A TRUE AND FAITHFUL WITNESS
Are you committed to being a true and faithful witness to the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament Gospel?
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
For More Articles Like This Go To: www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com
(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
For More Articles Like This Go To: www.atrueandfaithfulwitness.com
HOME
Rick Warren
Forty Days: False Gospel
Forty Days: A Closer Look
Forty Days: Which Jesus?
PDL: God's Wisdom
PDL: Exalting the Fallen Creation
PDL: A Purpose-Shaped
Worldview
Antichrist
Will Antichrist Be Revealed
Before the Tribulation?
The Great Harlot
"Mystery" Babylon
"Emerging" Church
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 1
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 2
Church Growth Movement
Schuller, Hybels & Warren
Review of Schuller's "Self-Esteem"
False Apostles, False
Prophets, False Revival
River of Seducing Spirits
Spiritual Warfare Script
Deception of Spiritual Warfare
Flags & Banners...Spiritual Power
Tools?
Davidic Warfare/Worship?
Mystical Christianity?
Tenney's Mystical Deity Chase
Richard Foster: Quaker Mystic?
Willard and "The Way of Jesus"
What Oswald Chambers
Might Have Thought About
Todays "Christianity"
Rick Warren
Forty Days: False Gospel
Forty Days: A Closer Look
Forty Days: Which Jesus?
PDL: God's Wisdom
PDL: Exalting the Fallen Creation
PDL: A Purpose-Shaped
Worldview
Antichrist
Will Antichrist Be Revealed
Before the Tribulation?
The Great Harlot
"Mystery" Babylon
"Emerging" Church
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 1
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell - Part 2
Church Growth Movement
Schuller, Hybels & Warren
Review of Schuller's "Self-Esteem"
False Apostles, False
Prophets, False Revival
River of Seducing Spirits
Spiritual Warfare Script
Deception of Spiritual Warfare
Flags & Banners...Spiritual Power
Tools?
Davidic Warfare/Worship?
Mystical Christianity?
Tenney's Mystical Deity Chase
Richard Foster: Quaker Mystic?
Willard and "The Way of Jesus"
What Oswald Chambers
Might Have Thought About
Todays "Christianity"