The Only Wise God

1 Timothy 1 : 15 - 17, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. NKJV

God saw a world lost in sin, and instead of judging us and condemning us to eternal torment, He offered His only Son as payment for our sin debt. God's infinite love gave Him the ability to see beyond our faults and failures, and find us of value to Him and His kingdom. 

When Paul wrote about Christ's divine purpose for coming to earth, it reminded him of the work of grace that Jesus had done in Paul's own heart and life. At that moment, Paul realized just how great and supreme our God really is and consequently, he began to praise God.

However, before Paul's conversion, he was a Pharisee in the Jewish religion. He took great pride in knowing God's law and in being able to interpret it. Paul was a zealot for his religion and beliefs; often he would boast about the wisdom he had gained. Nevertheless, when God changed his heart on the road to Damascus, Paul began to experience the wisdom of God. After receiving a divine revelation from the Holy Spirit during his conversion to Christ, Paul made a powerful statement about man's wisdom versus God's wisdom. "The foolishness of God is wiser than man; and the weakness of God is stronger than man." 

It was in his conversion that the blinders on Paul's spiritual eyes came off. For the first time, he saw himself as the wretch that he was before Christ made him a new creation. The more Paul experienced the love of God and His saving grace, the further he witnessed the greatness of God's wisdom. These experiences with his God and Father gave him the ability to articulate how God's wisdom far surpassed both man's and Satan's wisdom. No other place in Paul's writings better depicts this than in 1 Corinthians 2: 8. He tells us, "...which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." In today's vernacular we would say that God outsmarted all His enemies. God knew that Satan deceived Eve and caused man to sin against Him. Nonetheless, even though mankind was blinded by Satan, God was not deceived. 

Before men fell into sin, God had already devised the plan of salvation. In other words, God knew how to "right the wrong."  And, Satan was not privy to the way that God would fulfill His plan to redeem fallen man. In fact, God used Satan to fulfill His plan by allowing him to fill Judas' heart and betray the Lord of glory. By the time Jesus arose on the third day, Satan knew he had been outwitted and overthrown by God's wisdom. 

Do you trust in God's wisdom to see you through the trials and trappings of this world, or do you trust in man's wisdom? The Word of God is the wisdom of God you need for every situation you will ever face in life and in death. When we turn to God's wisdom, and we place our trust in Him, we will have the peace of God that will surpass understanding. You can lean on His everlasting ARM today!

Safe and Secure in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery