Saturday 16 October 2021

Two wisdoms

It is thanks to him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, he who has become, by the will of God, our wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1.30

There is not one wise man among you. 1 Corinthians 6: 5

The life and conduct of individuals are regulated by laws and decrees, compliance with which ensures a certain stability in society and enables people to live in peace. In God's people, it is the Holy Spirit who directs us, but Christians run the risk of relying on regulations written by men as well.

The Epistle to the Corinthians deals with order in the house of God and the workings of the body of Christ. Be careful not to read this letter to find a catalog of rules intended to organize common life, like men !

The Spirit of God first presents Christ as the power of God and the wisdom of God (1:24). In the first two chapters, he speaks of the wisdom necessary for the life of the whole, wisdom not acquired in the books, but in a life of communion with the Lord Jesus.

This wisdom, the great of this world, such as the Jewish religious leaders, Herod and Pilate, did not know it (2. 7). They crucified an innocent man. Caiaphas, the high priest, had given his advice : according to him, it was better for Jesus to die for the people, rather than for the whole nation to come into conflict with the Romans (John 11:50). This is where the wisdom of the world leads.

To preach a crucified Christ was incomprehensible ; it was madness, a scandal for the wisdom-loving Greeks. For them, nothing in the gospel satisfied their proud pursuit of knowledge. Now, to enter into divine thoughts, we need to let go of human reasoning and, humbly, let the wisdom above transform our minds.

Of course, we have to study and nourish ourselves with the Word of God. But the Church needs, not people with knowledge that might inflame them with pride, but wise men filled with the love of God who builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). When the apostle Paul speaks of the wisdom of God in mystery, the hidden wisdom (2.7), he emphasizes that it is revealed by the Spirit of God to those who love him (v. 9). This is not wisdom intended for the natural man. It is for those who let themselves be led by the Holy Spirit, who take the time to listen to God every day and who obey him.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)