1 Cor. 2:6-16
Notice the two main terms Paul uses in these verses: wisdom and spirit. They are not necessarily the same term, but they are intimately related. It seems to me that wisdom is to the Old Testament what Spirit is to the New Testament (see Proverbs 8). OT wisdom seems to be the template for John's logos in John 1. So it seems that Paul connects OT wisdom with the Holy Spirit part of the Trinity. Thus, as Christians, we can know of God through his revealed Wisdom as personified in the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that activates and reveals the power of God's knowledge/wisdom. Thus, if God's wisdom is knowledge, then the Spirit reveals it. If God's wisdom is obedient living, the the Spirit empowers us to live it. The word of God is just another book without the Spirit making it alive. And Paul's humility is totally warranted. He knows that he has no Gospel message without the Spirit of God to reveal this knowledge to him.
Another marvelous truth is this: when the knowledge of God comes into us, it transforms us. Thus, instead of a human mind, Paul can say that he has the mind of Christ. This is so important for all of us to grasp. No longer are we to function with worldy principles or thought processes. It is time for a change in thinking, and we have the mind to do it--the mind of Christ. No more excuses. Let us stand up, strengthened by the wisdom of God, and make choices guided by God's great wisdom. What a great treasure he has made available to us--the very wisdom of God. Adam and Eve fell from grace because they thought they could gain divine wisdom through their own power and wisdom. Now God offers it freely through Christ. What would you give up to have the wisdom of God and mind of Christ in you?
Thank you Father for your gift of wisdom and the Spirit. Indwell me, so that I may see, hear, taste, feel, and smell things as you do. Praise to God the Father, from whom all blessings flow. Let your mind transform mine. Let me become less so that you may be all in all. Amen.
Another marvelous truth is this: when the knowledge of God comes into us, it transforms us. Thus, instead of a human mind, Paul can say that he has the mind of Christ. This is so important for all of us to grasp. No longer are we to function with worldy principles or thought processes. It is time for a change in thinking, and we have the mind to do it--the mind of Christ. No more excuses. Let us stand up, strengthened by the wisdom of God, and make choices guided by God's great wisdom. What a great treasure he has made available to us--the very wisdom of God. Adam and Eve fell from grace because they thought they could gain divine wisdom through their own power and wisdom. Now God offers it freely through Christ. What would you give up to have the wisdom of God and mind of Christ in you?
Thank you Father for your gift of wisdom and the Spirit. Indwell me, so that I may see, hear, taste, feel, and smell things as you do. Praise to God the Father, from whom all blessings flow. Let your mind transform mine. Let me become less so that you may be all in all. Amen.
Labels: First Corinthians, God's wisdom, Holy Spirit
posted by Randy Rogers at
9:52 AM
3 Comments:
Randy,
I enjoyed this devotional and am catching up with the earlier ones.
I can see some of how the two terms are related--'acting with wisdom', a behaviour generally evidenced over time, indicates a 'Spirit led life'. Divinely inspired wisdom(as opposed to worldly wisdom or rationale) would also unveil a keeping within the 'Spirit of the Bible(God's Word, Logos?)'. Is it that Jesus exhibited God's wisdom on Earth(and will yet again, and then again in the Kingdom Come), God rules with wisdom from heaven and the Spirit moves in wisdom among us today?
Randy,
I enjoyed this devotional and am catching up with the earlier ones.
I can see some of how the two terms are related--'acting with wisdom', a behaviour generally evidenced over time, indicates a 'Spirit led life'. Divinely inspired wisdom(as opposed to worldly wisdom or rationale) would also unveil a keeping within the 'Spirit of the Bible(God's Word, Logos?)'. Is it that Jesus exhibited God's wisdom on Earth(and will yet again, and then again in the Kingdom Come), God rules with wisdom from heaven and the Spirit moves in wisdom among us today?
Robert,
Thanks for the kind words and thoughts. I think you are right: a spirit-led life will display the wisdom of God. Furthermore, the Bible, God's written wisdom, will affirm and confirm the lifestyle of someone who is living by the Spirit and in God's wisdom. Sometimes I feel that I oversimplify the depth and strength of these concepts. Wisdom is much more than the platitudes of the book of Proverbs. It is the divine laws of physics that hold together the world we live in. God has placed his knowledge all around us, and that wisdom is what provides order in this world, even if the world seems rather chaotic. The Spirit is more than just moving in wisdom, he is dispening wisdom and helping us to understand God's wisdom as well.
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