Craig, if smart = wisdom, and wisdom is a gift that comes "from above (Jas 3:17) then perhaps we could consider "smart" as a fruit. But of course, the rest of that verse from James gets to the core of your point, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere..."
We must be careful, however, to nuance and contextualize Scripture when appropriate. When Paul discusses spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8, he lists wisdom and knowledge as distinct from each other: 'For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit ...'
I think the point of Jr's article is that we shouldn't be 'puffed up' with how theologically literate we are and lord it over others. Satan could outsmart anyone of us theologically; but this has only served to occasion his pride which led to his fall ...
Theological knowledge is well and good (and in short supply these days!). But it must be used rightly which leads inevitably to doxology: 'We are to love God with all our minds, not merely understand Him.' Also, we must remember that 'we come into the kingdom not as scholars or students, but as children.'
'We do not, of course, increase the fervor of our emotions by dimming the capacity of our brains. Neither, however, will we ever bear the fruit of the Spirit if the seed of the Word is planted only in the rocky soil of our brains rather than the fertile soil of the heart.'
Per the ending thought about the relationship between head and heart, we must never allow ourselves to worship our God only from the head up; the act of worship is an all sensory engagement.
Especially in the Reformed community, we have a tendency to outwit theologically our friends and colleagues - even without the mDivs and PhDs appended to our names ... The Hortonian quote here is relevant: Doctrine leads to Doxology (From the head to the heart ...)
Citing Jonathan Edwards, RC Sproul Jr nailed it years ago in his brilliant article for Tabletalk magazine, 'Smart Is Not A Fruit':
Craig, if smart = wisdom, and wisdom is a gift that comes "from above (Jas 3:17) then perhaps we could consider "smart" as a fruit. But of course, the rest of that verse from James gets to the core of your point, "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere..."
Good thought ...
We must be careful, however, to nuance and contextualize Scripture when appropriate. When Paul discusses spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8, he lists wisdom and knowledge as distinct from each other: 'For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit ...'
I think the point of Jr's article is that we shouldn't be 'puffed up' with how theologically literate we are and lord it over others. Satan could outsmart anyone of us theologically; but this has only served to occasion his pride which led to his fall ...
Theological knowledge is well and good (and in short supply these days!). But it must be used rightly which leads inevitably to doxology: 'We are to love God with all our minds, not merely understand Him.' Also, we must remember that 'we come into the kingdom not as scholars or students, but as children.'
'We do not, of course, increase the fervor of our emotions by dimming the capacity of our brains. Neither, however, will we ever bear the fruit of the Spirit if the seed of the Word is planted only in the rocky soil of our brains rather than the fertile soil of the heart.'
Per the ending thought about the relationship between head and heart, we must never allow ourselves to worship our God only from the head up; the act of worship is an all sensory engagement.
Especially in the Reformed community, we have a tendency to outwit theologically our friends and colleagues - even without the mDivs and PhDs appended to our names ... The Hortonian quote here is relevant: Doctrine leads to Doxology (From the head to the heart ...)
Citing Jonathan Edwards, RC Sproul Jr nailed it years ago in his brilliant article for Tabletalk magazine, 'Smart Is Not A Fruit':
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2012/02/smart-is-not-a-fruit/