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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Corinthians 2:6 - 2:9
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The Gospel itself true wisdom:
v. 6. Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to naught;
v. 7. but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory,
v. 8. which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.
v. 9. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
The apostle had said that his Gospel is foolishness according to the standard of this world, but all the while he makes it felt that it is wisdom, God's wisdom: Yet wisdom it is that we speak of among the full-grown, among the mature, that are qualified to understand it, the believers. Let other people decry and condemn the preaching of the Cross as unreasonable, utter nonsense, those whose hearts and minds the Spirit has prepared through faith are able to comprehend its unspeakable wisdom. But it is not a wisdom of this transitory world nor of the rulers of this world that pass away. The wisdom of the Gospel has nothing in common with the results of philosophic study and research, as they are so widely heralded. All the greatness of man's intellectual achievements will share the fate of the secular rulers of this world: they will vanish, their wisdom and power will come to naught. It is rather so that we, Paul and all true preachers of the Gospel, speak the wisdom of God in a mystery; the message of God is a divine secret which only the Spirit of God can reveal, Eph_3:3, which remains hidden and incomprehensible for human reason until God opens up its glories and its power. It is this wisdom which God predetermined before the ages, before the foundation of the world and the beginning of time unto our glory. The entire plan of salvation was determined upon by God from eternity, and its final aim and object, as put into execution by Jesus Christ, is the final glory which shall be revealed to the believers in heaven. Of that glory we have a foretaste and guarantee in the blessings of the Gospel at the present time.
The Gospel-message with all its glorious benefits is intended for all men without exception, but it is realized only in the believers, as Paul shows by the contrast: Which wisdom none of the rulers of this present, transitory world knew; for if they had known it, if they had a proper understanding and conception of its glories, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. If the leaders of the Jews and Pilate had any inkling of the Gospel-truth, of the message of salvation as it was embodied in Jesus Christ; if they had understood and realized the object of His work; if they had been conscious of the splendor clothing the Lord Jesus as He stood before them, then they would not have condemned Him to death on the cross. Note that the appellation "Lord of Glory" is here applied to Christ according to His human nature. "Therefore the Son of God truly suffered for us, however, according to the property of His human nature, which He assumed into the unity of His divine person and made His own, that He might be able to suffer and be our High Priest for our reconciliation with God. " "Therefore that God was crucified and died who became man; not the separate God, but the God united with the humanity; not according to His deity, but according to the human nature which He assumed."
The fact that this wisdom of the Gospel is absolutely beyond the comprehension and understanding of natural man, no matter what learning he has acquired, no matter what position he holds, is substantiated by a passage from the Old Testament: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not come into the heart of man, that God has prepared for them that love Him, Isa_64:4. The passage is taken from the Advent call and Messianic prophecy which attempts to picture the inexpressible glory of the promised salvation. No man's senses can conceive of, no man's mind and heart can comprehend, the glory, the unspeakable bliss which is contained in the proclamation of redemption as it is revealed to those whose heart has received the gift of faith and is turned toward God in fervent love. It is a magnificence of blessing, undreamed of in former ages, unknown to all men by nature, which comes all prepared to the believers. Salvation is not completed by the faith of man, but its wonderful assurances are appropriated. "Not as though we had loved God before did God in His eternal wisdom of love prepare salvation for us, but because He out of pure grace has prepared that of which our reason has no conception or faintest intimation, therefore His love toward us through the evangelical call has kindled love in our believing hearts, and as such that love Him in the obedience of His Word has He revealed Himself and His gifts, the full preparation of our heritage, to us through His Spirit."