1 Corinthians 2:6-10 ~ 20130421 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
04/21 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Hidden Wisdom; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20130421_1cor2_6-10.mp3
6 Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις, σοφίαν δὲ οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων· 7 ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν· 8 ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκεν, εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν· 9 ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται· Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ὅσα ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. 10 ἡμῖν γὰρ ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πάντα ἐραυνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ.
1Cor 2 [ESV2011]
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Paul is addressing divisions in the church in Corinth. They were caught up in the pursuit of popularity, wisdom, a desire to be in the inner circle of truly enlightened spiritual ones. They wanted to be on the right team, following the right teacher, seeking the approval of men. The pride that lay at the root of these divisions was what had blossomed into so many other problems in this church.
Up to this point in his letter, he has pointed them to the foolishness of his methods and his message. In 1:17, he says he refused to employ 'words of eloquent wisdom' in order to avoid emptying the cross of power. In 1:18 he declares that the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. In 1:19-20, he argues from the Scriptures that it was God's intention to destroy the wisdom of the wise and make foolish the wisdom of the world. In 1:21 since God cannot be know through human wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe in the foolish message that we preach. In 1:23 he calls the content of his message, Christ crucified, a stumbling block and folly. In 1:26-31 Paul points to the foolishness of the believers in Corinth to demonstrate that God chose foolish, weak, low, despised nothings in order that no human being could boast in his presence. In 2:1-5, he points to his own methods as weak; knowing nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. He avoided lofty speech or wisdom, plausible words of wisdom, wisdom of men.
All this could lead one to the conclusion that Paul was anti-intellectual, that wisdom is bad, that Christianity is only for the uneducated, and that we should avoid ever learning anything. This would be to totally miss Paul's point, so he clarifies in this passage that the wisdom that we as followers of Jesus have access to is truly wisdom, wisdom far superior to anything this fallen world could ever achieve. He says that it is permanent and not doomed to pass away. He says that it is hidden mystery wisdom that not all have access to. He says that it is God's wisdom, not human, and that it originated before the ages, not recently. This wisdom is intended to bring us glory, not shame. And this wisdom is spiritual wisdom; it comes from God's Spirit, not human sources.
1 Corinthians 2:6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
If we look carefully through Paul's discussion of the foolishness of his message, we begin to see that he was indeed pointing to a superior wisdom. He claims in 1:17 that the gospel of the cross of Christ is power. In 1:18, the word of the cross is the power of God to us who are being saved, in contrast to those who are perishing. In 1:21, it was God's wisdom to save those who believe in this seemingly foolish message. In 1:24 to those who are called, Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and then he says that the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. In 1:30, we see that God made Jesus our wisdom, so that we can boast in the Lord. In 2:1, what Paul brought to them was nothing short of the testimony of God, but he delivered it in such a way as to leave room for the demonstration of the Spirit and power, so that our faith would be squarely seated in the power of God to save and not in any human method or messenger.
Deeper Wisdom for the Mature?
Here in verse 6, he claims that wisdom is what he speaks among the mature. What is this wisdom, and who are the mature that he speaks it to? Many have seen in this passage a level of deeper Christian doctrine taught exclusively among those who had advanced to a level where they were able to receive it. If this is true, Paul is stroking those who have attained this higher level, and saying that he has deeper wisdom for them. This cannot be. This would fly in the face of everything he has said so far. He appeals to them 'that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment' (1:10). If he is now categorizing some of the elite few among them as the 'mature' and privately disclosing to them the deeper doctrines of the faith, then this would be contributing to and even creating the very divisiveness and pride and disunity that he is seeking to dismantle in this letter.
Among the Perfect (v.6)
So who are the 'mature' that he speaks wisdom to? So far in the letter, Paul has divided all of humanity into two categories; those who are perishing and us who are being saved. The word translated 'mature' points to the end or goal, that for which we were designed, the completion or fulfillment. It is sometimes translated as 'perfect' or 'complete'. Remember how Paul addressed the Corinthian believers in the beginning of this letter. He said they are those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints. He gives thanks that they have been given God's grace in Christ Jesus, they have been enriched in him in every way, the testimony about Christ had been confirmed in them, they were not lacking in any grace gift, they were waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, they are being sustained by Jesus to the end, they will be presented guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they have been called by God into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. This is a description of someone who is complete, lacking nothing, who has been brought into the relationship for which they were designed. Hebrews says:
Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
This does not mean they have no room to grow. Paul will begin to address their immaturity in the very next chapter. But here he is looking at their position in Christ in contrast to the wise, the scribe, the debater of this age, the rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing. Don't envy or imitate the wise, powerful and popular, because they are incomplete. And don't look down on your brother or sister in Christ because he or she is complete.
In 2:10, God has revealed these things to us through the spirit. In 2:12, 'we' are those who have received the Spirit from God. In 2:14-16 the contrast is drawn between the natural person without the Spirit of God, and the spiritual person who has the Spirit of God. So the mature or complete or perfect are those who have God's Spirit as opposed to those who do not.
