Wisdom from the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

I.  The Recipients of God’s Wisdom – v. 6a

1)     Wisdom from God vs. Wisdom of the World

1. In the previous chapter Paul spoke tongue-in-cheek about the ‘foolishness of God’ (1:18, 25)
2. Paul will now speak plainly to Christians about the nature of genuine wisdom from God

2)     God’s Wisdom Belongs to the ‘Mature’

1. Mature (teleios) = those who are complete
2. In this context Paul uses the word ‘mature’ to refer to any person indwelt by the Holy Spirit (ie. the ‘spiritual person’ mentioned in v. 15)
   1. In one sense every Christian is already ‘mature’ and complete in Christ
   2. In another sense every Christian is still in the process of becoming what he/she already is

Application:

– Regardless of what the non-believing world says we Christians are not ‘fools’, and the gospel we proclaim is not a ‘foolish’ message – it is divine wisdom from God!

– Do not sell out to the ‘wisdom’ of our culture because you desire to be accepted by those who do not understand or believe the truth.  This was a problem in ancient Corinth and it remains a temptation for us today.

II.  The Nature of God’s Wisdom – v. 6b-10

1)     What God’s Wisdom is not:

1. It does not belong to ‘this age’ (v. 6)
   1. Scripture divides history into two ‘ages’:
      1. ‘This age’ –the world around us in it’s fallen, sinful and broken condition
      2. The ‘Age to come’ – the Kingdom of God
   2. Through Jesus Christ and His Church the ‘age to come’ has already broken into ‘this age’
2. It is not embraced by the ‘rulers of this age’ (v.6)
   1. The rulers/Kingdoms of ‘this age’ are guided by worldly wisdom (cf. James 3:13-18)
   2. The murder of Jesus by these historical rulers is given as proof (cf. Psalm 2; Acts 7:51-53)

2)     What God’s Wisdom is:

1. It is a ‘mystery’ that God ‘has hidden’ (v. 7)
   1. In Paul’s theology a ‘mystery’ is not a puzzle to figure out, but something hidden that is later revealed (cf. Ephesians 3:4-6)
   2. ‘Hidden’ –perfect tense in Greek indicates that the hiddenness of God’s wisdom is ongoing  (cf. Mark 4:10-12;  Matthew 11:25-26)
2. It is ‘predestined’ (v. 7)

• The cross of Christ was never ‘Plan B’ – it is and always has been ‘Plan A’!  (cf. Rev. 13:8)

1. It is ‘revealed’ (vv. 9-10)

• Isaiah 64:4 demonstrates man’s inability to see God’s hidden wisdom in Jesus Christ

III.  The Revelation of God’s Wisdom – vv. 10-16

1)     The Agent of Revelation:  The Holy Spirit (vv 10-12)

1. Nobody can access divine wisdom apart from revelation of the Holy Spirit (cf. Job 28)
2. Only God’s Spirit can discern God’s mind.

2)     The Instrument of Revelation:  Scripture  (v. 13)

• God used the Apostles to impart ‘spiritual truth with spiritual words’  (cf. 2 Peter 1:19-21)

3)     The Outcome of Revelation:  Discernment of Truth

1. Natural Person (psychikos)
   1. Does not accept God’s truth (Rom 3:9-20)
   2. Cannot understand God’s truth (Eph 4:18)
2. Spiritual Person (pneumatikos)

Has the mind of Christ (v. 16 cf. Isaiah 40:13)

Application:

– The Natural Person cannot ‘reason’ or ‘think’ their way into God’s Kingdom.   Christianity is ‘faith seeking to understand’, not ‘understanding seeking faith’.

– God’s Spirit speaks through God’s Word to create saving faith in the hearts of the ‘called’ (cf. 1:22-23, 26-28).  Share the Word of God boldly and pray that the Holy Spirit will enable lost people to see and believe!