December 30, 2010

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:17)

It was Thomas Edison who once said, "we don't know one millionth of one percent about anything." Even someone who has devoted their entire life to studying something, and who is considered the premier expert in their field, probably really doesn't have command of all the idiosyncrasies surrounding their area of expertise. As complex as anything in this world is, that "anything" is still just the creation. How much more complex and deep is the creator of the creation! "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things." (Romans 11:33-36) It's obvious that if we humans can't even get a tip of the iceberg grasp on anything in the creation, that we will certainly never be able to wrap our minds around the complexity of the creator of the creation. But the good news is that the Holy Spirit uses the Good News and the Word of God to reveal no less than than all the wisdom and knowledge necessary for our eternal survival. Remember what we are told in the closing words of John's Gospel? "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31) We have the written words that we may have life in His name. We have the "...Holy Scriptures, which are able to make [us] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15)

Without the Holy Spirit however, the Holy Scriptures themselves would be nonsense to us - the Scriptures would be but foolishness that requires discernment that's beyond our comprehension. Luther had it right in his explanation to the 3rd Article of the Creed, "I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." Or think of what the Apostle Paul wrote, "No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3) Without the Spirit, we would have no understanding or be able to conceive or percieve the message of the wisdom of God. (here comes a big chunk of Scripture - avoid the temptation to skim over it - allow the Spirit to use these words, "so that you may know him better") "We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2: 6-15) Thanks be to the Holy Spirit who has opened our eyes and minds, and who has revealed to us just what we need to understand about the out of this world wisdom of God!

Yes, none of us now know even a fraction of one millionth of one percent of the wisdom of God, but because of the work of the Spirit and through faith, all of us know one hundred percent of what we need to know to be prepared to share in the inheritance waiting for we who are God's holy people. Knowing enough however, shouldn't hinder our hunger for learning more, because the better we get to know Him and the more we grow in the knowledge of Him, the stronger our faith will become. While we are in the flesh and while we are in the world and while the devil is doing his best to find a way to devour us, our faith needs to be as strong as possible so that we may endure, moving forward day by day towards the perfection of fully knowing God, which we will experience when we begin to enjoy our inheritence in heaven. May God "fill [us]with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that [we] may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that [we] may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified [us] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light."(Colossians 1:9-14) My prayer for you (and for myself) for the new year is that God would continue to "give [us] the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that [we] may know Him better!"

O Holy Spirit, thanks and praise
in this new year we render,
For you have led our eyes to see
Your truth in all its splendor
And thus enkindled from above
within our hearts true faith and love
And other Christian virtues. (CW 72:3)