True Wisdom (v.6)
What is this wisdom that he speaks among the perfect? Is this some deeper doctrine? Paul has one message, and one message only. His message is the good news of the cross of Christ, the word of the cross, preaching Christ crucified, knowing nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. This is the secret and hidden wisdom of God, this is the wisdom of God and the power of God to save those who believe. This is what the rulers of this age failed to understand, or else they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Secret and Hidden Wisdom of God (v.7)
How is Jesus Christ crucified for sinners secret or hidden wisdom? It seems that everyone who has heard the name of Jesus knows that he was executed outside of Jerusalem on a Roman cross. How is this a hidden, mystery wisdom? To understand this, we need to know what the bible means when it talks about mystery. A mystery is not something deep or complex or mystical or incoherent. A mystery is something that was hidden, not able to be figured out by humans, but has now been revealed by God and made known. We see this at the close of Romans.
Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
The mystery was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed. The revelation of the mystery is in the gospel and in the preaching of Jesus Christ. It has been made known through the prophetic writings. This is what Jesus did for his disciples in Luke 24
Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
...44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Notice that the disciples are rebuked for being 'foolish and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken'. They were so self-centered and hard-hearted that they could not get it. And for that they were held responsible. They should have been tender hearted and eager to believe, but their self-focus had blinded them to what was written in black and white. Jesus had to open their minds to understand the Scriptures. He had to show them that the prophetic writings were all about him. He said the same to the unbelieving Jews.
John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. ... 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
They were blind to the fact that their own Scriptures so clearly pointed to Jesus. Their problem was unbelief. They refused to come to Jesus to receive eternal life. It was a mystery to them, it was hidden, not because it was too hard to figure out, but their own unbelief had blinded them to the plain truth. In their hard hearts they were unwilling to see.
But this is only one side of the truth. We must also say with Jesus:
Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
God hid these things from the wise and understanding. This was his gracious will. Paul says here:
1 Corinthians 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
They did not understand, and in their ignorance they crucified Jesus, and their failure to understand was culpable, because it was willful ignorance that refused to believe. So they crucified the Lord of glory.
The Lord of Glory (v.8)
This is the most exalted title for Jesus we find in all of the bible.
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!
Who is the King of glory? It is YHWH, the LORD. Jesus is here called 'the Lord of glory'. He is identified with YHWH, God's covenant name in the Old Testament. He is the one to whom all glory belongs. And in their unbelieving ignorance, they crucified their God who had come in the flesh to save them.
For Our Glory (v.7)
This wisdom of God, this secret and hidden wisdom about the Lord of glory, God decreed before the ages for our glory. We, who are the weak, the foolish, the low, the despised, the nothings, we are destined for glory. God created us in his image, to reflect and display his glory. God predestined or fore-ordained the crucifixion of his only Son Jesus before the ages, before the creation, before the fall, to restore to us the glory we were designed to display. Paul wants to be clear that this wisdom of God in the crucifixion of Jesus is no plan B, no patch to try to make the best of an unexpected bad turn of events. This wisdom of God is the same ancient wisdom that was in place before God spoke the universe into existence This is another way of saying what Romans 8:29 says, that we were “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” and “those whom he justified” through faith in the crucified Jesus “he also glorified”. The crucifixion of Jesus was decreed before the ages for our glory, to conform us into the image of his Son.
As It Is Written (v.9; Isaiah 64:4)
Paul references a passage in Isaiah to demonstrate the hidden nature of God's salvation. This verse in Isaiah comes in the middle of a prayer for mercy and confession of sin. A few lines earlier it says:
Isaiah 63:17 O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.
And then he says:
Isaiah 64:1 Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence—
He says
Isaiah 64:3 When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.
God's salvation is unexpected. God's people look to him for mercy, for help, for forgiveness, for judgment on their enemies. Our God is a God who answers in astonishing ways. Awesome things that we did not look for. No eye has seen – no one has first hand knowledge to predict how God will save. No ear has heard – no information was passed down to communicate in exactly what way God would save. The heart of man has not imagined – there is no possible way for us to deduce how God in his wisdom would rescue his people. 'Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down', and who would have ever anticipated that God would indeed rend the heavens and come down, born as a human to an unwed mother away from home, with no room in the inn, placed in a feeding trough for a cradle? Who would have foreseen that God in the flesh would be abandoned by his friends, rejected by his own people, handed over by them to their enemies who found him innocent and yet caved to the pressure of his people who demanded his execution? Who could imagine that he would conquer his enemies by crying out 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Lk.23:34)? Who would have expected the mountains to quake at his presence as he bore the wrath of his Father against our sins and breathed his last, crucified in our place as a dangerous criminal? Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me! 'Tis mystery all, the Immortal dies! Who can explore his strange design? (C.Wesley, And Can It Be). This is a story only God could write. This hidden wisdom of God no man could anticipate. But God has revealed the word of the cross in a way that it comes to us not as foolishness but as the power of God for salvation. This he has done in us through his Spirit.