1 Corinthians 2:6-13

October 22, 2017

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

Download the bulletin.

Download the Kids’ Korner.

The sermon starts at 16:00 in the audio file.

Or, The World-Upsetting, Glory-Making, Mind-Bending, Freely-Given Wisdom of God

The phrase “little did he know” might be used in a story to give critical information to the reader that is unknown to a key character. This narration takes on a perspective called “third person omniscient.” The author knows more than his characters, and that usually sets up dramatic tension. The readers know that the bridge is out ahead but the semi-truck driver shifting up trying to escape from the bad guys doesn’t.

The apostle Paul is not all-knowing, but he knows far more than the “rulers of this age.” Paul doesn’t have all wisdom, but God has revealed “a secret and hidden wisdom” to Paul while the world saw none of the signs. As he explains in this next section of his letter to the church of God in Corinth, the wise and powerful of the world not only miss what God is doing, they have undone themselves through the very thing they considered their triumph.

Again, Paul is not omniscient, but he is providing voice to the third person omniscient narrator and pulling back the curtain on God’s revealed wisdom. The world is lost, the world has lost. The world has not been the same since the Logos took on flesh, was crucified, and rose again as the firstborn from the dead.

I used to think about the gospel as the good news that because of His work on the cross Jesus made salvation possible for everyone. Then I came to think about the gospel as the good news that because of His work on the cross Jesus secured salvation for all who would ever believe. And now I see that the gospel is also the good news that because of His work on the cross Jesus has turned the world upside down. The nations rage and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord. The wise among men plot their overthrow of God, and He who sits in the heavens laughs. If the rulers of the earth would be wise, they would hurry to kiss the Son and take refuge in Him before they perished. But by continuing to pretend that they are something, that they are men of understanding and influence, they bring their own doom to pass.

These spiritual truths are weltanschauung truths, world- and life-view truths. These spiritual truths are concrete walls against the cotton-candy arguments of the world. These spiritual truths are intended to humble us, yes, and they fortify our conviction in the wisdom of God.

Paul has been painting the contrast between the word of the cross and words of eloquent wisdom since 1 Corinthians 1:17. There is folly and offense, there is power and strength, and which is found on which sideline is not according to the world’s scorecard. Paul himself refused to orate himself into esteem or show off his verbal skills, instead he proclaimed Jesus Christ and Him crucified and let God’s Spirit do the demonstrating of power.

Now in 2:6 Paul explains that the wisdom of God in the word of the cross is a deep wisdom. It is a World-Upsetting, Glory-Making, Mind-Bending, Freely-Given Wisdom from God.

Secret and Subversive Wisdom (verses 6-9)

A well is a simple concept but it can reach deep into the earth. The message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is similarly focused but it is anything but simplistic. The word of the cross is deep, and we’re about ready to see how deep it goes.

In contrast to the “wisdom of men” in 2:5, among the mature we do impart wisdom. Paul doesn’t identify the mature, the spiritual adults, by name (or group), but they are the ones whose faith rests in the power of God. They are the ones who believe the gospel of a crucified Christ and are coming to live in light of the cross. These are any (and should be all) Christians. He’s not setting up a new division in the church made up of the spiritual upperclass; he[...]