Odd pairings, aren’t they?! I’m not sure that I’m even that used to putting these sets together. But in a way, they do show a contrast that is important for us. Let me explain:

The first word in the three sets are meant to indicate that we have something outside of ourselves that we can lean upon.
We find security in someone in authority or in a system in our house that keeps us safe.
We have trust with someone that we know won’t fail us.
We have confidence in someone or something working out the way it should.

Now the second word in the sets deal with something we have within ourselves that we can offer to others:
We have wisdom when we choose to do the right thing in a situation
We have knowledge when we know the facts with certainty
We have competence when we are skilled at our tasks.

Yet, with this in mind, it sounds equally odd when Paul, a writer in the New Testament, tells us that we have both our confidence and our competence from God and not by ourselves at all. I think it’s ok for us to hear that we have our confidence from God, but our competence? That doesn’t sound right to us. We like to think we can handle the competence stuff on our own: we can pull ourselves up by the boot straps, we have been to school, we have read our books. Can’t we at least take credit for our own knowledge our own actions even in spiritual matters?!

Well, Paul reminds us that we can’t take credit, because everything is a gift from above. We can’t claim anything is of our own doing because it isn’t ours to claim. The only reason we have faith is because of Jesus. The only reason we have wisdom and knowledge in our walk is because the Spirit has given it to us. The only reason that people come to Christ is because of the work of the Spirit upon their hearts.

Yes, our confidence for the faith we have is found all through God and our competence in that same faith is only God’s also. In the end, it’s about God’s glory, God’s action, God’s work in our lives and in the lives of others, it’s about God providing for everything including our skills. I think that’s the way it should be!

To God be the Glory!
PT