WISDOM AND THE CROSS

WISDOM IN THE CROSS

But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us WISDOM and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption…1 Corinthians 1:30 (KJV)

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the POWER OF GOD. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)

The crucified Christ is to us power and the WISDOM of God. To them that perish, it is foolishness. Redemption of the lost race of man to put back or conform to the image of Christ was kick started through salvation, while other things like justification, sanctification and glorification follows

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where [is] the wise? Where [is] the scribe? Where [is] the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?  For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians 1:19-21 (KJV)

God brought Christ into the world by His Wisdom. But through the wisdom that the world had, they did not receive the Christ. [God came to His own and they did not receive Him - John 1:11]The kind of Messiah [Military leader or ruler], that they had in mind was not what God sent. The foolishness of preaching of the cross of the Christ saved those that believed. Christ came in the volume of books to establish the pathway of salvation so that both the Jews and the Gentiles can be saved.

For the Jews require a SIGN, and the Greeks seek after wisdom… 1 Corinthians 1:22 (KJV)

The Jews were continually seeking for a sign from God. They saw Jesus multiplied the bread and turned around and seek for a sign. They said that Moses gave them the bread from heaven, but Jesus said that the bread in the desert did not come from Moses, but from His Father. He then said that He was the bread that comes down from heaven. That was God’s Wisdom that talked to them, but they did not receive nor understand it. The world’s wisdom could not understand that He could say that He would die.

But we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is WISER THAN MEN; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:23-25 (KJV)

AS FOR myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2 (Amplified)

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save JESUS CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED. 1 Corinthians 2:1, 2 (KJV)

Paul was a learned man and could speak with excellence of words. The power and the wisdom that he came to preach the crucified Christ was exceptionally different and he became all things unto all men that he can win them to Christ. We must learn what the crucified Christ means. Our focus must also be “Christ and Him crucified”. For where there is no cross, there is no redemption!

And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are PERFECT… 1 Corinthians 2:3-6(a) (KJV)

Paul says in three epistles that wisdom is spoken perfect saints. Then he keeps on talking to perfect people. We all struggle to be perfect. Wisdom speaks to perfect people, but you’ve got to understand what that Wisdom is. We try to be perfect after worldly wisdom and not after the Wisdom of God. When God calls us to perfection, He speaks His Wisdom to us, He also impart us with the Spirit of Wisdom so that we can be all be perfect and go from one level of perfection to another. That is why we speak wisdom without the embellishment of human wisdom, philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches the willing and the mature in Christ spiritual things and they are spiritually discerned or understood.

Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to NOUGHT…1 Corinthians 2:6 (KJV)

The princes of the world are revering to principalities and the devil, but they are brought to nothing. Jesus brought to nothing the one that had the power over death [Hebrews 2]. There is a worldly power that was with worldly wisdom, but they were brought to nothing. We were in bondage because of that, but Christ set us free when He nullified them on the cross. Now He could stand up and say that He is here with the children God gave Him. Wisdom will be justified by her children. The crucifixion was wisdom and the justification comes in the acceptance of that sacrifice without reasoning it out. Everything revolves around the Christ that was crucified and that is the justification.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a MYSTERY, [even] the hidden [WISDOM], which God ordained before the world unto our glory…1 Corinthians 2:7 (KJV)

Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world and was foreordained for it.

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have CRUCIFIED the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:8 (KJV)

God wants to give us more than enough, because Wisdom is justified by her children. 

The wisdom and power of God is the Christ that was crucified. If the princes knew that wisdom, they would not crucify the LORD. In the crucifixion, the more than enough is about to hit the children with this blessing. If you can justify the cross, carry your own cross daily, and make the CROSS the only word of wisdom that you speak, you justify the wisdom of God and will have more than enough.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the DEEP THINGS of God. 1 Corinthians 2:8, 9 (KJV)

Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom of the glory of God. It is all ours, but the children have to justify, defend and validate the Wisdom. The Gospel is full of mysteries which are hidden wisdom; there is the mystery of God, of a trinity of persons in the divine essence; the mystery of Christ, of his person, as God manifest in the flesh, of his divine son-ship, and incarnation in the womb of a virgin; the mystery of the Spirit's grace in regeneration, of the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the resurrection of the same body, the change of living saints at Christ's coming, with many others.

The Gospel lay hid in God, in the thoughts of his heart, in the deep things of his mind, the counsels of his will, and purposes of his grace; it was hid in Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; it was hid under the types and shadows of the ceremonial law; and is hid in the Scriptures, which must be diligently searched for it, as for hidden treasures. It was hid from angels, and from Adam, until revealed; it was in some measure hid from the Jews under the former dispensation, to whom it was made known; and in some sense from believers, under the present dispensation, who as yet know it but in part; and is entirely hid from natural men, even from the most wise and prudent among them.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” 1 Cor. 2:12 

God has made a revelation of His wisdom that was so hidden and mysterious, the doctrines of the Gospel to the saints now, not only in his word, which is common to men, nor only to his ministers, but to private Christians and believers. The Holy Spirit has given the internal revelation and application of the truths of the Gospel to the souls of men. God’s wise counsels of old concerning man's salvation, the scheme of things drawn in his eternal mind are now revealed in the word and ministered to us just in the same token as it was inspired by the Spirit to the writers of the sacred scriptures. The truths of God need no garnishing by human skill or eloquence, but look best in the words which the Holy Ghost teaches. The cross was the power of God unto salvation, had Pilate and the Pharisees known that, they would not have crucified Christ the Messiah