Wisdom or Love - What Is Greater?

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I’m posting this here in hope of getting a range of opinions. Also it’s a topic I think that people of all religions can discuss thoughtfully without any need for debate. From a biblical point of view, it appears wisdom might be greater. For Paul writes this:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

But the writer of Proverbs asserts this:

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

(Proverbs 3)

Since nothing we desire compares to Wisdom, doesn’t that mean Love cannot hold a candle to her?
 
Love is greater, yet she is the daughter of Wisdom.
 
spockrates said:
I’m posting this here in hope of getting a range of opinions. Also it’s a topic I think that people of all religions can discuss thoughtfully without any need for debate. From a biblical point of view, it appears wisdom might be greater. For Paul writes this:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

But the writer of Proverbs asserts this:

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

(Proverbs 3)

Since nothing we desire compares to Wisdom, doesn’t that mean Love cannot hold a candle to her?
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I think wisdom and love are contained within each other. That is, if one is truly wise, one behaves with love; and if one shows love, one is truly wise. The thing about love is that it should be love displayed in behavior rather than only having a good feeling or good intentions towards others. And likewise, wisdom is reflected by one’s behavior more than in one’s mind alone.
 
meltzerboy said:
I think wisdom and love are contained within each other. That is, if one is truly wise, one behaves with love; and if one shows love, one is truly wise. The thing about love is that it should be love displayed in behavior rather than only having a good feeling or good intentions towards others. And likewise, wisdom is reflected by one’s behavior more than in one’s mind alone.
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We cannot seek love for ourself, but we can seek wisdom.

ICXC NIKA
 
It seems that one of the main problems in our modern culture is that people believe they are being loving, and yet their love misses the mark because they lack wisdom that can only be found in the one true God.
 
meltzerboy said:
I think wisdom and love are contained within each other. That is, if one is truly wise, one behaves with love; and if one shows love, one is truly wise. The thing about love is that it should be love displayed in behavior rather than only having a good feeling or good intentions towards others. And likewise, wisdom is reflected by one’s behavior more than in one’s mind alone.
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Amen, rabbi.
 
spockrates said:
I’m posting this here in hope of getting a range of opinions. Also it’s a topic I think that people of all religions can discuss thoughtfully without any need for debate. From a biblical point of view, it appears wisdom might be greater. For Paul writes this:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

But the writer of Proverbs asserts this:

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

(Proverbs 3)

Since nothing we desire compares to Wisdom, doesn’t that mean Love cannot hold a candle to her?
Click to expand...
I believe love, simply because not what Paul wrote, but what Christ told us, even of all the commandments none is greater then love.

You can have wisdom above the whole world, but without Love wisdom is nothing.

You can be dumb as a drum but Love is above wisdom.

In simple terms, what would you rather have? A Father who was had more wisdom then anyone in the world, or a Father who loved you more then anyone in the world?

Pretty simply, as Jesus taught us, Love one another as I have loved you, the greatest commandment of all.

He never said be wiser then others, he said love them.
 
meltzerboy said:
I think wisdom and love are contained within each other. That is, if one is truly wise, one behaves with love; and if one shows love, one is truly wise. The thing about love is that it should be love displayed in behavior rather than only having a good feeling or good intentions towards others. And likewise, wisdom is reflected by one’s behavior more than in one’s mind alone.
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Meltzer: Yes, I can see that one cannot have one without also having the other. Well said! So I wonder what wise Solomon was thinking when he said there is nothing more desirable than wisdom. Is this statement itself unwise?

🤷
 
rinnie said:
Pretty simply, as Jesus taught us, Love one another as I have loved you, the greatest commandment of all.
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And if Jesus lived by the greatest commandments, it would mean that Jesus loves each and everyone of us as he loves himself.

A profound thought
 
spockrates said:
Jamal: Please tell me more.

🙂
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I’m in a bit of a fog today, but I should like to say that from what I’ve learned and believe, many of the virtues build upon another as calculus does upon algebra.

