THE WISDOM OF GOD

The church in Corinth was a church divided by its devotion to human philosophies and human leaders. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul reminded them in the first five verses of chapter 2 that he didn’t come to them using big words and persuasive arguments. Instead he chose to focus on the Gospel and allow the Spirit of God to work in great power in their lives.

The Gospel, which Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead, was Paul’s message and it is to be our message.

· In His death, Jesus bore the penalty of our sins;

· And in His resurrection from the dead; He secured for us eternal life (Roman 6:5-11).

In 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, the apostle Paul emphasized two points:

1. God’s wisdom is NOT discovered through human effort
The Corinthians placed so much emphasis on their wisdom and ability to discover the meaning of life through their ability to reason. But the reality is this, the more value that man puts on his wisdom, the more foolish he becomes. The Bible tells us in Romans 11:34, “Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” The point is that God is so exalted above man that we must acknowledge our dependence upon Him.

The apostle Paul explains it this way in . . .

1 Corinthians 2:6–9 (ESV) – “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”

In the first part of verse 6, Paul says, “Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom.” There are some who take what Paul says here to imply that there is a wisdom that is reserved for those who are super spiritual. But the context points to the mature as being those who have put their trust in Christ for salvation. It is to the followers of Christ that Paul imparts wisdom.

The wisdom that is from God is “is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”

The Corinthians were proud of their intellect, but Paul says here that God’s wisdom is . . .

· “Is not a wisdom of this age . . .”

This wisdom is of the world.

James 3:15 (ESV) – “This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

· “Is not a wisdom . . . of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.”

These rulers are the people that the Corinthians had put so much trust and confidence in. Paul says that these rulers are “coming to nothing.”

Matthew 11:25 (ESV) – “You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.”

In verses 7-8, Paul says, “But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

The message of wisdom that is delivered to the saints is “a secret and hidden wisdom of God.” This wisdom is not a riddle that man can solve, but it remains hidden until God chooses to disclose it.

In 7b, Paul goes on to say that this wisdom “God decreed before the ages for our glory.” Before time began, God had purposed to bring His people to glory through the wisdom of Christ crucified.

In verse 8, Paul goes on to say that God’s wisdom is unknown to the wise of the world. The crucifixion is proof that they did not have God’s wisdom. In their ignorance they executed God’s Son.

In verse 9, Paul quotes from Isaiah 64:4. He says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

The point that Paul is making is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of man cannot know or comprehend God’s wisdom. But to those who love God, He has revealed His wisdom.

Man cannot come to God on his own; but God has come to him. Paul tells us that God has sent His Spirit to reveal His wisdom.

2. God’s wisdom is revealed through His Spirit

The Holy Spirit has revealed God’s wisdom through revelation, inspiration and illumination.

· By revelation

The first step of the Holy Spirit’s transmission of God’s wisdom is revelation.

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 (ESV) – “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

In the first part of verse 10, Paul tells us that the only way for us to know and understand God’s wisdom is through the Spirit.

In the last part of verse 10 and in verse 11, Paul explains how the Holy Spirit is able to reveal to us God’s wisdom.

(1) “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”

The Corinthians considered Paul’s teaching to be “milk.” But Paul says that the “Spirit searches everything,” and the message of redemption through the cross comes from the “depths of God.”

(2) “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”

Here Paul uses the analogy that just as the only person who can truly know what goes on inside a person is that person; so only God knows the things of God.

It is for these reasons that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the wisdom of God!

· By Inspiration

1 Corinthians 2:12–13 (ESV) – “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

Inspiration is the process by which God’s Spirit reveals God’s wisdom to us. In verse 12, we are told that the Spirit that we have received is not from the world, but from God. God has actively worked through His Spirit so that we are enabled to “understand the things freely given us by God.”

In verse 13, Paul says that the truths of God are not taught by “human wisdom,” but they are “taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

· By Illumination

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 (ESV) – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

It is possible to read and study the Bible and yet not be able to understand it. The scribes and the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were highly trained in the Old Testament, and yet they completely missed its central message.

In verse 14, Paul says that the natural person . . .

· Is unable to grasp the things of the Spirit, because they are foolishness to him;

· Is unable to comprehend spiritual truths because they do not have the Spirit to illuminate it for them.

In verse 15, we find a contrast between the natural person and the spiritual person.

· The natural person is unable to accept the things of the Spirit, but the spiritual person is able to evaluate God’s wisdom, because the Spirit of God guides them;

· The natural person is unable to comprehend spiritual truth; but the spiritual person is only concerned with God’s assessment of his life.

In verse 16, Paul reminds us that the spiritual person is able to understand the mind of the Lord, because he has the “mind of Christ.”