We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-10
In the previous verses, Paul wrote about the message that he brought to the church in Corinth – the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul did not preach with his own wisdom but by demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit in his life.
Now, Paul shares that his gospel message is one of wisdom for mature people (verse 6). The word mature there is from the Greek word teleios, which generally means perfect, mature, finished, or complete. We don’t have a great English word to convey the full meaning of teleios. Here, it refers to those who are spiritually mature. While often this phrase can mean those who have been living out their faith for a while, rather than new believers, that is not likely the context here. The Corinthian church was still fairly new, as was the Christian faith, so not many had been living out their faith for very long! Here, mature refers to those who have the Christian faith, as opposed to those who do not yet believe.
This wisdom that can be understood by believers does not come from this world. It does not come from the rulers of this age, as they are not the true authority figures in God’s kingdom. While we can learn from leaders if they, too, are believers in Jesus Christ, worldly wisdom is not something we should focus on or pursue. Instead, “we declare God’s wisdom” (verse 7). But, then Paul says that God’s wisdom is a mystery.
How can we declare God’s wisdom, when it is a mystery to us? As mere humans, we are unable to fully grasp the mind of God; in fact, we cannot even understand a small fraction of the mind of God. But we know that God has had a plan for mankind before time even began! Even before humans sinned back in Genesis 3, God already knew His plan for our redemption. While some parts of that plan were revealed in the Old Testament, it is explained much more clearly in the New Testament. We can understand the gospel message of Jesus Christ and we declare that truth to others, but God’s wisdom is still a mystery to us.
Paul elaborates on the rulers of this age a bit in verse 8. He declares that none of the rulers of this age understood God’s plan of redemption. If they had understood and known that Jesus was the Messiah, surely they would not have killed him! Paul is referring here to the leaders of the Jewish church – the Sadducees, Pharisees, and teachers of the law – along with the Roman rulers since all were involved in Jesus’ crucifixion.
In verse 9, Paul refers to Isaiah 64:4. When the phrase “as it is written” is used as it is here, that typically does not mean that it is a direct quote, but that the ideas referred to there are from the Old Testament Scriptures. It is not necessarily a formal citation or direct quote. In this specific reference, the ideas of the first few lines are from Isaiah 64:4, but the last line is likely Paul summarizing some thoughts from the Old Testament as a whole.
In this verse, Paul emphasizes that we cannot see, hear, or comprehend the things that God has prepared for us! Paul has been preaching the “hidden” wisdom of the Old Testament, showing how all the promises and prophecies that God set up had been fulfilled in Jesus. It is not through any human wisdom that we can understand the message of salvation.
Verse 10 further explains that this wisdom comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. God’s wisdom is only revealed through God Himself, through the person of the Holy Spirit. While Paul was referring to how he and the other apostles had God’s spiritual wisdom revealed to them, we too have access to God’s divine revelation. We have the Bible for us to read, and when we have faith in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit to help us interpret what the Bible says and what God is telling us through it.
The second half of verse 10 shows the extent of what the Spirit can reveal to us: “all things, even the deep things of God.” The Spirit is continually working in the lives of believers who are seeking God and His truth in the words of the Scriptures. Paul explains this concept further in Ephesians 1:17: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”
The main idea of this passage is the contrast between the wisdom of this age (and its rulers) and the wisdom that is revealed to us by God through the Holy Spirit. That distinction is clearly evident in our culture today. A recent Barna survey indicated that only 4% of Americans hold a truly Biblical worldview. Only 4%! Three years ago, that number was only 6%, but that is still a pretty significant drop in just a few years. The wisdom of this age is truly prominent in our society.
What can we do to promote the wisdom of God instead of the wisdom of the age? First of all, we need to make sure that each one of us is truly seeking that Biblical worldview. Unfortunately, there are many places that call themselves churches and leaders who call themselves Christians who pick and choose the pieces that they like of the Biblical worldview, rather than embracing the entire thing. Since we are sinful human beings, we know that Jesus is the only person to ever live that has a 100% true Biblical worldview, but we can strive to get as close to that as possible. For more on what a Biblical worldview is, check out this blog post.
Then, while we are working toward that Biblical worldview in our own lives, we need to share it with others, keeping in mind that we are encouraged to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:11-16). Focus on the gospel message of Jesus Christ and what that means to live it out in our own lives, and share that with others so they too can experience God’s wisdom through the Holy Spirit.
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