying, reading many books and putting what they learned into practice. If we want to know the things of God, the path is the same: go to church, read the only book that never goes out of date —the Bible— and put it into practice.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
Think of it this way: when you buy a camera or a computer, you expect it to come with the manufacturer’s manual. The Bible is the manual that God, our “manufacturer”, has given us for life: it explains what we were designed for and warns us about what can ruin our lives. Other people’s advice may seem easier, but the sensible thing is to follow the instructions of the One who made us.
“I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:17-18
God’s Word is clear: human wisdom that leaves God out is worth nothing before Him.
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” 1 Corinthians 3:19
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22
Note this: the Bible does not condemn learning. It condemns wisdom that forgets God. Solomon, the wisest man of his time, studied everything and reached this conclusion:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13
All true wisdom has one center: Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
DOES THE WORLD WANT US TO BE WISE?
The world does not want us to be wise in God’s way. On the contrary, it constantly promotes ideas that deny His existence or discredit His Word.
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8
Remember the golden calf (Exodus 32). While Moses was on the mountain, the people grew tired of waiting, and even Aaron gave in to the pressure of the crowd. A “mixed multitude” with other beliefs had left Egypt alongside Israel (Exodus 12:38), and that influence dragged many into sin. The same happens today: the environment around us —at university and at the office too— pushes us in a direction. That is why we must be careful about what we watch, what we listen to and who we allow to influence us.
WISE PEOPLE WHO DID SEEK GOD
The Bible is full of highly educated people who did not let their wisdom pull them away from God.
The wise men from the East. They were the scientists of their time: they studied the stars. Their knowledge did not lead them away from God; it led them to Jesus. They traveled, asked, searched… and when they found Him, they worshipped Him. That is exactly what a wise person should do.
“There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2
Daniel. He was trained for three years at Babylon’s finest “university”. But before he started, he “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). God blessed him with knowledge and skill, and the king found him ten times better than all the wise men in his realm (Daniel 1:17, 20). He served several kings without ever stopping praying three times a day (Daniel 6:10).
Moses. He received the best education of his day: he “was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22). Even so, he chose God’s people over the treasures of Egypt, “for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Paul. Trained at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the great teachers of his time (Acts 22:3), he came to say:
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8
Nicodemus. He was a teacher of Israel, yet he lacked the essential thing. Jesus told him: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). What is admirable is that he had the humility to go and seek Jesus.
And the history of science is full of believers: Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Georges Lemaître —a priest and the father of the Big Bang theory— and, in our own day, Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project and an outspoken Christian. Faith and science are not enemies.
A WORD FOR PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESS OWNERS
The data on the world’s great fortunes is revealing. According to the 2015 Wealth-X Billionaire Census, nearly 3 in 10 billionaires did not have a university degree. Most did study —especially business, economics and engineering— but education is not everything. Neither is wealth: neither a degree nor money can guarantee tomorrow.
“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” James 4:13-15
Jesus told the story of a rich man whose land produced a great harvest. He was a good manager: he planned, invested and built bigger barns. But God said to him:
“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21
God did not call him a fool for working well, but for planning everything… except his soul.
CONCLUSION
For more than 15 years I worked in the university world. I met professors with doctorates from the best universities in the United States and Europe, some of them opinion leaders in the media: wise in their fields. But many had devoted their lives to knowing a great deal about everything… and nothing about God. They reached the end of their careers with many degrees and an empty soul.
The problem is not ending up rich or poor —God has chosen many of the poor of this world to be rich in faith (James 2:5). The problem is reaching the end without knowing the One who created us.
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26
Preparing ourselves and being competent matters; Daniel, Moses and Paul were. But it is worth nothing to be as “wise and intelligent” as the world applauds if we do not have the fear of God. How can a professional seek God today?
- Ask God for wisdom, for your work and your decisions too.
- Give His Word the same time and seriousness you give your professional training.
- Surround yourself with people who seek God, so you are not swept along by the crowd.
- Put your knowledge at His service, like Daniel in Babylon.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
The greatest wisdom is not found in a degree, but in knowing God. If you want to begin that search today, we invite you to take the most important step of your life: KNOW CHRIST.
