Christ, Our Wisdom
1 Corinthians 1:30
NIV - "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption."
KJV - "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."
This verse tells us what God the Father has given us in Christ. Christ is our wisdom. The New International Version defines wisdom by the three words that follow, that is, righteousness, holiness, redemption. I would like to use the King James translation which lists four gifts in Christ.
Wisdom is the way God sees the world as both created and yet fallen. We recognize that we are spiritually sinners and are separated from God.
That leads us to Christ our righteousness who was our Substitute upon the cross. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
Christ is our sanctification in that He works in each of us by the Holy Spirit to bring us into conformity with God's standards for our lives. Three means of experiencing this are Bible reading, prayer and church attendance. Since I can no longer attend church or hold a book, my wife reads four or more chapters of scripture each day. But I can and do pray and I listen to every sermon on the Peoples Church website as well as other series.
Christ our redemption refers to our resurrection as it does in Romans 8. This is the greatest of all hopes since we will dwell with Him in perfect bodies in the new heaven and the new earth forever. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. This is the Christian's destiny. Christ our redemption.
(Originally published in the church bulletin Feb. 1, 2015.)