Thirty Sayings of t (Prov. he Wise, Part One: On Wealth (Prov. 22:17-23:11)

I heard an interesting statement coming from the house next door. A young man was trying to convince his aunt of something the Bible teaches. She replied, "I don't need the Bible to be a good person!"

I couldn't quite hear his response – but I've heard that sort of statement many times, and it's exactly right.

You don't need the Bible to be a good person! Ancient Egyptian wisdom literature will tell you how to be a good person. Any philosophy – any religion – will tell you how to be a good person.

You don't need the Bible for that! You need the Bible because you are not a good person! The unique message of the Bible is that there is a Redeemer – that the God who made all things – the God who created the rich and the poor alike – he is the one who entered our miserable world and he gave his own life as the sacrifice for our sin. He bore our sin – our misery – our death – and therefore the reason why you need the Bible is because the Bible is one place where you find the way of salvation.

It is also true that the Bible is useful for showing you how to live a good life.

And even from the start – in Saying One – it is clear that the LORD (Yahweh) is at the heart of true wisdom...