"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all freely and without reproach, and it shall be given to him" (James 1:5).

17. The beginning of spiritual wisdom is the fear of the Lord, as St. David says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 110:10). About this St. Basil teaches thus: "The fear of the Lord is the purification of the soul, and so the prophet prays: 'Nail my flesh to Thy fear' (Psalm 118:120). Where there is the fear of God, there is all purity of soul; from there all evil and unseemly action escapes. For the bodily members, as if nailed by fear, cannot move to unseemly deeds. As he whose body is nailed to the cross cannot act, so a man who is established in the fear of God can neither turn his eyes to the unseemly, nor move his hands to evil deeds, nor can he do anything, neither small nor great, contrary to his calling, seized with fear of rebuke, as with some kind of sickness" (In the Homily at the beginning of the parables). Thus, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: for it cleanses the soul from the defilement of sin and prepares a place for spiritual wisdom. Just as the beginning of bodily health is when the body is cleansed of harmful juices, so the beginning of spiritual health is when the soul is freed by the fear of God from evil lusts and the heavy oppression of sin, which, like harmful juices, lead it into weakness and impotence.

18. By the fear of God, as by cruel healing, a purified and strengthened soul becomes a receptacle of true wisdom, that is, Christian love. For spiritual wisdom requires not only to shun evil, but also to do good. For it is said: "Turn away from evil, and do good" (Psalm 33:15). But just as we turn away from evil through the fear of God, as was said above, so by the love of God we are drawn to good. And just as by the fear of God we lay the foundation of spiritual wisdom, so by love for perfection we are edified, as far as it is possible in this age.

19. The means by which we come to spiritual wisdom are: 1) the Holy Word of God, with the help of the Holy Spirit. For "the Holy Scriptures," in the words of the Apostle, "are able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15). 2) Sincere prayer. Thus says the Apostle: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all simply and without reproach, and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, not doubting in the least" (James 1:5-6, etc.). That is why Solomon says: "Knowing that otherwise I could not possess it (wisdom) than if God granted, and that it was already a matter of understanding to know whose gift it was, I turned to the Lord and prayed to Him, and spoke with all my heart" (Wisdom 8:21). We learn the dogmas of spiritual wisdom not in the books of the wise men of this age, but in the books of the prophets and apostles, and we receive the habit in it in the school of the Holy Spirit, Who through His holy word makes the hearts of His faithful wise. Therefore, if Christians want to find spiritual wisdom, they must diligently study day and night in the word of God and fervently pray to the Giver of wisdom – God.

20. Spiritual wisdom has its place and seat in the heart, and not on the tongue; within, not without; in power, not in word. Not everyone who is outwardly wise is such before men, but he is wise who is such in essence; and not everyone who can speak beautiful speech, but who has such a heart. It often happens that life is not like eloquence; and often under the guise of eloquence there is a wickedness, which cannot be together with spiritual wisdom. Hence it happens that a rude peasant, who does not know the alphabet, but lives in the fear of God, is much more skilful and wiser in Christian work than the man of words and the sage of this age without the fear of God.

21. Signs of spiritual wisdom: 1) careful instruction in the word of God; 2) seeking advice from pious and reasonable people; 3) love for instruction, punishment, useful advice, reproof; 4) a reflection on the wondrous Providence of God, on His righteousness and mercy; 5) frequent remembrance of death and its aftermath, that is, of the Dread Judgment of Christ, of blessed and unfortunate eternity; 6) contempt for the world; 7) Most of all, prayer, without which spiritual wisdom cannot be acquired, as has been said above and will be said enough.

