Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 191 True Wisdom - Part 1 (a series in 1 Corinthians chapters 1-4) 1 Corinthians 1:1-7 ISV (1) From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes, (2) to the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who continually call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours. (3) May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be yours! (4) I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given you in Christ Jesus. (5) For in him you have become rich in every way-in speech and knowledge of every kind. (6) In this way, our testimony about Christ has been confirmed among you. (7) Therefore, you don't lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. The Corinthians were "rich in every way" -of speech and knowledge and spiritual gifts. But as the rest of the epistle shows they lacked in the area of personal holiness. They were tolerating incest (1 Corinthians 5) visiting prostitutes ( 1 Corinthians 6) were drunk at the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 10) and were riddled with schism and factions (1 Corinthians 11) and very badly needed to learn how to love one another (1 Corinthians 13). They were a talented church but not a fully Christ-like church. They had all the gifts but little in the way of character. Recently I was at a bible study of big businessmen and sensed that the study, and the Scriptures were seen as just a "song nicely sung", not real, not relevant, not something that would help them close the next deal. They were well versed in worldly wisdom but God's true wisdom was unable to be grasped. Over the next few days we will look at the differences between worldly wisdom and God's true wisdom in Christ. There is one deal we must all "close" and that's the one with God, the one that settles eternity. Knowing your stock quotes won't have any bearing on that. Knowing the Scriptures and the Christ they point to will. John 17:3 ISV And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent-Jesus Christ. To understand wisdom we have to think pragmatically and long-term. Now the true long-term is eternity, and if we are to "have value" in the eternal realm we must be holy. In this sense the wisest thing we can do is to become like Jesus - for that will bring the greatest reward for the greatest length of time. 1 Corinthians 1:2 ISV to the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who continually call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours. We are sanctified - made holy, in Christ Jesus by being born-again and receiving a new nature which is precious and holy 2 Cor 5;17. We are also "called to be holy" and to live out that new nature in a holy life. This holiness is perfected in community as we learn to love one another and join those everywhere who continually call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours. At the end of our life we will be loved by God and enjoy His presence. We will rejoice in God's salvation and wonder why we so little understood it here in Earth. Then we will be holy and sinless, our sin nature will have passed away with our flesh and the battle with sin will be over "for he who has died has ceased from sin". (Romans 6:7) Then we will understand the immeasurable value of holiness. The saints and the wise shall shine as starts in the heaven forever and ever. Daniel 12:2-3 ASV And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (3) And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Many rich and powerful Christians will be nobodies in heaven but many poor but faithful saints will be exalted:Matthew 19:23-30 ASV And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (24) And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (25) And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly, saying, Who then can be saved? (26) And Jesus looking upon them said to them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (27) Then answered Peter and said unto him, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee; what then shall we have? (28) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (29) And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life. (30) But many shall be last that are first; and first that are last. Worldly wisdom in this life can make us kings and millionaires, but God's wisdom can make us saints with an eternal inheritance of glory. Strangely, it seems that most Christians settle for neither form of wisdom! They don't make much money and they don't get particularly holy. Instead they cling to a comforting pea-soup of notions that takes them nowhere. Wisdom has to be pursued and the biggest enemy of true wisdom is 'received wisdom'. Received wisdom is the wisdom you get without having to think, you just receive it. Its wisdom minus reflection, thought or meditation, it's the conventional wisdom that is picked up from magazines and TV and gossip. Received wisdom can be hopelessly inaccurate. This includes pseudo-science such as "Einstein's Theory of Relativity means everything is relative" OR "The Uncertainty Principle means everything is uncertain". Both of these statements are distortions and exaggerations and neither Einstein or Heisenberg would agree with them. As received wisdom distorts science, it also over-simplifies politics, economics and religion. Thus the "wisdom" of an average person can be a bunch or inaccurate prejudices, old wives tales and ideas about the CIA and Area 51. Yet as mixed up as received wisdom gets it's the backdrop to our culture. We become wise when we start questioning this cultural backdrop and start thinking on our own , genuinely seeking after the Truth. We need to seek out the truth about life, politics, economics and God. The book of Ecclesiastes records just such a search by King Solomon. When the search does not end up with the person of Christ there is a void, which is why Solomon cries out Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 ASV The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. (2) Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. (3) What profit hath man of all his labor wherein he laboreth under the sun? The "meaning of life" is a tough question and as many great people have said - it is not necessarily more meaningful at the top. Kings, presidents, and billionaires have all died in despair. The meaning of life is not found in achievements, possessions, big projects, many wives or social success. The meaning of life is found only in Christ and through Him loving one another by faith. If we are to live a meaningful and gracious life we need God's wisdom, the true wisdom of Christ and the cross. We need insight into life and its depth and into God and His love. With this wisdom, life will start to make sense and we will see it as the glory that God has created it to be instead of a meaningless jumble of frustrations and injustices. Blessings, John Edmiston Were you blessed by Eternity Daily Bible Study? To subscribe just send a blank email to: eternity-dbs-subscribe@strategicnetwork.org Visit the Eternity Daily Bible Study Archives - http://www.aibi.ph/eternity/ Study at the Asian Internet Bible Institute- Free online non-formal, in-service, bible and ministry training: http://www.aibi.ph