All this might be assumed to mean that Paul is arguing against wisdom, but this is not the case. He is speaking a different wisdom. Proverbs says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Men who no longer fear God lose their wisdom. It does not mean that everything they say is wrong, but fundamental flaws will appear in their supposed knowledge. As Paul says, the wisdom of this age will come to nothing.
Paul is interested only in God's wisdom. He calls it a mystery, but it is one that has now being revealed in Christ. The great problem was that God created man and the whole of the universe, but everything seems to have gone wrong. Because of sin all God's plans seem to have been negated. In Christ we see God's wonderful solution to this problem.
The rulers of this age includes both earthly rulers (in the form of Pilate and the Jewish religious leaders) and spiritual powers. None of them understood God's plan or wisdom, for they thought that in crucifying Christ they were "getting rid of the problem", whereas all they were doing was helping to fulfil God's plan.
God's plan is beyond human comprehension, it is only by the Spirit that we can see and understand the plan. There are times in our lives when everything looks bleak and we cannot see how things can possibly work out for good. In those times we should remind ourselves that our minds are very limited and cannot see the future. God's plan for us is infinitely wonderful.
No comments:
Post a Comment