God

God’s Wisdom – Christ Crucified!
(Versus the wisdom of pages 20, 21 in PDL)

If we believe in the authority of Holy Scriptures we should never redefine Biblical words in non-biblical concepts. Let’s give an example. Rick Warren claims on page 20 of his book The Purpose-Driven® Life that we can have God’s wisdom from the Word of God. He then quotes from the Bible a reference regarding God's wisdom in I Corinthians 2:7. Yet on page 21 in describing this “wisdom” he relates about someone who had an “experience” of deity. “Suddenly, all by itself, a phrase appeared: Without God life makes no sense. Repeating it in astonishment, I rode the phrase up like a moving staircase, got out of the metro and walked into God’s light." He then summarizes your purpose (via his book) as you walking into the light. You should have just read a statement in a book on New Age Mysticism. At least you would have known it was New Age Mysticism! But you just read this in a “Christian” book. But it doesn't matter what it is labeled. It only matters if it is truth. God’s wisdom that Paul describes in I Corinthians 2:7 and to which Warren relates on page 20 is the wisdom of the cross! You can read about its wisdom in I Corinthians 1:17-2:2 which is just before the passage he quoted! He had to be crucified because we are sinners! This is the only way we can be saved. And the wisdom of the cross is that God can save sinners in the foolishness of the gospel preached. This wisdom is not that we can decide we need God and we secure the knowledge of God by our walk into the light. Salvation is of God and is based in the message of Christ crucified for sinners.

So does his quote of I Corinthians 2:7 confirm his version of God’s wisdom? He quotes the Message Bible in reference to God's wisdom as the way "his best in us" is “brought out.” Now let’s read the quote from the NASB: “But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory;” Now we read from the King James Version: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:” But the quote in the Message Bible is in reality a misquote of the Holy Word of God! God’s wisdom is the reality of His being able to save us through the gospel message. That is what is to “our glory.” It was determined this way from eternity and it is HIS WISDOM: Christ crucified for sinners! (Again read about it in I Corinthians 1:17-2:2). In our conversion He makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus with a new life from HIM. This wisdom is NOT the misquote noted in the Message Bible. In fact, the Scriptures say that our “old man” (sinful nature) was crucified at Calvary when we were placed “in Christ.” (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6) God did not “bring out his best in us” in crucifying Christ. He forgave us all of our sins, identifying us with His crucified Son on Calvary, and recreating us anew, giving us a new heart.

Unfortunately, you were just taken from the wisdom of the cross to the wisdom of the god of this present evil age. And you probably were not even paying attention since you were reading a “Christian” book. And this reference is only four pages into the first chapter of the book! Instead of entering the door of “Christ Jesus crucified” you went through the door of “humanistic philosophy/mysticism.” And the reality is that the “wisdom” throughout this book is consistent with the example and the misquote of the Scripture sited. And it has nothing to do with the wisdom described in I Corinthians! But we already know this because he left the cross of Jesus out of his “gospel” presentation in the first session of the “40 Days of Purpose” video.

Scripture quotation taken from the NASB (where noted)

Copyright 2004, David Sheldon, all rights reserved. Can be photocopied without charge only in its entirety including copyright information but only for personal use or for use in small groups when leader has agreed to such use. It cannot be edited or altered in any way. Can not be published for profit in any form. Can be linked with title only: God’s Wisdom - Christ Crucified! By David Sheldon www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com/godswisdom.htm

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