Finding Wisdom

Scripture:

1Cor. 2:6  ¶ Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish.
1Cor. 2:7 But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
1Cor. 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Cor. 2:9 But, as it is written,
    “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
        nor the human heart conceived,
    what God has prepared for those who love him”—
1Cor. 2:10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

1Cor. 2:16     “For who has known the mind of the Lord
        so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.

Observation:

We continue on this journey of seeking wisdom and in this passage to the church at Corinth we find the end— it is through the mind of Christ.

Paul is speaking words of wisdom because he has found Christ. Through Christ, God’s wisdom is poured out in the life of Paul. The mysterious becomes known and God’s ways are revealed to humanity. Unfortunately those who are powerful in their own human strength often do not see this because they are clouded by their own egos. The rulers could not see who Jesus was — and so they crucified him. Not only did they lack wisdom — they really appeared to be pretty stupid.

In Philippians 2:5 Paul admonishes us to have the same mind in us that is in Christ. Here, he again refers to having the mind of Christ. Paul has discovered the pathway to true wisdom and this must always point us to Christ. It is only in being united with him that we will discover true wisdom. For wisdom to be found we must have the mind of Christ.

Application:

The challenging question for you and for me is how do we find the mind of Christ? But is the mind of Christ something to be found, or a relationship to be discovered!

God’s grace is constantly reaching out to you and to me and inviting us into an intimate relationship with Christ. This is a unique relationship in which we are invited to fellowship with God, and in this fellowship there is an intermingling, or ever-increasing participation in our Holy God. The more that I participate and fellowship with God, the more I get to know God; I in him and he in me. Through the presence of the Spirit, the mind of Christ can be at work within me, and it is in this that the ordinary human can reflect the extraordinary wisdom of God.

This is the mystery that can be frustrating, at times, to those who have spent their lives in gaining knowledge. How can it be that suddenly an ordinary individual exhibits such extraordinary wisdom? Because the ordinary individual may have spent more time knowing Christ than the academic has. Human knowledge updates their personal library one book at a time. Getting to know Christ connects us directly to the creator of all things. There’s a big difference there.

If we desire wisdom — it can only be found through a deeply intimate relationship with Christ. It is the mind of Christ which becomes, for us, a portal into the deep mysteries of God. Only by humbling ourselves and realizing the limits of our  own sufficiency, following the self-emptying pattern of Christ can we get to know true wisdom, in Christ.  If we seek Christ, we will find Christ, when we seek him with all our hearts — and thus, wisdom.

Prayer:

Lord,  may I live within the relationship of your grace and wisdom.  Amen.