One of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, for example, is Wisdom, but I think they are all ultimately ordered towards Love, properly understood.

Wisdom and Love are terribly unknown in their essential quality in today’s culture it seems to me. Most all people claim to think they know what they mean, but in actuality, that is not the case.

Others can explain the basic concept of what I wrote perhaps better than I can. Let me leave you with a quotation that I’m reminded of, though it may not be fully on the mark in meeting your specific query:

*** The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace. ***
-Mother Teresa

Before we love, we must know. Intellect is leading the will, it seems to me. We cannot love a thing unless we come to know it first.

…just some unorganized thoughts for you…
 
IDK–Love is such a simple thing, a generous spirit. Wisdom is something to seek–a complicated thing. Jesus said Love is the greatest. Even the simplest heart can love…
 
spockrates said:
I’m posting this here in hope of getting a range of opinions. Also it’s a topic I think that people of all religions can discuss thoughtfully without any need for debate. From a biblical point of view, it appears wisdom might be greater. For Paul writes this:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

But the writer of Proverbs asserts this:

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

(Proverbs 3)

Since nothing we desire compares to Wisdom, doesn’t that mean Love cannot hold a candle to her?
Click to expand...
Wisdom is the vehicle, Love is the payload.
 
I think it’s love. The reason I say that is because I learned in RCIA last year that God is love.
 
spockrates said:
I’m posting this here in hope of getting a range of opinions. …

…

Since nothing we desire compares to Wisdom, doesn’t that mean Love cannot hold a candle to her?
Click to expand...
As an attribute of God both are equal because all attributes of God are eternal.

For human it maybe different because human’s senses are different according to each others.
 
rinnie said:
I believe love, simply because not what Paul wrote, but what Christ told us, even of all the commandments none is greater then love.

You can have wisdom above the whole world, but without Love wisdom is nothing.

You can be dumb as a drum but Love is above wisdom.

In simple terms, what would you rather have? A Father who was had more wisdom then anyone in the world, or a Father who loved you more then anyone in the world?

Pretty simply, as Jesus taught us, Love one another as I have loved you, the greatest commandment of all.

He never said be wiser then others, he said love them.
Click to expand...
Rinnie: Sorry for taking so long to respond. Busy weekend. Yes, Jesus did say the greatest commandment is to love. So do you think Solomon disagrees? He says nothing you and I desire compares with wisdom. But if love is the greatest commandment, then doesn’t that mean nothing we desire compares with love?
 
JamalChristophr said:
I’m in a bit of a fog today, but I should like to say that from what I’ve learned and believe, many of the virtues build upon another as calculus does upon algebra.

One of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, for example, is Wisdom, but I think they are all ultimately ordered towards Love, properly understood.

Wisdom and Love are terribly unknown in their essential quality in today’s culture it seems to me. Most all people claim to think they know what they mean, but in actuality, that is not the case.

Others can explain the basic concept of what I wrote perhaps better than I can. Let me leave you with a quotation that I’m reminded of, though it may not be fully on the mark in meeting your specific query:

*** The fruit of Silence is prayer. The fruit of Prayer is faith. The fruit of Faith is love. The fruit of Love is service. The fruit of Service is peace. ***
-Mother Teresa

Before we love, we must know. Intellect is leading the will, it seems to me. We cannot love a thing unless we come to know it first.

…just some unorganized thoughts for you…
Click to expand...
Fog or not–good thoughts! Thank you. Interesting that Mother Teresa says service is what love does but not what love is. For a fruit of a tree cannot be the same as the tree that produced it. So if service is the effect, what is its cause? That is, what is love? I suppose it might be pure emotion–more specifically compassion, which motivates us to some selfless action.

What do you think?
 
petra22 said:
IDK–Love is such a simple thing, a generous spirit. Wisdom is something to seek–a complicated thing. Jesus said Love is the greatest. Even the simplest heart can love…
Click to expand...
Petra: Yes, but can an unwise heart know the right way to express love?
 
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