Wisdom Incarnate: Lesson 4

Overview

God's Wisdom Revealed in Creation and in Christ

God has not left himself unknown. His wisdom is on display throughout the created order—in the intricate systems of forests and ecosystems, in the miracle of a child knit together in the womb, in the rhythms of weather and seasons. As Paul writes, God's "eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse" Romans 1:19-20. And yet, as God reminds Job, much of his wisdom remains beyond our grasp. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" Job 38:4 is a humbling question that calls us to receive what is revealed and trust God with what is hidden.

Wisdom Made Flesh

For the second-temple Jewish believer, wisdom was bound up with God's revelation through the law. But Christ has changed everything: "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" Romans 10:4. Wisdom is no longer equated with the law—Christ himself is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" 1 Corinthians 1:24. This is the heart of the incarnation: the eternal Word who was with God and was God John 1:1-14 became flesh, fully divine and fully human, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35). The apostles testify to a Word they "heard" and "touched with [their] hands" 1 John 1:1-2. Christ is not plan B; "when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son" Galatians 4:4 at the appointed moment in his eternal purpose.

The Foolishness of the Cross as the Wisdom of God

Origen marveled that the very Word by whom all things were created could be born as an infant and weep like one. Athanasius reminds us that he embraced human nature solely "out of the love and goodness of the Father for the salvation of humanity." Though creation displays God's genius in every ecosystem and cell, the world failed to recognize him there. So God displayed his fullest wisdom in something that looks, to natural reason, like its opposite: the brutal, cursed death of the cross. Under the law, one hung on a tree was accursed—and yet it is precisely by becoming a curse that Christ frees us from sin. This is wisdom that humbles human pride. We cannot build a tower to reach it; we can only fall at the foot of the cross and rejoice at the empty tomb.

Living as Witnesses to the Wisdom of God

If Christ is the wisdom of God revealed, and if God still speaks to us through his Son Hebrews 1:1-2, then our calling is clear. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ—but how shall they hear without someone to proclaim him? Romans 10:13-17. Our righteousness is not in ourselves but in Christ alone, and from that secure place we are sent. Be wary of those claiming new revelation apart from Scripture; God's wisdom is found in his written and incarnate Word. Remain steadfast in proclaiming Christ and Christ crucified, trusting that through this seemingly foolish message God himself creates faith in those who hear.

Transcript

Heavenly Lord, we thank You for Your grace. 3s

We thank You for the love that we have in You. 6s

Lord, we ask that You would use this time of study to grow us in the faith that You have 11s

blessed us with, that You would use this time of study to draw us closer to You so that 16s

we would be ready and willing and eager to run out into the world, sharing and proclaiming 23s

the good news of Christ crucified. 32s

Lord, we thank You for this morning. 35s

We thank You that we are able to be here and for those that are watching online. 37s

Lord, we ask that You would bless their time of study as well. 42s

We thank You and we praise You, lifting all of this to You in the name of Jesus Christ. 46s

Amen. 50s

Okay, so quick, quick recap, a little bit of last week and kind of the whole entity of this. 51s

So we talked last week about how wisdom for the Jewish person, especially in the second 61s

temple period, which was the time of Jesus, that was, the wisdom was found in the revelation 69s

of God, the wisdom of their creator, and it was with their covenant with God. 76s

Let's go to Romans. 82s

Yes, Romans chapter 1. 85s

So this is in the New Testament after the Gospels, after the Book of Acts. 90s

It is the first book, it's the first letter that is in the inscripture from Paul. 95s

It does not mean that it's ordered in that way. 104s

Have we ever talked about that? 106s

How the letters of Paul are ordered? 108s

And it's ordered not by date, but it's ordered by length. 111s

So Romans is the longest letter. 114s

So there you go. 117s

So simple. 119s

Exactly. 122s

But so much is. 123s

It's us who makes it difficult. 125s

Right? 127s

Okay. 128s

So we're going to go to Romans chapter 1 looking at verse, or beginning with verse 19. 128s

For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. 137s

Ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power and divine nature invisible 143s

though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. 149s

So they are without excuse. 155s

So God's wisdom in created order is right before us. 157s

It has always been right before mankind to see the intricacies of how the created order 164s

works. 173s

We're seeing God's wisdom on display. 174s

If we go over to Job, that's in, it's right before Psalms. 179s

So if you go to the center of your Bible and you find the Psalms, just go back one, 186s

or back one chapter, one book, I mean not chapter anyway, you know what I'm saying? 192s

