The Fountain magazine Issue 02, April 2014

Thoughts
Are you looking for Sophia?
by RAPHAEL ONSONGO
Wisdom and power
are two principle
things that many
in this world are seeking.
Some seek one of the two
others go for both. Many
philosophers have given
various definitions of
what they think wisdom
is ye the ancient Greeks
even personified wisdom
as the goddesses Métis
and Athena. Philosophy is
itself defined as the love of
wisdom ~philo meaning
love and Sophia being the
Greek for wisdom. Some
have defined it as the ability
to acquire knowledge
and consequently apply it
in decision making. Aristotle
thought of wisdom
as the understanding of
causes i.e. knowing why
it rains as opposed to
simply knowing the way
rain looks like when it
rains. Numerous cultures
valued wisdom as can be
evidenced by the ancient
Greek relics and stories.
The Romans also valued
wisdom.
Various religions have numerous
books of religious
instruction that speak
about how one can go
about the pursuit of wisdom,
looking for Sophia.
From the Mighty Bible
to the Holy Qur`an, Buddhism,
the Baha’i, Taoism,
the Bhagavad Gita just to
mention a few, great effort
is made to acquaint man
with the lovely Sophia.
Power on the other hand
has been defined by sociologists
as the ability to
influence the behavior of
people. It can be viewed as
the ability to make things
happen as one deems fit.
One who is ultimately
14 The Fountain | April 2014
In that chief book for the
Christian ,the Bible, the
wise man
Solomon
writing in
mighty has influence over
both the natural and the
man-made. There exists
in our world men and
women of power either
emanating from the law
such as the police, judges
and financial muscle as
is found among the rich.
Still another class such
as that of wizards and
witches boasts of ultimate
power. Those who do not
have power find reprieve
in being close to the powerful.
Ecclesiastes
1:9 says
‘That which
hath been is
that which
shall be; and
that which
hath been
done is that
which shall
be done:
and there
is no new
thing under the sun’.
People back then looked
for Sophia as we do today.
Solomon himself when
accorded an audience
with The Almighty asked
for Sophia you can read
the account from 1 Kings
3:5-10. James the brother
of our Lord Jesus has this
to say to those looking for
Sophia:
James 1:5: But if any of you
lacketh wisdom, let him ask
of God, who giveth to all
liberally and upbraideth not;
and it shall be given him.
Believe it or
not it is
Sophia that
has been
looking for
you...
Paul in his first epistle
to the Corinthians touches
on these topics also. In
1 Corinthians 1:18-31 he
gives us a distinction
between worldly wisdom
and the wisdom of God
the latter being greater
than the former. The
enabled apostle breaks
it down to us that wisdom
and power are one
- Christ the power of God
and the Wisdom of God.
Paul takes to task the Jews
for rejecting Christ because
he came to them as
a lamb when they wanted
a lion and thy missed him.
The Greeks on the other
hand could not accept
Christ as God and divine
when they heard
that he died
on the cross.
They could
not come to
terms with a
dying savior
and further
more believed
that none
could ever
come back
from Hades
and thus on
the premise
of their much
superior knowledge they
dismissed Paul but others
accepted. You can catch
up with Paul in the book
of Acts 17:16-34. Paul puts
it to us that the search
for wisdom is simply the
searching after of God by
mankind. God is through
Christ revealing himself
to a world that does not
know Him and has gone
after earthly wisdom.
The foolishness of God
is wiser than men; and
the weakness of God is
stronger than men is Paul
recommendation of God`s
goodness. Indeed the wise
man Solomon writing in
Proverbs 8 tells us that
Christ is crying out in the
streets and in the high
places unto men and the
sons of men. Believe it or
not it is Sophia that has
been looking for you. God
has put in each and every
one of us that curiosity to
seek after Him. In verse
35 Solomon concludes that
whosoever finds Christ
finds life and shall obtain
favor from the Lord
indeed John 17:3 says that
this is life eternal that
they may know Me, the
Only True God and Jesus
Christ whom I have sent.
Verse 36 states that he
that sinneth against Me
wrongeth his own soul:
all they that hate me love
death forasmuch as Christ
the power of God and the
wisdom of God is also the
way, the truth, the life and
the victory.
He who hath the Son hath
life and that in abundance.
There remains but only
one question and that
is do you know Sophia?
Simply put do you know
Christ personally? Behold
he is still calling today,
knocking at the door of
your heart, will you open
the door? The son of Jesse
instructs us to taste and
see that the Lord is good
Psalms 34:7. Maranatha