The revelation of God’s wisdom
Looking at God’s wisdom
It is very deep
It is easy to say I believe in the Trinity
Have you really prayed and meditated upon this?
What about Jesus being one person but having two natures?
There are many things that are a mystery that belong to God
There are things that are revealed that belong to us
We need to Spirit of God to reveal them to us
Bible College does not give us an instant understanding – we need the Spirit of God
The simplest can understand through the Holy Spirit
People only understand the Scriptures (especially the unbeliever) by the Holy Spirit
Paul contrasts the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world
He is worried that the wisdom of the world is infiltrating the church in Corinth
They are acting in the flesh and carnal ways
Favouriting preachers
Division and infighting
Jealousy
People abusing spiritual gifts
A great lack of love
They are not spiritual people – 1 Cor 3:1-3
They were still in their infancy
It was a problematic church
The wisdom of the world is coming to nothing (v6)
The wisdom of God has been revealed by the Apostles in the Holy Scripture (New Testament)
Examples
Remember that you have the mind of Christ
James 3:13-18
The wisdom of the world is demonic – it brings division and unity – not love
The wisdom of God is full of unity and mercy
Paul is speaking to the mature Christians in Corinth (v6)
The wisdom of the age
Changes from time to time
Can be hard to define
The wisdom of one society might differ in another society
Shaped by the media,
Often pushed by people with agendas
The wisdom of God
Does not change (like man’s wisdom)
It is perfect
The wisdom of man
Looks only at the physical issues – the problems & solutions are man made
E.g. wealth creation
However, wealth creation has never solved man’s problems
Quote from author
Cannot transform our world
The manifold wisdom of God is found in the Church and the Scriptures
Through the Holy Spirit
The Apostles were moved by the Holy Spirit to write the Holy Scriptures
The problems of the world is in corrupt human nature
The solution is found in the gospel – the forgiveness of sin and transforming individual lives
Ultimately – it is God’s wisdom that is really transformative
Rom 16:25-26 – the revelation was hidden – now revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ
1 Cor 1:21, 30 – Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God
Col 1:26 – the mystery now revealed to believers
Eph 3:4-5 – the mystery now revealed to the prophets and Apostles
This wisdom is revealed for our glory (v7)
That we would become the image of God in Christ
The rulers were ignorant of who Jesus Christ was (v8)
People today through their intellect cannot find God
They crucified the Lord of glory
The wisdom was revealed to the apostles (v10)
To be passed on to us
The Spirit reveals God’s truth to our heart – He is our Teacher
The Spirit searches all things – even the deep things of God
We don’t know people’s minds
No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (v11)
Example
We must pray for light and understanding
Men teach but the Spirit leads us in all things
God’s wisdom has been freely given to us (v12)
Ps 119:97-100 – the understanding of God’s word is linked to obedience
Ps 111:10
We must obey the word of God
The whole Scripture must be taught by the Holy Spirit (v13)
We must understand the plain things
We must compare spiritual things to spiritual things
The Apostles were comparing spiritual things to spiritual things
Using human devices without the Holy Spirit will not be beneficial
The unconverted will not receive the things of the Spirit of God (v14)
It is the Spirit of God who reveals things
The converted judges all things – in the Spirit (v15)
They are judged by no-one
We must remember our position in Christ – explanation
No-one knows the mind of God (v16)
We have the mind of Christ
Explanation
Closing Remarks