Maybe. 197s

See, we make things difficult. 198s

We, me. 201s

Okay. 203s

So Job, chapter 38, or chapters 38 through 40, really that is where God is answering Job's 203s

demand to understand things. 213s

And I know I come back to this all the time, but it is so incredible and so important in 216s

the grand scheme of wisdom and knowledge and understanding because there are things that 224s

are not for us to understand. 234s

So we can see created order. 237s

We can see how things function and the symbiotic relationships between various systems, even 240s

our own person, you know, our body functions altogether. 248s

And so have you ever been to, this sounds like a dumb question. 253s

Have you ever been to a forest? 256s

So if you go into a forest, you'll see trees knocked down and the root system, but then 258s

all of the little animals or mosses and organisms that are using that root system and using that 268s

tree stump. 278s

But then we also know that the trees take in our carbon dioxide and they, or yeah, carbon 279s

dioxide and then release the oxygen that we need. 286s

So it's this created order has wisdom just right there. 289s

So that's a very theological term. 297s

So but there are various aspects of of created order that we are not invited to know. 301s

So in Job, chapters 38 through 40, this is what God is bringing before Job. 310s

He says, let's look at verse four of 38, where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 317s

Tell me if you have understanding who determined its measurements. 328s

Surely you know on what were its basis sunk. 332s

This is verse six or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and 336s

the heavenly beings shouted for joy. 341s

Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out, burst out from the womb when I made 344s

the clouds and it's garment and thick darkness and it's swaddling band. 349s

He goes on to talk about the storehouses of snow and hail and about when the dough is 353s

ready for giving birth or bringing forth life. 364s

And there are so many intricacies of creation that the wisdom of God is on display always. 368s

But there are certain aspects that we just don't get to know. 379s

And so God reveals Himself in creation. 385s

We can see that there is intention, that there is purpose, that there is design, that there is order within creation. 395s

And as Romans, as our Romans verse there said, that that that has always been before us. 406s

So there is no excuse to deny God. 415s

I remember and I've talked to other people as they're seeing sonograms of friends or family or their own sonogram 420s

and witnessing the miracle of an infant, a child growing in the womb. 432s

And more than once it's been commented to me and I know I've commented at myself, how can anyone see this process or witness the process of a child conceived and growing and then brought forth and not believe. 440s

It is such a miracle. 459s

So God reveals Himself in the created order. 462s

So as Romans says, there no one is with excuse. 469s

But ultimately God reveals Himself in Jesus Christ. 474s

So we know that the Jewish person understood wisdom in the law. 479s

We talked a lot about that last week and the relationship of Yahweh to His people through the law. 482s

Remember how we talked about that righteousness that was through the law and doing the law correctly. 489s

And then Jesus came and said, I am the fulfillment of the law. 496s

Jesus is the fulfillment of the law which then shifts that perspective of wisdom. 502s

Because it goes from law equals wisdom to Christ is wisdom. 511s

And there's a lot, a lot of grace and freedom in Christ being the wisdom of God as the revealed God. 521s

Let's go back to Romans chapter 10. 536s

So again, this is that first letter of Paul's, the first letter right after the book of Acts, right after the Gospels. 543s

So we're going to go to verse 4 or begin with verse 4. 553s

For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. 560s

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that the person who does these things will live by them. 567s

But the righteousness that comes from faith says, do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven. 575s

That is to bring Christ down or who will descend into the abyss. 581s

That is to bring Christ up from the dead. 586s

But what does it say? 588s

The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart. 591s

That is the word of faith that we proclaim. 594s

Because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 598s

For one believes with the heart and so is justified and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 606s

The scripture says no one who believes in him will be put to shame. 613s

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. 617s

The same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 620s

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 624s

Jesus is the self-expression of God. 630s

And we know God the Father because we know Jesus Christ, God the Son. 634s

So now we are going to take a little bit of a closer look at Jesus as the wisdom of God. 643s

So let's go over to the next letter from Paul, which is 1 Corinthians. 650s

1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 24. 655s

To those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. 668s

So Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 677s

And key in understanding Jesus, being the wisdom of God, is really understanding the incarnation. 683s

That is God made flesh. 691s

Or as I was working through this, I also thought it was kind of the flip too. 694s

It's the key in understanding that the wisdom of God is Jesus that we understand then the incarnation. 699s

So both ways it works. 708s

Does that check? 711s

Just yep, it does. 714s

Okay. 715s

Okay. 716s

Okay. 718s

Grin and nod. 719s

Perfect. 720s

I like it. 720s

Okay. 721s

So the whole plan of the ages has the incarnation as its central and most important aspect. 722s

The incarnation is absolutely key. 730s

Just as we talked a few weeks ago about knowing Christ and Christ alone is absolutely fundamental and key in our witness that we have in the world. 735s

And in our understanding of faith, understanding the incarnation, which also is key in understanding Christ crucified and how that is fundamental. 746s

The incarnation is the revelation of God. 760s

It's the revelation of man and it's the revelation of salvation in the plan of God. 765s

The incarnation is key. 773s

It is a key to understanding because it's the incarnation that allows us to really be Christ a centric, to really see the entirety of Scripture in Christ. 777s

We talk about the Old Testament pointing us, leading us to Christ and we have Christ and then we have the church which brings us to Christ. 792s

Okay. 803s

So one writer that I was reading, it was very interesting. 803s

He suggested that the first two chapters of Genesis hint at the incarnation or that it demonstrates that God intended to reveal himself in a human creature that he created man in the image of himself. 809s

I thought that was a really, really interesting thought that I mean, we know that Jesus is not plan B that Jesus before time began. 826s

Jesus was to be Jesus and salvation that we have in Christ was to be. 840s

Let's go to John, the gospel of John. 848s

Actually, let's go, let's work in chronological, not chronological, but biblical order here. 854s

Let's go to Matthew, the first gospel, first book in the New Testament, Matthew chapter one. 860s

And we're going to go to verse 20. 869s

So this is where the angel comes to tell Joseph, don't divorce Mary. 879s

He says, just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 886s

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. 893s

For the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 897s

So we know that there is something right off the bat. 902s

There is something divine here happening. 906s

Let's go to Luke, the first chapter. 910s

Luke is going to be the third gospel, Luke chapter one verse 35. 915s

And this is where the angel is speaking to Mary. 924s

The angel said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. 929s

Therefore, the child to be born will be holy and he will be called son of God. 936s

So here we have that start or a start of understanding the incarnation that Mary, a woman born of the flesh, 941s

is going to have the Holy Spirit overshadow her and she will have divinity. 952s

She will have the son of God within her. 961s

So we have already those two natures, the full divinity and the full humanity of Jesus. 963s

Let's now go to John the first chapter. 973s

This is the gospel of John. 977s

So we're going to go over one more gospel beginning at the first verse. 978s

In the beginning, now this is predating time. 986s

This is in the very beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. 992s

He was in the beginning with God, jumping down to verse 14 and the word became flesh and lived among us. 999s

And we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son full of grace and truth. 1008s

Again, we have that word of God made flesh. 1015s

Jesus is the word made flesh. 1021s

Fully human, fully divine. 1025s

Understanding that. 1030s

Let's go to first John. 1031s

This is towards the end of the Bible. 1034s

If you go to Revelation, you've gone too far so you need to back up just a little bit. 1040s

First John chapter one, same sort of idea here. 1046s

Beginning in verse one. 1053s

We declare to you that we declare to you what was from the beginning. 1055s

What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes and what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning the word of life. 1059s

This life was revealed and we have seen it and testified to it and declared to you the eternal life that was with the father and revealed and was revealed to us. 1067s

So again, John is writing about that word that was with the father then has been revealed to the apostles. 1081s

And so they have the tangible. 1093s

He says we have seen it, we have heard it, we have touched it. 1095s

This living word of God which is Jesus Christ. 1098s

Origin was one of the early church fathers philosophers. 1103s

He was around 185 to 254. 1111s

And I really love this. 1118s

He says of all the marvelous and splendid things about him. 1121s

He's talking about Jesus. 1125s

There is one that utterly transcends the limit of human wonder and is beyond the capacity of our weak moral intelligence to think of or understand. 1126s

