June 25, 2004

THE WISDOM OF GOD

"But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24, NIV).

What does it mean for Christ to be the "wisdom of God"? The New Testament meaning of the attribute of wisdom, is entirely different from the secular definition of the word. The Greek word sophia, translated "wisdom," has come to mean applied knowledge or superb ability.

The message of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is the very wisdom of God; all wisdom reposes in Him (see Colossians 2:3). The greatest manifestation of wisdom is seen in the plan of salvation as unfolded in the everlasting gospel. Such wisdom is incomprehensible to the human mind. When Jesus came to earth, He outshone the wisdom of the wisest of men (see Matthew 13:54). In the apostle Paul's quartet of interrelated titles, Christ is called "the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). Everything that happens in God's redemptive plan grows out of God's wisdom. As the wisdom of God, Jesus skillfully orders all things in God's redemptive strategy for the salvation of mankind (see Romans 11:33).

It will take all eternity for the redeemed to begin to comprehend the vastness of the wisdom of our incomparable Redeemer. Indeed, "Christ is the wisdom of God. He is the great 'I Am' to the world. As we contemplate the glory of the divine character as revealed in Christ, we are led to exclaim, 'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!' This wisdom is displayed in the love that reaches out for the recovery of lost and ruined man."--Signs of the Times, December 12, 1895.

My Prayer Today: Lord, I seek no other wisdom but that which proceeds from Christ. Amen.