"Safe Harbor's" Daily Inspiration

"Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect:
yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world,
that come to nought:
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew:
for had they known it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
1Corinthians 2:6-8

Mystery of God's Wisdom

Mystery has no reference to what we commonly think of as an enigma or with a "who-done-it" ~ that is, a story dealing with the solution of a mysterious crime. It is not something of a secretive quality or character.

The word mystery, as used in the Scriptures, refers to something which was not known in the past but is now revealed. This word occurs about twenty-seven times in the New Testament. Our Lord used it when He said "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. . ." (Matthew 13:11).

The parables that follow in Matthew 13 are the "mystery parables." In them, Jesus explains the direction that the kingdom is going to take in the interval between the rejection of the King and the time when He comes to set up His kingdom. That segment of history was not revealed in the Old Testament, so you see, the Corinthians did not know, for God had not yet revealed that to men. When Jesus spoke the mystery parables in Matthew 13, He was revealing this for the first time. What had been previously hidden, Jesus revealed.

In the Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul says, "God's wisdom in a mystery." Paul fastens on this Greek word, and he says, "We speak God's wisdom in a mystery," but gives it an entirely new meaning. Mystery comes from the word meaning "mouth," and it means to shut the mouth ~ it is something secretive. However, Paul never used it that way. Rather, that which had been silent has now become vocal. That which had not been known and could not be known by human investigation now is known.

Mystery in the New Testament always means something undiscoverable by the activity of the human intellect but is revealed so that human intellect can apprehend it.
"We speak the wisdom of God" ~ Paul says, "We have a philosophy." It is not this age, not of this world, but it is God's wisdom, and it pertains to the cross of Christ. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory."

God's secret wisdom which was hidden was His offer of salvation to all people. Originally unknown to humanity, this plan became crystal clear when Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that He had power over sin and death. God's plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven't heard about it. What are we doing today to help reveal this mystery? Are we sharing the Good News of Christ Jesus as we should?

May you have a blessed day in the Lord, bringing glory to His Holy Name in all you do.