The Wisdom of God and the Wisdom of the World

Man cannot find out God by his own wisdom.  In fact, God has decreed it so for he tells us that “in the wisdom of God the world by (its) wisdom knew not God” (I Corinthians 1:21).  It could not be any other way for how could the eternal God, infinite in wisdom and understanding, somehow be discovered and known by the “wisdom” of finite, sinful man.  After all, the LORD through his prophet Isaiah tells us “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). It is clear that if this God is to be known in any way by his creation, then he must condescend to make himself known.  Praise God, this he has done in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, and his gospel.

This gospel, i.e., that “Christ died for ours sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (I Corinthians 15:3-4) was not well received. The preaching of this gospel was “to the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness” (I Corinthians 1:24).  The Jews stumbled over it because the Messiah they looked for would come to reign and deliver them from Rome; the Greeks found it foolishness because they could not see any of the gods whom they served coming to die for them.

But “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the gospel) to save them that believe” (I Corinthians 1:21).  The wisdom of God is bound up in the person of his Son. To know the Son is to know the Father. Christ declared as much to Thomas just prior to his crucifixion – “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).  For “no man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Again, the writer of Hebrews reminds us that “God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).  God has indeed revealed himself in the person of his Son.

We’ve seen that man cannot know God by his own wisdom.  It is impossible for a blind man to speak of light.  He simply does not and cannot know.  We’ve also seen that God in love for his fallen creation has revealed himself to man by his Son. He became a son of man that man might become a son of God.  This message, foolishness to the Jews and Greeks, is received by faith.  We find out God not by our own wisdom, but by his revelation.  “He that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (I John5:10-11).

Randy Livingston serves as a chaplain for a local police department. He writes devotionals for his ministry which also appear at his blog, From the Chaplain. We republish this post by permission.

Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash