The Mystery by Amy Clark

On one of Paul’s missionary journeys, he went and preached in the city of Corinth. Corinth was a major trade city in Greece. Greece at the time was a main economic, cultural and societal hub in the then known world. Greek wisdom and Greek rhetoric were revered, and it was popular to be eloquent and deeply philosophical.

Paul entered this scene with a very different message: he preached that all have sinned and all have fallen short of the glory of God, and that Jesus has rescued and redeemed us from this sin-induced death if we choose to believe in Him.

This message was foolishness to the Greeks (1 Cor 1:23) because it didn’t puff up any intellectual egos. Paul did not present the message with “excellence of speech” (1 Cor 2:1) because he knew that “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:25). He deliberately presented the gospel as plainly as he could because of the context he was preaching in.

Just as God wrapped His Son in human, perishable skin, He likewise wrapped His precious & powerful message of salvation and redemption in the “message of the cross which is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18), to the one the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. (2 Cor 2:15-16).

“We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:7-8

CS Lewis has a beautiful way of looking at this verse as quoted in his book, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, “though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.”

Christianity is not illogical and foolish as the Greeks saw it, but there is a veil across the message. There is mystery to it, perhaps even a hiddenness, but God has called us to be stewards of that mystery! (1 Cor 4:1) It is not for human minds to understand and interpret but we have the Spirit of God within us to discern these mysteries (1 Cor 2:12) and we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) to disseminate these truths. What hidden gems await us as we turn to Christ, the source of all wisdom and truth. God alone is wise (Romans 16:27).

We, earthen vessels are called to house the treasures that Christ has bestowed on us (2 Cor 4:7). Oh the grandeur, oh the splendour, oh the humbling of it all. God says that He never chose us for our wisdom, for our looks, our intellect, our position or power. He chose “the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise and [..] the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty […] that no man may glory in His presence.” 1 Cor 1:27-29

No man can steal His glory. He will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is in the center of everything that we do whether we acknowledge it or not. Let our lives live to give Him glory. Let our words be few. Let us kneel before our Maker.

Holy, Holy, Holy. The angels cry. Holy, Holy, Holy. Our dead hearts awakened to bring You praise. Holy, Holy, Holy. You are Holy, Mighty God.

There is none other.

Glory be to this God that we serve.

Holy is His name.

Love to you all

Amy Clark