Last night’s Bible study looked at the topic of spiritual wisdom (1 Cor 2:1-5). The desire for wisdom was part of the reason for the Fall of mankind (Gen 3:6), but there is a vast difference between man’s wisdom and God’s, as Paul has been expounding in 1 Cor 1:18-25. Human wisdom tends to be arrogant,desiring to know more than God, or even to be God. Wisdom is more than simply knowing facts, but involves applying these things correctly so that life is lived well; human wisdom starts (and ends) without God, but true wisdom starts with God (see Ps 111:10).
Fear of God involves not terror, but respect and awe. It also involves obedience (see Deut 4:1-6). Nowadays, obedience to God is likely to provoke scorn and ridicule, not respect, from others, as people’s hearts are hardened (see Rom 1:22-24). Nonetheless, spiritual wisdom leads to life, and it is imperative to understand life from the perspective of eternity (Ps 90:12), rather than from our own limited perspective. God’s ways and understanding are so much greater than ours since He is eternal, and we do well to heed His advice and commandments, especially when it comes to choosing the way we should live. Paul is adamant that eloquence and sophisticated marketing techniques are not the way to salvation. Christ crucified demonstrates God’s power and wisdom to us in ways that defy logic and reason but which are God’s appointed means of salvation. Despite being a gifted orator and undoubtedly intelligent, Paul chose the way of God-dependence to reach the Corinthians with the message of salvation. That is truly wise, but will always leave us in fear and trembling, for our lives must rest not on human wisdom but on God’s power. As the Message version says, what truly matters is ‘first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.‘
This version goes on to say ‘your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.‘ Manipulation, particularly of the emotions, is always a popular method of appeal; we are in the middle of a general election campaign in the UK, and p0liticians are especially adept at this. God does not manipulate us, however. His wisdom is pure and peace-loving (see James 3:17-18), showing us not only how to know things but how to live well, getting along with people and loving them. (see 1 Cor 8:1) We need to be soaked in God’s Word to know God’s mind, but even the devil knows Scripture, as the temptations of Jesus make plain (Luke 4:1-13) Spiritual wisdom helps us not only to know God’s Word, but to apply it correctly so that we live well.