“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
Verses 19-25 give three reasons why we cannot trust man’s wisdom:
Scripture, vv 19-20
Finiteness of reason, vv 21
Spiritual issue, vv 22-25
Paul now gives the second reason we cannot trust man’s wisdom—his finiteness. Man, in man’s capacity, cannot know God.
For since, in the wisdom of God,
The word “since” means in as much as. The idea is “in as much as the reality of God’s wisdom is a different domain than the wisdom of men.” This is the attestation for verse 20—where are man’s answers?
All human philosophy operates in the realm of the finite soul, not in the realm of an infinitely wise God—an omniscient God. Both philosophy and science rest on man’s capacity to understand with his finite brain. God’s wisdom is omniscient or limitless, encompassing both time and eternity, both space and beyond space (that which is transcendent). That kind of wisdom demands that humans depend on God to know about eternity and everything transcendent (beyond time and space). God’s revelation is humbling for man. Most men do not want to submit to the wisdom of God.
the world through wisdom did not know God,
In the realm of wisdom, the world could not know God by employing human understanding. The only way anyone can know God is by supernatural means; because He is transcendent, He must reveal Himself (1:18-2:16). Finite wisdom breaks down in its attempt to know God; it is utterly futile for finiteness to find infiniteness.
PRINCIPLE:
God determines how men come to know Him.
APPLICATION:
If people come to know God, they can only know Him by His revelation. No one can become a Christian solely from Adam’s apple up; the Spirit of God must intervene on their behalf. Neither can anyone become a Christian without information. It is the nature of divine information—God’s revelation of the gospel in the Bible—whereby a person can come to know God.
No one would know God if He did not reveal Himself. Since God is infinite, no one can know Him by finite means. God reveals Himself by nature, the person of Christ, and the Word of God.
All human philosophy and ethics revolve around the finiteness of man. Man’s ethics demand that he comply with the human standard, but no universal norm exists to determine that standard. That is why man is trapped in a plurality of ideas with no universal truth to help them reach universal conclusions. They are, therefore, locked into relativism. Everyone has their philosophy and opinion, but no one has an answer.
Christianity depends on God to reveal Himself. It is a system of faith based on unadulterated grace from God to show Himself in Jesus Christ, in nature, and in the Word. There is no merit in operating on bootstraps.
The only way to reach infinite (absolute) truth is through an omniscient God who reveals Himself. Finite man must depend on God for God to reveal Himself. Man is not autonomous, so there is no sense in asking him to come to God independently of God. If the Bible is true, man must humble himself to accept God’s grace in showing Himself to man.
Satan’s system is an organized system that pivots around the autonomy of man. Man wants to hang onto his system independent from God. This belief is kosmos diabolicus—the satanic system that seeks wisdom about God independent from God. God’s system is entirely different. His truth transcends time and space, so only He can give us the truth about Himself.
I've always thought that people who choose to worship other gods simply don't know the grace of God, but kosmos diabolicus says that everyone is looking for the wisdom of God. Some aren't consciously aware that all answers come from Him, but it will be revealed to all that He is the One who is all-knowing. Everyone is searching for something; we all know more is out there. Unfortunately, some choose to believe the lies that the enemy sets in front of them. God is omnipresent; he's in people around us and nature. I believe that God makes himself evident to everybody in their lifetimes. Whether we accept His grace or not is up to us.
I was hearing the sermons and meanwhile something automatically came in my mind, it is 1 corinthians1:21 and immediately i typed it and got this page.I firmly believe this is the guidance of the holy spirit to teach me the only way of knowing GOD THE INFINITE through his wisdom alone.
Subhash, God uses people to teach His Word. First and Second Timothy and Titus say that it is the role of the pastor to “teach” their congregation. However, the church member is responsible to search the Scripture to determine whether what is taught is true (Acts 17:11).