“…but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
but to those who are called,
The “called” stands in contrast to those who do not know God by their own methodologies. “Called” means effectually called so that they actually became believers (Mt 22:14; 1 Co 1:1-2; Ro 8:30).
Both Jews and Greeks,
People of any stripe find God by God’s means.
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The name “Christ” is in the emphatic position in Greek—”Christ and only Christ” is the power and wisdom of God. Christ is God’s answer to salvation. Christ is the means whereby both Jews and Greeks can connect with the power of God and the wisdom of God. He and His work is the highest expression of the power and wisdom of God. God’s power and wisdom originate in His eternal counsel and decree.
Ro 11:33-34, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
PRINCIPLE:
There is self-sufficiency in God, but there is no self-sufficiency in man.
APPLICATION:
Christ is the personal instrument of our salvation. God’s wisdom and power extend far beyond the finite capacity of man to comprehend. God’s power and wisdom can only be found in and from God because it comes from His eternal counsel before the world began. God’s plan centers on the person and work of Christ. This plan so transcends man’s capacity to understand that God does not attempt to stoop to man’s method for determining truth. God uses His own plan. Since God’s capacity is infinite and man’s capacity is finite, there is no way a man can fully comprehend God, so God reduces His plan to the simple message of Christ crucified.
Acceptance of the death of Christ for the individual is the beginning of the plan of God for the individual. The believer understands God is perfect and can only accept perfect people in His presence. No one is perfect (Ro 3:10,23), so God declares believers perfectly righteous because of the death of Christ for every sin, past, present, and future. God’s plan is, therefore, based on His essence and character. That is why it is foolish for a finite man to figure it out.
Dr. Grant,
This is something rather peculiar that the JWs bring up. They say equate "Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God" with Proverbs 8, especially verse 22, where it says "the LORD has created me". One site I say said that Jesus was wisdom personified, but they mostly used apocryphal sources to back it up, so I'm not sure of they thinking. However, do they have a point; are they right in using this verse to equate Jesus with wisdom personified in Proverbs chapters 1-9, or is this just another classic case of reading something into the text that's only alluded to, and not really there? Thanks as always!
oops. *One site said…
they also correlate wisdom with Christ being the Logos, but is this illegitimate as well?
Jakob, there is no indication that this verse refers to Christ.