2. Do you think verses 5–6 encourage the mature Christian to explore non-Christian systems of thought and life? Consider this in relation to evangelism among, say, Muslims and Marxists. The wisdom the Bible is interested in cannot be acquired merely from books, parents and teachers, even if those teachings are rigorously practised. Ultimately wisdom is what God is and we can only attain to it through personal knowledge of him. This is what the Old Testament calls fear, meaning