We will begin today with a little review. So far we have learned of God’s
incommunicable attributes of being independent, immutable, eternal, and
omnipresent. We have also learned of
some of God’s communicable attributes of being omniscient and omnipotent. Today we will continue with another one of
God’s communicable attributes: that God is all-wise.
[25] Now
to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching
of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept
secret for long ages [26] but has now been disclosed and through the
prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command
of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—[27] to the only
wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Romans
16:25-27 ESV)
I.
Recognizing the Wisdom of the Only Wise God
In this passage, God is called “the only wise God.” We will give attention to other elements
in this passage later, but the majority of our time will be spent focusing our
attention on those four words. Let’s
unpack this description of God and consider why Paul would describe God this
way. The first idea we see here is
simply that God is wise. What does that mean to say that God is wise? The contributors of the ESV Study Bible offer
the following explanation of God’s wisdom: “God
always knows and chooses the best goals and the best means to accomplish those
goals.”[1] To put it more simply: God’s being wise means that He always knows
the best thing to do and the best way to do it. If God is omniscient, as the Bible clearly
teaches, then this must be true.
I would compliment this description of wisdom by
also stating that wisdom is when one’s
perception of reality is in fact reality and they are acting accordingly. Perception
is not always reality, and we can act foolishly at times because our perception
of reality is so far removed from reality.
Furthermore, wisdom goes beyond knowledge, so wisdom must be more than simply
knowing the best goal and how to accomplish it.
It must also be acting
in accordance with that knowledge.
This makes wisdom as much a moral quality as it is an intellectual
quality, for to know the best thing to do and how to do it and then not to do it would be more than foolish,
it would be sinful. Likewise, to know
the best thing to do and how to do it and then to do so would be not only wise,
but also good.
Second, God is not only called wise, but “the only wise God.” Why is God the “only” wise? Let’s consider
again that wisdom is when one’s perception of reality is in fact reality and
they are acting accordingly. God is
ultimate reality and there is no gap between God’s perception of reality and
reality. We could say that only God’s perception of reality is
entirely accurate. Only God sees things as they truly are, and being omniscient, only God truly knows what the best goals
are in any situation and what the best means to accomplish those goals
are.
This is why the scriptures distinguish between the
wisdom of God and the wisdom of this fallen world. [18] For
the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, “I will
destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will
thwart.”
[20] Where
is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [21] For since, in the
wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God
through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. [22] For
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, [23] but we preach Christ
crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, [24] but to those
who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God. [25] For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men.
[26] For
consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly
standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. [27] But
God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is
weak in the world to shame the strong; [28] God chose what is low and despised
in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
[29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
[30] And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom
from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, [31] so that,
as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1
Corinthians 1:18-31 ESV)
The illustration given here in Romans 16:25-27 of God’s wisdom is
God’s plan for the ages through Christ (the eternal plan of God in the gospel).
When Paul contemplates this plan, He is moved to praise God specifically for
His WISDOM. He says this “gospel” or “preaching of Jesus Christ,” reveals the mystery that has been kept
secret for long ages. It discloses what
God has been pointing to in the prophets: that the nations are being brought
into the obedience of faith through the gospel.
So basically the redemption that God has planned from eternity past and
how God has and is bringing it about makes God infinitely wise to Paul. We
see this exact same progression in Romans
11 (11:33-34), Ephesians 3 (3:1-12), and Colossians 1-2 (2:3).
How does God’s plan for the ages (that centers on
the work of Jesus Christ) supremely display God’s wisdom? Let’s return to our description of wisdom as
God’s knowing and choosing the best goals for history and the best means to
accomplish that goal. Some of God’s
goals for history are receiving the
maximum amount of glory possible and also having a people for Himself whom He can display that glory to and who
can enjoy Him forever. The best
means to accomplish that goal was the work of Jesus Christ on the cross in
God’s wisdom. When you stop to think
about it, the cross kills these “two birds with one stone” so to speak. The work of Christ allows God to be both just
and justifier of the one who believes in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). Attributes
of God that seem in tension with each other are resolved at the cross. God
has a people from a rebellious race without compromising any part of
Himself. Also, the work of Jesus on the cross
not only pays for man’s rebellion, it solves the problem of human rebellion: it
grants new hearts by faith.
II.
Relying Upon the Wisdom of the Only Wise God
It is not enough just to recognize God’s
wisdom. We must also come to rely upon
it. The wisdom of God is the bedrock of stability in a Christian’s life. It is at the bottom of why we can trust God in everything.
There is much to be said about God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and
sovereignty. But it is the wisdom of God
that guides each of these attributes towards the best goal for history and for
each of our individual lives.
So how do we rely upon God’s wisdom rather than
our own? The first way we do is simply
by trusting God in all His dealings
with us. Romans 8:28-29 is either true or it is not: [28] And we know that for those who love God all things work
together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
[29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. God is working ALL THINGS together for His
glory and our good in such a way that to do anything differently would be a
world that was less glorifying to God and worse for us. This means that every trial, temptation,
heartache, sickness, pain, etc. is an opportunity to trust the wisdom of God.
And this is where we struggle! We want to question God’s infinite wisdom
with by our finite perspective. We are
quick to forget the words of Isaiah
55:8-9: [8] For my thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Or perhaps Deuteronomy 29:29: [29] “The
secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed
belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this
law.
A second way that we rely upon the wisdom of God
is by fearing God. This is the consistent message of the wisdom
literature. Psalm 111:10: [10] The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a
good understanding. His praise endures forever!
Proverbs 9:10: [10] The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Thirdly, we rely upon God’s wisdom through praying to God: [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives
generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. [6] But let
him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of
the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] For that person must not
suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; [8] he is a
double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
A final way we rely upon God’s wisdom is by getting into God’s Word. The Bible is the mind of God revealed to us
so that we may learn to trust Him, fear Him, pray to Him, etc. No pursuit of wisdom will yield the fruit
that a serious relationship with God in His Word will.
What stability, what faith, what humility, and
what peace we would enjoy if we would be a people who trusted in the Lord with
all our hearts and leaned not upon our own understanding! May you come to know in trust in the only
wise God today!
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