There is hidden wisdom in the Cup. Do you know what the cup is for?
If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, that Jesus rose again from the dead, and if you have confessed and you have declared that Jesus is the Lord of your life, then you are saved, right? But the Scripture says, ‘Who are being saved?’ In other words, ‘Who is being saved by receiving the benefits of salvation?’
Benefits of Salvation
Once you are born again, your spirit is as saved as it’s ever going to get. The Bible says that you and I are to work out our soul’s salvation. The soul being the mind, the will, the emotion. All the power of salvation is the result of the benefits of salvation. Who doesn’t like benefits? It’s like when you get house insurance or car insurance. At some point those benefits will save you, and there are benefits of salvation. In fact, it is the power of God to us! But even though it is the power of God to us, it is foolishness to non-believers.
As we read in 1 Corinthians 1:19: For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
God is saying that by the cross and by what He has done for you, He is going to destroy the wisdom of the world – the people who are educated and intellectual – God is going to destroy their wisdom while we walk in the truth of this message.
We continue to read in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21: Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
We have to realize that God has a plan and He has orchestrated something and in the fullness of creation, He allowed mankind through His wisdom to try and access Him. He gave us an opportunity to find Him through His wisdom only to find out that we can’t do it. We cannot have access to God in our own intelligence.
Stand Only in God’s Wisdom
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” – 1 Corinthians 1:25
There is absolutely no ability to compare God’s wisdom with mankind’s wisdom. There is no way to compare God’s strength with man’s strength.
And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
When Paul wrote this, he was saying that he is not attempting to display his intellect (take note that Paul was a very educated man), yet he said that he made it a point not to give his philosophy and the credentials of his intellect because he did not want the people’s faith to ever stand in his wisdom, but only in the wisdom and in the power of God.
Maturity through God’s Wisdom
He continues in 1 Corinthians 2:6: However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
Paul says that we only speak wisdom to all those who are mature. In other words, he is saying that if people are not mature in Christ, there are certain things that we cannot preach and teach to them. If there are people who don’t know how to live in victory, and walk in abundance, and don’t have the power to rebuke Satan, then they are immature.
There are certain things we cannot preach if people want to stay immature. We want to hear wisdom, don’t we? Wisdom that can only be brought by God to those who are mature.
So ask yourself this: Are you mature enough to receive the benefits of salvation?
