“Get wisdom and understanding.
Don’t forget or ignore my words.”
1 Corinthians 9:27
Wisdom is rare.
Unknown
1 Corinthians 1:20-25
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach
CHRIST CRUCIFIED, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
CHRIST the POWER OF GOD and the WISDOM OF GOD. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Notice how it says that IN CHRIST CRUCIFIED is CHRIST the POWER and WISDOM of GOD. How could this be?
1 Corinthians 2:14-16
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
So how does this wisdom work? How does we attain the mind of Christ? By striving, good works and self-sacrifice? Or maybe all that is required is faith in His finished work?
So you're telling me the simple message of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified contains the mind of Christ?
First of all the natural man is “spiritually discerned”, unable to comprehend the foolishness of the message preached. And according to the verses listed above it looks like we need to take a little trip to the cross! You know that place that is foolishness to the carnal mindset. For the natural man desires nothing to do with this rendezvous. He hates even the mention of a trip to the cross, because at the cross IT IS FINISHED along with his position in the driver’s seat (I was crucified with Christ). For he only looks out for himself and the things of this world. The cross is offensive to the natural man because it condemns him to death. Could that be why scripture proclaims that the teaching of the CROSS is the POWER OF GOD?
I believe to understand this mystery we have to understand that we were CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST. The flesh opposes the reality of our position; along with our enemy. If we continue to carry around with us the affliction of that old tree, we walk in the power and wisdom of Christ. We were not crucified apart from Christ, but with Christ. The cross is freedom from our old self; a freedom UNTO LIFE by the same power that raised Christ from the dead! The spirit of God’s Son is manifested through a GRACE THAT IS SUFFICIENT!! And what grace is greater than the FREEDOM OF CALVARY!! So what’s left when the natural man falls defeated at the cross? Are we not left standing on the MERCY’S HILL? Redeemed by His blood and submerged in a PERFECT FORGIVENESS! Hands lifted to our Holy Father with a JOY UNSPEAKABLE and FULL OF GLORY!! For I can’t find a greater HOPE than what happened on that HILL, because I can’t find a greater POWER and WISDOM than JESUS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED!!
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except JESUS CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
Grace and Peace...
