Jesus is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30 and Colossians 2:3)

In Luke 11:49, Jesus called Himself “The wisdom of God.” Paul wrote, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God…Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30, Colossians 2:3). Read or listen to this chapter from the Work and Rest God’s Way Family Guide to learn why Jesus is the wisdom of God.

Table of contentsJesus Is Wisdom IncarnateJesus Is Wiser Than SolomonJesus Is Wiser than the TeachersJesus is the Wisdom of the Book of ProverbsQuestionsFootnotes

Saying our children need the gospel is saying they need Christ. Work and Rest God’s Way and the accompanying Family Guide are meant to help you point your children toward Christ by giving them wisdom. Giving your children biblical wisdom is giving them Jesus because Jesus is the wisdom of God.

Consider these verses:

1 Corinthians 1:24—To those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:30—You are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Colossians 2:3—In [Jesus] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Luke 11:49—Therefore the wisdom of God (referring to Jesus) said, "I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute."

Notice, it doesn’t say some of the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Jesus. It says all the treasures of wisdom are hidden in Him.

Jesus Is Wisdom Incarnate

When God became a Man in the Person of Jesus Christ, it was as though wisdom itself became a man; wisdom was incarnated. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This refers to Jesus, and then John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Greek word for word is logos, which captures the Greek idea of divine reason or the mind of God. When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the wisdom of God became flesh and dwelt among us. Since the wisdom of God became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ, we see wisdom manifested in Jesus’ life.

Jesus Is Wiser Than Solomon

It’s easier to appreciate Jesus’ wisdom if it’s contrasted with the wisdom of others. There were wise men in the Old Testament, such as Joseph and Daniel, but it doesn’t mean much to say Jesus was wiser than they were because they were not considered the wisest men in the Old Testament. That title belongs to Solomon, a man whose very name is associated with wisdom as much as Job’s name is associated with suffering. God told him, “I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12).

There had never been anyone as wise as Solomon, and there would never be anyone as wise as Solomon. “Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt” (1 Kings 4:30). Solomon went on to write most of Proverbs, which is the book of wisdom. When you’re the human author of the Book of Wisdom, you’re wise, but Jesus said: “The queen of the South will rise up in judgment against this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). If God told Solomon “nor shall any like you arise after you,” how can Jesus say He’s greater than Solomon? Jesus is in a class by Himself. While Solomon was wise, Jesus is wisdom.

Jesus Is Wiser than the Teachers

Jesus’ wisdom manifested itself at a young age. There’s almost nothing recorded about His early life. Following His birth, we only have one story about Him when He was in the temple with the teachers (Luke 2:41-51). This account is about—of all things—His wisdom. Two verses serve as bookends: