Bible Thoughts September 26, 1999
"And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God"(I Corinthians 2:4-5).
The wisdom of men, at its best, is fallible. Such "wisdom" changes from year to year because of the weaknesses of men. What is "wisdom" today may not be wisdom tomorrow. This is not a criticism of the proper wisdom of men, but an effort to help us to understand the finite nature of humans.
Paul informed the Corinthians that he did not use the wisdom of men to produce their faith. As an apostle, he demonstrated the power of the Spirit and of faith. Paul could have appealed to and used human wisdom because his educational experiences had exposed him to what men taught and believed in that day. The apostle learned that above all, what is from God is most important to him and to all others.
Mankind has made great strides through the centuries in achieving wisdom to accomplish amazing feats. The healing of dread diseases, the capacity to fly into space, the rapid communications systems of today, and an almost endless list of man's accomplishments. The one ingredient that one must be able to recognize in accepting the wisdom of men: it is subject to change and subject to failure. What is at the top of the list of achievements today may be at the bottom in a few years. The wisdom of men is subject to constant change; the wisdom of God is not.
Our recent experiences with the storms from the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico prove our point. We are grateful to God that we were spared the onslaught of two storms. The wisdom of men assured us that we were on the path as millions of people, including all of us, prepared for the worst. Predictions were just that: predictions. We are grateful for the knowledge they used to warn us--but their knowledge was limited; only God knew what was to happen. The predictions of God come to pass; the predictions of men are only guesses.
The wisdom of men cannot answer the great questions that are often proposed by mankind. Some would tell you they had the wisdom to declare the earth to be millions of years old; that man is a product of organic evolution; that when you are dead--you are dead all over, there is no afterlife; and a huge list of other examples could be produced. Such claims of men are without foundation and only guesses. If man cannot accurately guess the path of a storm, how is it possible for men to say that we evolved from a one-cell creature to be what men are today? If they do not have enough wisdom to accurately forecast for 24 hours, what power do they possess to guess what might have happened millions of years ago?
The wisdom of men is just that: the wisdom of men. Whether it arises in the academic world; the medical world; the political world; or any other human discipline. It is no better than the accumulation of knowledge handed down by previous generations. This writer has the utmost respect for the efforts of those who spend endless hours in research to find a better way for mankind. However, such knowledge is confined to this life and does nothing to prepare one for the next life.
There is only one source for the knowledge that can prepare one for eternity: the Word of God. Man was not present when the earth was created: Jehovah was. Man cannot know, in himself, what is right and what is wrong: only God reveals the standard. Man cannot save himself; only the God of heaven can offer and fulfill the promise of eternal life. Paul said, "But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery; even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: which none of the rulers of this world hath known"(I Corinthians 2:7-8). We should be grateful for all of the human knowledge that has contributed to our comfort and ease, but remember that such cannot wash away one single sin.
When the wisdom of men becomes the standard for Christians and/or the church of Christ, replacing the scriptures left by inspired men, only spiritual disaster can and will result. When the sayings of men replace book, chapter and verse in our teaching and preaching, we are in trouble. Even as this is written, the writer understands his own humanity and the possibility of error, but also recognizes that one is to speak as the "oracles of God"(I Peter 4:11). There are many great discoveries that have been possible through the wisdom of men, but far too few have discovered the truths in the Bible. Man can, in his wisdom, construct a plane that will fly a person to a distant city in a few hours. Man can, in his wisdom, heal diseases that baffled mankind for centures. Man can, in his wisdom, send a message around the world in less than a second. But one thing man cannot do: devise a way to go to heaven. Only God, in his wisdom, prepared a place for a prepared people. The wisdom of God caused Jehovah to send His Son into a sin cursed world and die on the cross. The wisdom of God produced a plan for salvation; the wisdom of God designed and established the church of Jesus Christ. The wisdom of God left a pattern for Christians to follow in all their service to God. Man cannot, in all of his wisdom, destroy the wisdom of God. Through the centuries the Word of God has stood the test of time and of men so that today we can study and obey the New Testament and receive the full benefits of the wisdom of God.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!"(Romans11:33).