“The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.”
Proverbs 3:35 KJV
God promises eternal life to those who love Him. But not just eternal life.
II Timothy 2:10 says, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
If you know Christ as Savior, then you are among the elect, and as part of the elect you will share in Christ’s glory for all eternity.
Proverbs 3:35 states clearly that the wise shall inherit glory and that fools shall only bring themselves shame. How come only the wise will inherit glory? And wise by whose standards? Couldn’t God be merciful to those who aren’t bright enough to make wise decisions, whether they’re mentally handicapped, a slow learner, or simply uneducated?
Man’s wisdom may require a certain level of intelligence, but remember that God’s ways are not our ways, so God judges wisdom on a completely different scale than mankind. And God gives us His definition of wisdom a few chapters later.
Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Eternity is full of the glory of God. And salvation begins with the fear of the Lord. Therefore, all those who fear the Lord are wise, and they will inherit eternal life, and when they inherit eternal life, they also inherit glory.
However, Proverbs 1:7 says that fools despise wisdom and instruction. Since wisdom begins with fearing the Lord, and a fool despises wisdom, then a foolish person actually despises the Lord. The dictionary defines the word despise as “look down on as inferior, worthless, or contemptible.” Anyone who sees God as worthless or contemptible is full of pride and has no desire to seek God. So then why would they come to Him for salvation? They wouldn’t. And without salvation, they will not have eternal life, so they cannot possibly inherit glory. Instead, their foolishness only brings them shame when they’re cast into the lake of fire.