Namely, how this mighty power of the divine majesty, the very word of the father and the very wisdom of God in which were created all things visible and invisible. 1136s

Can have entered into a woman's womb and been born as a little child and uttered noises like those of crying children. 1148s

How it was that he was troubled in the hour of death. 1157s

So origin is saying this is one of the most beautiful or a beautiful, a most beautiful mystery that the divine word of God would be born of a woman. 1162s

That the full divinity of God would come forth in full flesh just like you and me and make these crying noises like we do and and be troubled before his death as we would be troubled or as we are troubled before we face or as we face our mortality. 1178s

There was a beautiful explanation that one author had. He said divine wisdom in whom the heavens and the earth are created is now expressed in the cries of a newborn infant. 1203s

God's companion in creation is revealed in the abandoned one on the cross. 1219s

The world had God before them in creation. 1226s

Going back to that Romans verse that he revealed himself in the created. 1233s

So there's no excuse and yet the world did not recognize God in his creation. 1241s

So God displayed his wisdom in the foolishness of the cross. 1252s

I think this is an incredible point to sit with for a moment here. 1263s

So you think of all the, as we were talking about the intricacies and how all of the various aspects of creation and the various systems and ecosystems and even our own persons, how our systems work to function as a complete whole. 1270s

And you have all of this laid out before you all of this which is greater than what we could ever figure out. 1289s

We can spend lifetimes. There are people who spend a lifetime studying how the systems work together. 1300s

That is smarts. That is wisdom. That is incredible. That takes some real genius. 1311s

And yet the world does not recognize the genius, the wisdom of God in this mind-blowing, systematic, integral world. 1321s

And so God in his wisdom, he reveals the fullness of his wisdom for us to understand in something that is completely upside down or backwards. 1343s

Which is the cross, a brutal, agonizing, humiliating death that according to Jewish law showed that this man was a curse. 1361s

If you were hung on a tree outside of the city, you were a curse. 1381s

But it's through being a curse that Christ frees us. It's through being a curse that Christ dies taking our sin from us. 1387s

We can explain how the water system works. 1415s

I'm thinking of those little models that you have the pictures of, you know, in the evaporation comes here and comes to the clouds. 1422s

And then it rains and then it goes back into the ocean. And I know that's a really, really condensed version. 1431s

But we can, what? Okay, effective, excellent. 1438s

But we can understand and explain to the best of our abilities those things. 1444s

And yet the full wisdom of God in the incarnation, him taking on flesh, him living the life that is perfect according to his holy and perfect righteous law. 1452s

Him taking that perfection to the cross and dying. 1465s

And that is where our sin is placed. 1472s

That does not make sense to the rational or reasonable brain. 1479s

And yet that is the wisdom of God. 1488s

And I think part of that is because if we can explain it all, then we're going to be like the people at the Tower of Babel, right? 1494s

Let's go ahead and fill the tower so we make a name for ourselves. 1505s

But God uses what is not reasonable for us. 1511s

What doesn't make sense according to natural law, to show his superior, Almighty and sovereign will and control. 1517s

And we can't do anything but fall at the foot of the cross or dance at the empty tomb because we know that our sins are forgiven. 1534s

There's never a time when wisdom did not exist because there was never a time when the word did not exist. 1551s

Going back to that gospel of John in the beginning was the word. 1560s

It is not just in the beginning when time began. It is pre-existent. 1565s

Before there was a beginning, there was God. 1573s

And God was Father-Son-Holy Spirit. 1577s

So the word was with God and the word was God. 1581s

There was never a time when the word did not exist. 1586s

But there was a time when the word was to be made flesh. 1590s

There was an appointed time when the word was to be made flesh. 1595s

If you go to the letter to the Galatians, so we're going to Galatians chapter 4. 1600s

So if you go back from the first letter of John, back towards Romans, but before you get to Romans, if you get to the Corinthians, then you need to go back a little bit. 1607s

Or forward a little bit. 1621s

Galatians chapter 4 verse 4. 1623s

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as children. 1627s

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son. 1641s

There was an exact appointed time for Christ to enter into creation. 1646s

There are various reasons why that could be so. 1654s

I don't want to go down that rabbit trail right now, but understanding that the word is eternal, that the word existed before existence. 1660s

