Puzzling Out God's Wisdom and Grace

We serve a mysterious God. We don't always know just what it is He is up to. We don't know why He put us on this earth. The self-sacrifice of Christ makes no sense to us. His great love for the often wretched humanity defies logic.

Paul makes note of this mystery in 1 Corinthians 2.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (vs 6-8)

Here we learn not only about the mystery of God's wisdom, but in some small part why He keeps it hidden. In short, we wouldn't know what to do with the knowledge if we had it. He allows us to act out of our own ignorance so that His glory may be fulfilled. As Paul says, if we knew -- if we understood -- what God understands, we would never have crucified Christ. But Christ had to be crucified to fulfill God's plan to free us from sin.

You see, from the very beginning -- with Adam and Eve -- God knew that mere knowledge wasn't enough. Indeed, knowledge could be dangerous. But God tempers His great knowledge with infinite love and grace. Love and grace of which you and I are simply incapable. So yes, he keeps the depth of His wisdom hidden from us, and yet, He also reveals pieces of this great mystery, little by little, through His spirit. To continue Paul's narrative...

However, as it is written:

"What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love Him. These are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except by the Spirit of God." (vs.9-11)

So, because we have the mind of Christ, God reveals His plan, a piece of His mystery, through the understanding of His word.

And, until I have that full understanding, I praise God that He knows all, and sees all, and loves me anyway.