1 Corinthians 2:6-13
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
God’s Mysterious Wisdom Is a Secret Worth Sharing
Do you know the term “Zeitgeist”? It’s German for “the spirit of the age.” In other words, there is a certain atmosphere to the world we live in that varies from one generation to the next. Without fail it seems that the outgoing generation sees the upcoming generation as the downfall of human civilization with its loud music and questionable life choices. At the same time, the upcoming generation often sees the outgoing generation as the cause for all its inherited problems.
It is a classic “grass is greener” kind of scenario – “If only I had been in charge, if only everybody thought the way that I do, everything would be better.” But it also highlights the constant change that takes place – fundamental, ideological changes, seismic activity in the way that people see this world.
You can take any one issue and see it from multiple perspectives. Take political correctness as an example. One might say that if you’re overly concerned with being politically correct that you’re being a “snowflake;” you’re so frail and dainty that the slightest misuse of a pronoun can trigger you, which is exhausting and seems totally unnecessary.
On the other hand, if you go back through and watch old TV shows or movies it is appalling when someone throws a word like “retarded” or “gay” around as if having a mental illness is something to joke about or being homosexual means that you are repulsive and unwanted.
Are there merits to each perspective? Of course! People can be too sensitive and take offense where none is meant – making a mountain out of a molehill. But people can also be ignorant and insensitive and cause real trauma without realizing or caring. The Zeitgeist, i.e. the “spirit of the age,” is likely going to determine where you fall. In other words, we are each a product of our time, and we could go on down the list of hot button topics to prove it. Tell me how you feel about things like climate change and pipelines and whether you like Billie Holiday or Billie Eilish, I can make a pretty good guess as to when you grew up because of the Zeitgeist that you reflect.
We can see that played out within this room. If we were to poll everyone on all those topics, we wouldn’t all agree on everything. And that’s OK! Because this is not a Zeitgeist club. We are not here because we agree on policy, protests or presidential candidates. We don’t all share the same spirit of the age. But we do all share the same Spirit of our God who speaks the wisdom of God, and that’s a totally different thing.
Paul is careful to differentiate between the wisdom of this age and the wisdom of God. What people consider to be wise today will not be true tomorrow. That’s why it is call the wisdom of this age, because it doesn’t reflect what people thought was wise 100 years ago and will be thought foolish 100 years from now. The wisdom of this age is trendy. Its popularity may make it appealing and you may feel left out if it you don’t echo popular sentiment but trends change; fads fade. Intellectual, influential leaders have their day in the sun, but, as Paul says, “the rulers of this age… are coming to nothing.”[1]
Or, as Isaiah puts it, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”[2]
God’s wisdom is unlike the wisdom of this age because it endures. Yesterday, today and forever it is the same, which is especially good news for you when Paul says, We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for your glory before time began.”[3]
Our God is so personal! It’s not like we coexist with him in this universe, as if we are cosmic accidents that don’t matter to him. No, even before he created this world God had you in his heart. Talk about a mystery, right?
How can we even begin to understand that? The whole “before time began” line just makes my brain want to explode. But to think that before he made the sea and the land or put the stars in the sky, God wanted to glorify me, just as he wanted to glorify you.
I wouldn’t have guessed that from my life! Not that I lead a horrible life by any stretch of the imagination, but I have my problems and struggles. There are things that make me want to scream out in frustration or cry silently into my pillow at night. It doesn’t feel like I’m on the fast track to glory.
Worse, though, there are the insecurities that come from introspection – when I look at my life I don’t always like what I see. I’m haunted by the guilt of things I did years ago and ashamed of what I’ve allowed myself to do and think and say in these last 24 hours. Why would God want to glorify me? Why would God destine us for his glory before time began?
It’s a mystery that would have remained hidden from us forever if God hadn’t revealed it to us by his Spirit, but that’s the great thing about mysteries, right? The reveal! Like a good mystery novel or suspense movie, God reveals his love for us so that the lightbulb can go off and we can begin to understand, if only in part, what God’s wisdom means for us.
It’s unlike the wisdom of this age because it’s unconcerned about what’s trendy or popular. He’s not primarily concerned about pipelines or traffic patterns. It’s your soul that matters to him, because even though you weren’t there with him before time began, you will be with him after time ends. You have an eternal soul and God cares so much about your eternal destiny that he sent his Son to a world that would not recognize him.
God sent Jesus at a time and place in history when the rulers of that age were blinded by their sin. They could not see that Jesus was the Lord of Glory, so they bowed to mob mentality, they capitulated to the cries of the crowd and they crucified the sinless Son of God. Jesus didn’t deserve to die. God says we deserve to die for our sin, but in his mysterious wisdom God destined Jesus’ death to mean glory for you and me. In his wisdom, God sacrificed his Son to save sinners, and promises what Paul repeats here: “’What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no mind has conceived’ – the things God has prepared for those who love him.”[4]
Not only has God planned for our salvation from eternity, but he is preparing for our life with him in heaven for the rest of eternity, and our puny little brains can’t begin to imagine what glories await us there. The God of heaven and earth, who created all things and keeps this world spinning day after day, year after year, cares about you and your eternal wellbeing.
The wisdom of our God truly is mysterious, but it is not hidden from us anymore. It has been revealed to us in his Word. We couldn’t have gleaned the truth of God’s grace or his plans for our glory on our own. He spoon fed them to us by his Spirit. And that makes a difference in the way that we interact with the wisdom of this age, doesn’t it?
I don’t know about you, but I know that I’m often tempted to jump into the fray and get my 2 cents in. When someone asks my opinion on something from the news or a particularly contentious debate, even if I can stay composed and keep my cool in the moment, I still find that walking away I wished I had thrown that barb in or completely destroyed their argument with this line of thought.
But notice what Paul says to the Corinthians. So much of this short section of his letter is about God revealing his secret wisdom to us. We couldn’t have read God’s mind. Only the Spirit of God knows what God is thinking. But thank God that he has shared that with us so that we can know the love God has for us.
So much of this section of Scripture is about receiving God’s grace, and yet, Paul repeatedly says, “we do speak a message of wisdom;”[5] “we declare God’s wisdom;”[6] “this is what we speak.”[7] As important as it is for you to know and receive God’s love for you, it is also important for you to speak it – to let God’s wisdom flavor your words in this world, i.e. to explain “spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”[8]
It’s easy to jump into the fray and get dirty in our discussions about politics and pipelines, music and half-time entertainment, but as Christians who have the eternal perspective of our lives that God does for us – he who planned for our glory before time began – we declare the wisdom of God. We don’t descend into personal attacks or insensitively assert our opinion without recognizing the weight that our words have on others.
Instead, as we communicate with each other we seek to reflect God’s Word and his wisdom; what does he have to say on the matter? We recognize fellow sinners who – like us – often get caught up in the spirit of the age, but who need to know what God has freely given them. We commit ourselves to the study of Scripture so that the Spirit can teach us spiritual realities and so that we can declare the wisdom of God to this world.
May he, who chose us before time began, make us mature and equip us to be spokesmen and -women by the revelation of his Spirit and for the declaration of his love. Amen.
[1] 1 Corinthians 2:6
[2] Isaiah 40:8
[3] 1 Corinthians 2:7
[4] 1 Corinthians 2:9
[5] 1 Corinthians 2:6
[6] 1 Corinthians 2:7
[7] 1 Corinthians 2:13
[8] 2 Corinthians 2:13