And there was an appointed time for the word to enter into creation in the flesh, that is Jesus Christ. 1672s

Athanasius said, he embraced human nature for this reason only. 1680s

Out of the love and goodness of the Father for the salvation of humanity, he has saved the world through the very word who first brought it into existence. 1687s

God has saved the world, redeemed the world through the word that he used to create. 1700s

We read again and again in scripture how all things were made or came into being through the word that God spoke and there was light. 1710s

There were trees, there were people. 1721s

God spoke and life came into being, creation came into being. 1725s

God sent the word, the word became flesh, took on flesh and redeemed the world. 1731s

So what does it mean? 1742s

Because we're always asking these questions. 1745s

What does it mean for me to follow Christ in my life and in this place? 1747s

Considering what we started talking about today with the incarnation. 1752s

And next week when we're finishing this adult ed series, we're going to dive deeper into this, the incarnation and the wisdom of God. 1757s

But what does it mean for me to follow Christ in my life and in this place? 1770s

Well Christ is the word of God and today God reveals himself through his word. 1774s

So Christ is the revealed word of God. 1781s

Let's go to Hebrews. 1783s

So this is after the letters of Paul. 1786s

So if you find your, yeah, Paul, if you find yourself through the, through the T-books or T-letters, you're going to find yourself at Hebrews. 1790s

Hebrews chapter one. 1801s

We're looking at the first two verses. 1804s

Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets. 1809s

But in these last days, he has spoken to us by a son whom he appointed air of all things through whom he also created the worlds. 1814s

Again, here we have the word of God being brought forth, the word of God that God speaks to us. 1823s

He spoke to prophets prior to the word being made flesh. 1834s

And today he speaks to us through his son, through his word. 1841s

We have his holy scripture and we are spoken to by God through his word today. 1847s

So there are, anytime you hear of a modern-day prophet, little tingly censors should go up. 1856s

Okay? 1866s

We're spoken to by his word. 1868s

We know him through his word. 1870s

And what does it mean for us today to be his church in the world? 1875s

Well, first and foremost, we're called as missionaries. 1880s

We are called to serve him and to, to share the wisdom that has been revealed to us. 1882s

We're going to go back to the first, or I guess it was the second Romans, we read, go back to Romans, the letter to the Romans. 1889s

We're going back to chapter 10. 1898s

And I think this is really, really key for us to understand. 1903s

So we talked about, or we read in here, Paul is writing about how Moses wrote concerning the righteousness that comes from the law. 1909s

We talked about how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. 1919s

So that changes from law being the wisdom of God to Jesus to Christ is the wisdom of God. 1923s

He is the fulfillment of the law. 1930s

He is the righteous one. 1933s

And so we come before the Lord claiming righteousness through the blood of Christ and Christ alone. 1934s

We don't have that righteousness in ourselves or for ourselves. 1941s

So, as the righteous before the Lord, that is as children saved, redeemed people of the Lord, what is our role in his, as the church in his world today? 1945s

Looking at verse 14 or beginning at verse 14, actually let's begin at verse 13. 1961s

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, but how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? 1967s

And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? 1974s

And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 1980s

And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news? 1984s

But not all have obeyed the good news. 1993s

For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message, so faith comes from what is heard, 1996s

and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. 2002s

So, what it means for us today to be the church in the world is that we are still commissioned to proclaim Christ. 2008s

We are still commissioned to proclaim Christ and Christ crucified, to proclaim that Christ, 2021s

bully man, bully divine, died for our sins and rose again, so that we have redemption, 2029s

we have righteousness in and through his blood. 2041s

Our job or our role as the church is to keep bringing that word because it's the wisdom of God that we are proclaiming. 2045s

And through God's wisdom, he creates faith in those that hear. 2060s

And he uses us to proclaim so that people can hear. 2066s

It's a symbiotic system. 2073s

It works to his glory. 2078s

It works for his purpose. 2082s

And just like last week, how we talked about, we must remain steadfast. 2086s

Same thing. 2093s

We remain steadfast in the word that we proclaim. 2095s

In the word that we preach, in the word that we share, 2101s

so that we are consistently and constantly turning people, drawing attention, directing right back to that fundamental understanding 2105s

that it is Christ and Christ crucified alone. 2116s