1 Corinthians 2:6-11
And we speak wisdom in the ones who are mature – and wisdom
neither of this age nor of the rulers of this age who are rendered
insignificant. But we speak a wisdom of
God that has been concealed in a mystery, which God decided upon before this
age into our glory – which not one ruler of this world has known. For if they knew, they did not crucify the
Lord of glory. But just as it has been
written, “What an eye did not see nor an ear did not hear – and it did not arise
in the heart of mankind – what God prepared for the ones who love Him.” And God revealed to us through the Spirit,
for the Spirit carefully investigates all things – even the depth of God. For who among mankind has known the things of
mankind except the spirit of a man that is in him? Thus also, nobody has known the things of God
except the Spirit of God.
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
Paul speaks about the wisdom of God being a mystery. It is not wisdom in this world. It is not wisdom that important people
teach. It is wisdom wrapped up in a
mystery. God sent His Son so that God
could Himself be crucified by His own creation.
It sounds so stupid when you take that sentence out of the realm of
faith. Who would believe in a God that
would allow Himself to die at the hands of His own creation? That’s why it is a mystery! The only way to truly understand that thought
is through humbleness. The one who can
believe that God would voluntarily subject Himself to death is the one who
understands his sinfulness and his need for Christ. Until we know our need for the love of God as
shown through Christ, God’s action is a mystery that confounds all kinds of
smart people. This happens even into
this day! Look how many brilliant people
in this world cannot grasp the importance of God sacrificing Himself because
they do not wish to see their own depravity.
Do you understand the mystery of why God would come so that
He could die? How do you live out your
understanding of this mystery?
Second Thought:
In the middle of this passage, Paul reminds us of a deep
spiritual truth. This wisdom that we spoke
about in the prior thought was decided before the beginning of the world. God knew we would fall. God knew we would need redeeming. So God worked through Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. God used all of those people – and more – to prepare
the way for Jesus. God worked through
thousands of years of human history to prepare us for His Son. It wasn’t like God was waiting for human kind
to perfect itself; God was slowly unfolding His plan and giving it to us a
little bit at a time so that when His Son came we would be as ready for it as
we could ever be. God’s plan is amazing.
What does this thought reveal about God’s love for us? What does this thought reveal about God’s
patience?
Third Thought:
At the end of this passage Paul makes a really neat analogy
when he talks about what we can actually know.
He tells us that no person can know what is truly in a person’s depth of
their being except the person themselves.
Only I can know the depth of my thoughts, my love, my anger, my joy, my
worry, etc. My spirit reveals those
things to me when I am willing to probe them deeply. You cannot know my depth unless my spirit
reveals it to you, nor can I know your depth unless your spirit reveals it to
me. The same is true with God. If we cannot intrinsically know one another’s
depth of being without having the other person reveal it to us, how can we
possibly know God’s inner being without Him revealing it to us? It is God’s Spirit that reveals God to us.
How does this fit in with what we’ve been talking about over
the last few days? Why is it important
to remember that we can only know God because He revealed Himself to us? How can you get confidence from the idea that
if you know something about God it is because the Spirit of God taught it to
you?
Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Corinthians 2:12-16
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