Paul
the apostle and his companions spoke “wisdom
among them that are perfect”,
however, it was “not the wisdom of
this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nothing”.
In chapter two and verse seven of First
Corinthians, Paul continued his letter by sharing how he
and his companions “speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery”
where we read:
which
God ordained before the world unto our glory:
The
verse begins, “But
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom,...”
Paul began
with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be
written takes precedence over what was just stated “we
speak” or
“tell, utter, emit and articulate” “the
wisdom” or
“the broad and full of intelligence, knowledge of very diverse
matters and skill in the management of affairs” “of
God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “in
a mystery”
or “by or with a hidden thing or secret which is not obvious to the
understanding” “even the hidden”
which means “the concealed or secret kept” “mystery”
or “hidden thing for secret which is not obvious to the
understanding”. Paul and his companions shared God's “wisdom”,
or the “superior intelligence, knowledge and skill”, in a
“secretive and hidden” manner.
The
verse goes on to say, “... which
God ordained before the world unto our glory:”.
Paul
continued with the word, “which God”
which means “that the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “ordained”
or “predetermined, decided and appointed beforehand” “before
the world”
which means “in front of and prior to the unbroken age, perpetuity
of time and eternity” “unto our
glory” or
“toward Paul and his companions' opinion, judgment, estimate and
view”. God foreordained and decided well before the beginning of
the world and time that His “mystery”
would be “hidden”
to those who could not see, hear or understand, but would be “glory”
to those who could.
When
we think through these words from Paul, we should rejoice if we
understand and believe the “mystery” of God's “gospel
through Jesus Christ”. He “foreordained” before time began
to conceal this message to those who were “blind” and “deaf”
to spiritual things. Only God can open the eyes and ears of people to
understand His “mystery”, and Paul and his companions were
chosen to share this “secret” with the people of Corinth. God's
“wisdom” through His Son Jesus is not conventional, and
when we share the “good news of Jesus” with others, some may
understand and others will not. Oh the marvel of the “intelligence,
knowledge and skill” of our Eternal God.
Next
time Paul shares how“none
of the princes of this world knew” the
“wisdom”
of which he spoke,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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