1 Corinthians 2:7
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What does 1 Corinthians 2:7 mean?
But we speak the wisdom of God
Not of men, not of the wise politicians, the learned philosophers
and Rabbins; that which human wisdom has no hand in forming, nor
in revealing, nor in propagating, and which is disliked and
disapproved of by it: the Gospel is the sole produce of divine
wisdom, and in which there is a glorious display of it; even in
those doctrines which are the most charged with folly, as
salvation by a crucified Christ, justification by his
righteousness, pardon by his blood, satisfaction by his sacrifice
in a mystery;
it is mysterious wisdom. The Gospel is full of mysteries; there
is the mystery of God, of a trinity of persons in the divine
essence; the mystery of Christ, of his person, as God manifest in
the flesh, of his divine sonship, and incarnation in the womb of
a virgin; the mystery of the Spirit's grace in regeneration, of
the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the
resurrection of the same body, the change of living saints at
Christ's coming, with many others:
even the hidden wisdom;
the Gospel lay hid in God, in the thoughts of his heart, in the
deep things of his mind, the counsels of his will, and purposes
of his grace; it was hid in Christ, in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge; it was hid under the types and
shadows of the ceremonial law; and is hid in the Scriptures,
which must be diligently searched for it, as for hidden
treasures. It was hid from angels, and from Adam, until revealed;
it was in some measure hid from the Jews under the former
dispensation, to whom it was made known; and in some sense from
believers, under the present dispensation, who as yet know it but
in part; and is entirely hid from natural men, even from the most
wise and prudent among them. This epithet expresses the
preciousness, secrecy, and also security of the Gospel; hidden
things being commonly of value, and being kept secret, are also
safe; hidden and secret wisdom has been always esteemed, both by
Greeks and Jews: hence that saying F21 of the latter,
``he that would be rich in learning of the law, (hnwpu ayhv) (hmkxhw) "and that wisdom which is hidden", in a hidden and secret place, should hide and secrete himself from the children of men.''The apostle adds,
which God ordained before the world.
The Egyptians and Grecians boasted much of the "earliness" of
their wisdom, but neither of them are to be mentioned with the
Gospel for the antiquity of it; it is the birth of God's counsels
of old, the produce of his purposes, which he purposed in Christ
before the world was; a scheme of things he drew in his eternal
mind; it is a transcript of the council of peace and covenant of
grace, which were from everlasting; what the Jews F23 say of
the law, is much more true of the Gospel,
``that it was treasured up with God (they say two thousand years, and sometimes nine hundred and seventy four ages), before the world was created;''and often speak of it as one of the seven things created before the world was F24. Moreover, this was to our glory; under the present dispensation, which by reason of the Gospel has a glory in it surpassing the former; it is to the glory both of the ministers of it, whose honour it is to be employed in preaching it, and in being by it the instruments of converting such who will be their glory another day, and to the glory of all believers who are by it called to the obtaining of the glory of Christ Jesus.
F21 Caphtor, fol. 81.
F23 T. Bab. Zebacbim, fol. 116. 1. Zohar. in Exod. fol. 20. 4. & 35. 1, 2. & 66. 3. & in Numb. fol. 66. 3.
F24 T. Bab. Pesachim. fol. 54. 1. Nedarim, fol. 39. 2. Zohar. in Lev. fol. 14. 4. Targum Jon. ben Uzziel in Gen. iii. 24.
