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Why this is important: We don’t find God’s wisdom in the popular philosophies that are floating around. This is not about the “success mentality” we hear so much about. This is not about our mission statement.

It is about what the Holy Spirit will reveal to us. It is about know what God wants us to do. It is about hearing God’s living word, right now. We won’t find it lying around on the surface.

May I know God, what He wants me to do and understand that is wisdom.

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. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Master [Lord] of glory. 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”—

 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.[1]

1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Salvation was purchased by the Son, but it was planned by the Father. Those who talk about “the simple Gospel” are both right and wrong. Yes, the message of the Gospel is simple enough for an illiterate pagan to understand, believe, and be saved. But it is also so profound that the most brilliant theologian cannot fathom its depths.

We have good news! Want to know how to be saved? Click here or here for more.

There is a “wisdom of God” in the Gospel that challenges the keenest intellect. However, this wisdom is not for the masses of lost sinners, nor is it for the immature believers. It is for the mature believers who are growing in their understanding of the Word of God. Perhaps here Paul was answering those in the church who were promoting Apollos, who was an eloquent and profound preacher.

Let’s notice the characteristics of this wisdom.

  • This wisdom comes from God, not man (v. 7). This wisdom tells the mature saint about the vast eternal plan that God has for His people and His creation. The wisest of the “princes of this world [age]” could not invent or discover this marvelous wisdom that Paul shared from God.
  • This wisdom has been hidden (v. 7). That is why it is called a mystery, for in the New Testament, a mystery is a “sacred secret,” a truth hidden in past ages but now revealed to the people of God.
  • This wisdom involves God’s ordination (v. 7). This means that God made the plan, set it in motion, and will see to it that it will succeed. The great plan of redemption was not a hasty afterthought on the part of God after He saw what man had done.
  • This wisdom results in the glory of God’s people (v. 7). One of the greatest expositions of this “plan of the ages” is in Ephesians 1. Three times in that passage, Paul explains that all of this is done for God’s glory.
  • This wisdom is hidden from the unsaved world (v. 8). Who are “the princes of this world [age]” that Paul mentions? Certainly, the men who were in charge of government when Jesus was on earth did not know who He.
  • Finally, this wisdom applies to the believer’s life today (v. 9). This verse is often used at funerals and applied to heaven, but the basic application is to the Christian’s life today. The next verse makes it clear that God is revealing these things to us here and now.

For those who love God, every day is a good day. It is a stunning day in paradise! It may not look like a good day, or feel like it; but when God is working His plan, we can be sure of the best. It is when we fail to trust Him or obey Him, when our love for Him grows cold, that life takes on a somber hue. If we walk in God’s wisdom, we will enjoy His blessings.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Co 2:6–10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

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