22. The fruits of spiritual wisdom are Christian virtues, that is: humility, patience, meekness, truth, chastity, mercy, and others. Thus Solomon teaches: "Its fruits are virtues; it teaches chastity and prudence, justice and courage, which are more useful for people in life" (Wisdom 8:7). And the Apostle James says: "But the wisdom that comes down from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17). She fears God and loves Him; he turns away from the vanity of the world and clings to God alone; everything that is permitted, such as food, drink, clothing, etc., he uses with fear, for the sake of need, and not for luxury; He generously endures misfortunes and misfortunes. She shows herself obedient to God and people for God's sake. It is not burdensome for her to do all that pleases God, and to shun everything that is contrary to Him. Pride, envy, malice, enmity, impurity, love of money and other spiritual ulcers have no place in it. She loves everyone indiscriminately, treats everyone sincerely and simply with her heart. What he declares in words, he has within himself; what he promises in word, he fulfills in deed, if there is no obstacle. She does not need entries in contracts; the word spoken by her and heard from another is for her a solid record. She sees her brother suffering, and she herself has compassion for him in her heart; he helps those who need help; he sympathizes with every misfortune of his neighbor and rejoices in well-being; He weeps with those who weep, and rejoices with those who rejoice; He embraces his friends with his embrace, and does not take away his love from his enemies. Therefore she is peaceful, quiet, calm, joyful, cheerful, although she is disturbed by the evil spirit and his evil servants.

23. The consequences of spiritual wisdom that flow from it are reproach, contempt, exile, and all kinds of misfortunes. Since it is not of this world, but "descends from above," as the Apostle James teaches (James 1:17), the foolish and evil world considers it madness, scolds, hates, and persecutes it. "And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, in which spiritual wisdom consists, shall be persecuted," says the divinely wise Paul (2 Timothy 3:12). And although it is inwardly honest, magnificent, and acceptable before God, it is outwardly contemptible and belittled.

24. The goal to which this wisdom of man leads is God and eternal bliss. For as it itself proceeds from God, so it turns to God and brings those who love it.

25. Spiritual wisdom is different from carnal or worldly wisdom in all things. Carnal wisdom is proud - spiritual wisdom is humble. Carnal wisdom is self-loving - spiritual wisdom is God-loving. Carnal wisdom is impatient, malicious, spiritual wisdom is patient, meek. Carnal wisdom is irreconcilable - spiritual wisdom is peaceful. Carnal wisdom is unmerciful, but spiritual wisdom is merciful and full of good works. Carnal wisdom hates, envies, but spiritual wisdom loves. Carnal wisdom is deceitful, deceptive, cunning - spiritual wisdom is simple-hearted, true, and sincere. Carnal wisdom is untruthful - spiritual wisdom is truthful. For carnal wisdom, humility, reproach, suffering, and the cross of Christ are foolishness, and for spiritual wisdom it is great wisdom. In the same way, spiritual wisdom is contrasted with carnal wisdom.

26. Spiritual wisdom, as can be seen from the above, consists in nothing else than the true knowledge and worship of God and Christ the Son of God. From this knowledge is born the fear of God, which is the beginning of spiritual wisdom, and the love of God, which leads man to spiritual perfection, as far as it is possible to attain in this age. In these two, the fear of God and the love of God, the true worship of God consists. And the beginning and root of all this is the holy faith, as you will see later in the following paragraphs.

27. This paragraph shows how the seeker of spiritual wisdom can move from a concrete case to a general spiritual reasoning based on the word of God.

Chance and Spiritual Reasoning About It

I. You look at the sky, so wonderful, so high and vast, adorned with various stars; on the sun and the moon, shining and illuminating all under the heavens; on the clouds, passing hither and thither in the air, and like bellows, rain pouring out and watering our fields. It presents to you the earth with all that fills it, with trees, herbs, cattle, beasts, seas, lakes, rivers, springs, and other ornaments. From the visible to the invisible, from the creation of the world to the Creator. Let this occasion be for you to wonder: 1) the omnipotence of our God, Who created all these things out of nothing with a single word (Genesis 1); 2) His wisdom, Who created all things so wisely; 3) His goodness, Who created all this for our sake. He who thinks in this way and knows from creation the power, wisdom and goodness of the Creator in spirit will joyfully admire and sing with the Psalmist: "How majestic are Thy works, O Lord: Thou hast created all things in wisdom" (Psalm 103:24).