In life, wise people don’t have all the answers. What’s more, wise people know they don’t have all the answers. Wise people know what they don’t know, and they know the value of listening to and learning from other wise people (Proverbs 12:15).

Of course, Jesus is the very wisdom and Word of God (1 Corinthians 1:24, John 1:1-2). Christians certainly ought to listen to Jesus. But that doesn’t mean we only read the “red letters.” In addition to Jesus, the Bible presents us with other wise people to whom we should listen and from whom we can learn. One of these wise individuals is John the Baptist. There is much we can learn from John.

Most people remember John saying things like this:

• “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
• “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
• “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Jesus clearly identified John as a true prophet sent from God (Matthew 11:9), and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy about the return of Elijah (Matthew 11:10). In spite of this high praise, the Bible also tells us that John struggled with questions and doubts. He was uncertain about Jesus’ role as the Messiah, and it seems as if he questioned God’s providence during his imprisonment (Matthew 11:2-3). Still, John, in his uncertainty, did what a wise person ought to do – he asked Jesus for clarification. Jesus, in turn, did what any wise person should do when asked for guidance – he pointed John to God’s Word (Matthew 11:4-15).

So John qualifies as a wise person – someone to whom we should listen and from whom we should learn. With that in mind, I’d like to share my favorite quote from the preaching ministry of John the Baptist. Here it is:

“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” (John 3:27)

Certainly this is true of life itself. In the beginning, God created all living creatures (Genesis 1-2). The New Testament clearly says that everything that was made was made through the agency of God’s Son (John 1, Colossians 1). The psalmist says that God is the fountain of life, and Paul echoed this truth when he preached in Athens (Psalm 36:9, Acts 17:25). Life is a gift from God, and God alone holds the power of life and death.

Certainly this is true of wisdom. As fallen, sinful creatures, we do not inherently posses wisdom, nor can we discover wisdom on our own devices. To find wisdom, we are dependent on God who alone makes people wise. Proverbs 2 clearly calls us to seek for wisdom and ask for wisdom. James 1 echoes this call, encouraging us to believe that God grants wisdom to his people. We cannot be wise apart from the gracious gift of God.

Certainly this is true of blessing. James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of heavenly lights. Blessing came from God in the Old Testament – it was God who promised to bless his people in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 28). Blessing comes from God in the New Testament – it is God who has blessed his people with every blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1). All blessing comes from God and God alone.

Certainly this is true of wealth. Moses reminded the children of Israel that the ability to produce wealth came not from our work ethic or intelligence or determination, but from the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:18). David and Solomon both recognized that wealth comes from the LORD (1 Chronicles 29:12, Proverbs 10:11, Ecclesiastes 5:19). Jesus himself taught this truth in the parable of the talents, and Paul taught this truth to the church in Corinth.

Certainly this is true of salvation. It’s odd how many professing Christians would agree with the previous list (life, wisdom, blessing, wealth) while also insisting that salvation is not the sovereign and gracious gift of Almighty God. Many want to claim some ability to decide or choose with respect to salvation. Jonah, however, tells us plainly that salvation is from the LORD (Jonah 2:9). Passages like John 6 and Romans 9 and Ephesians 1 agree – salvation is a gift.