“Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 NLT
Paul admitted that although he used plain speech when he first came to the new believers in Corinth, he spoke “words of wisdom” when around those he referred to as being “mature believers”. He explained further that the wisdom he used was not worldly wisdom but instead the wisdom connected to the “mystery of God”. Paul described the “mystery of God” as being ” God’s Secret Plan” that we looked at in more depth a few days ago. This plan of course was a secret for many years before Jesus came to this world. Apart from a few hints, the Jews had no idea when their Messiah would arrive, and their expectation of His mission was related in part to the political situation in which they lived. However, the Plan has still some way to go because it includes the Second Coming of Jesus. We have no idea when this will be, although we do know where it will happen and why (Acts 1:11 and Hebrews 9:28).
So why did Paul adapt the words he spoke according to his audience? One reason could have been that his listeners could either have been from a Jewish or Gentile origin. When speaking to Jews, Paul would have used the Hebrew language (Aramaic was the most common in those days) and his discussions would have included many references to Old Testament scriptures. At Ephesus, en-route to Jerusalem, Paul said, “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me” (Acts 20:22). But when Paul finally reached Jerusalem in the Acts 21 and 22 account, he was nearly killed by a Jewish mob who grabbed him, “yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles”” (Acts 22:28). A riot developed so the local commander of a Roman regiment ordered his men to restore order and “then the commander arrested [Paul] and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done” (Acts 21:33). Mayhem ensued so the soldiers took Paul to the fortress, apparently no easy task, as we read in Acts 21:5, “As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him”. But Paul persuaded the commander to allow him to address the crowd and “the commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic” (Acts 21:40). In the first two verses of the next chapter in Acts, we read, ““Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defence.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater.” Then followed his testimony about his Damascus Road conversion. Paul’s words were full of a wisdom influenced by his Jewish upbringing, and because they were addressed to a Jewish audience. In Acts 23 we read the account of Paul brought before Sanhedrin, the High Council, using a wisdom aligned to his knowledge of the Jewish faith.
Regarding speaking to the Gentiles, we see the approach Paul used when addressing the “high council” of the city of Athens. He would have been speaking using the Greek language and we read, “So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about” (Acts 17:22-23). Paul had done his homework and checked out what he could find from the local customs and culture. In both cases, Paul used his cultural knowledge to apply wisdom to the situations he found himself.
But what has all this to do with the “mystery of God”? Jesus could see what was coming for His disciples, soon to become the first Apostles. Matthew 10:16, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves”. Further down the Matthew 10 passage, we read, “When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you“. God’s mysterious plan exposed much about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and perhaps that influenced Paul’s words when he conversed with “mature believers”.
In Hebrews 5 we find some verses that identify the differences between new and mature believers. The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). New believers, such as Paul was addressing in 1 Corinthians, were those who needed to hear “the basic things about God’s Word”. We know that because in 1 Corinthians 1 Paul was addressing believers who had not yet grasped the basics of living in harmony with each other. 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ””. Paul then went on to set out again the Message of the Cross to a quarrelling and factional congregation, who had lost sight of why Jesus had come.
Are we pilgrims now familiar with God’s “mysterious plan”? Would Paul have spoken to us with words of wisdom or would he have once again preached the message of salvation through the Cross to us? It’s a good question because we believers sometimes never seem to get beyond the basics of our faith. We come up against a challenge in our walk with God, and end up taking a wrong turn. But God is so patient, and He gently leads us around the mountain once again, bringing us back to the issue we find so difficult. But however and wherever we find ourselves in our walk along the Narrow Way, we know that God is there with us. He promised never to leave us and forsake us. Ever.
Dear Heavenly Father. We love you and worship You, deeply thankful for each day You grant us. We are especially grateful that You have involved us in Your “mysterious plan” and we pray for Your guidance and assistance in overcoming every obstacles that threatens us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 