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The NT confirms this perspective. Jesus alluded to the principle in John 3:13. “No one has ever gone into
heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.” He goes on to insist on simple faith in
him to have eternal life (3:15). The Apostle Paul follows the same reasoning in Romans (10:6-7). “But the
righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to
bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the deep?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Human effort cannot search out true wisdom. Such knowledge is revealed by God. No amount of effort,
even ascending to heaven, can discover spiritual truth. Instead God has given revelation to humans,
taking the initiative even to send his son to explain exactly what he is like.

Proverbs 30:4 is the only clear reference to the Son of God in Proverbs. The point here underscores the
impossibility of living a life of wisdom, the life encouraged from the beginning of the book, apart from
Christ. He not only brings us information but enables us to implement that wisdom. Typical words for
salvation do not occur in Proverbs: to save, redeem, to visit, etc. While Proverbs can have an evangelistic
thrust in frustrating a person trying to live wisely apart from Christ, the book is primarily written for
believers. Both wisdom and folly call, inviting the simple and the wise to choose a distinctive life path.

One passage frequently thought to speak of Christ is Proverbs 8:22-31. The chapter begins and ends with
personified wisdom calling out to the simple (8:5, 32). Yet the description in the middle is so vivid, many
theologians have seen it as a powerful description of the Son of God assisting in the creation of the
world. “I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his
presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind (8:30-31).” Their words are similarly
powerful in explaining the passage.

In this passage we are given a glimpse behind the curtains of eternity. We are thrust
back beyond the ages and taken directly into the council halls of time “before the world
was.” Here we see the embodiment of the wisdom of God – the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory. In His grace and goodness, he hands us a signed self-portrait. We see Him
as the everlasting Son of God, in whom the Father was eternally pleased to dwell. He is
the elect of God who brought daily delight to the Father (Isa. 42:1). At the time of the
transfiguration of Jesus, the Father spoke these words, “This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5).
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The problem with this interpretation has been amply demonstrated down through the centuries. Words
like “brought forth (v. 22),” “formed (v. 23),” and “given birth (vv.
24, 25)” would seem to imply a beginning. If the paragraph is
about the Son of God, then he is not eternal. In the late third
century a group of Christians called Arians, after their leader
Arius, taught that Christ is a created being who God then used to

Figure 55: Creation by love and wisdom

188 LeRoy Eims, Wisdom from Above (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983), 144.
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