Making Know God’s Wisdom
As a student of philosophy and theology, I have come realize that without some tangible application, concepts and ideas can be quite nebulous. One can use synonyms, metaphors, and a series of adjectives to describe the idea, but the meanings can remain unclear and open to a variety of interpretations. Clarity comes when one can see its contextualization in a tangible way. The idea of love, for example, can be confused with lust, possessiveness, charity or even fraternity, but is this its true meaning? Wisdom is another concept that gets misunderstood without some visible application. How would you explain these concepts in a way that you would be sure it would not be misunderstood?
Concepts have an origin; a starting place. Let’s take the concept of Love. Who coined this word? Who originated this concept that is so talked about, yet so misunderstood? The Bible says that God is Love. (I John 4.16) Ok, so God is the source. He is the personification of this concept. He is love. Does that help you understand what love is? Well, not really. It is still a concept help captive in the world of words. From the invisible comes the visible. For any one of us to understand what love is, there must be a manifestation from the source. Only God can make love known to man. I John 3.16 says this: “By this we know love, that He lay down His life for us…” Love became visible through the death of Jesus on the cross. Now we can understand it and experience it in our lives.
Having understood this principle of the manifestation of the invisible in the visible, when I read Ephesians 3.10, I was blown out of the water. It says: “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Wisdom, in all its fullness, is made known, or manifest in a visible way, through the church, which is us. This wisdom from above, which was a mystery for ages, now is made known. The Church, the Body of Christ, is the visible manifestation of the invisible. When God wants to reveal His wisdom to this world, He does it through His church. When He wants to show the devil and his dark hordes His wisdom, He does it through His church. This was His plan from the beginning.
The mystery of the Trinity, the 3 in 1, is made known through the church. Many members, yet, one Body; each esteeming the other to be better than himself. The mutual submission, the edifying of one another and the serving of each other all show to the world and spiritual hosts the unity of the Godhead. Love is redeemed from the pit of self-interest and carnality, when the members of the Church lay down their lives for one another. Their sacrificial giving and faithful dedication, show forth the very nature of God. When the Church gathers together, when they lift up their voices in praise and prayer, the heavens open and the presence of God is made manifest. There is nothing made known when one stays home and watches a Christian service on the computer. It is in the gathering together, the assembly of the saints, that invisible is made visible.
You may have had some bad experiences in the Church and have judged her to be in too bad of shape to manifest anything that is of God. But, that is just the point. It is not in her perfection, but in her weakness that the wisdom of God is seen. In our stumbling, we see His strength that lifts us up. In our faithlessness, His unconditional faithfulness and love is made known. Don’t give up on the Church. Be the Church and make Him known
Scriptures to meditate on:
Eph. 3.10 (read it over and over again)