Day 62: How is Christ Our Wisdom?
1 Corinthians 1:30–31
“And because of Him (Father-God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Everything we have has been given to us. This is true for life in general but especially true when talking about our spiritual lives. Father-God has worked in Christ through His Holy Spirit to do everything for us that we could not do for ourselves in order to make us whole and holy.
Before we talk about all that have been given to us “in Christ,” it is important to understand more deeply all that Christ has done for us—all that He has sacrificed and provided to make us whole. We discussed some key things that Christ did for us in our first study unit, Discovering The Way. In this phase, we are going to continue looking at more ways Jesus has provided a whole new way of life for all of us who trust Him.
WORDwork:
1 Corinthians 1:30–31
“And because of Him (Father-God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Explain what Paul means by, “because of Him (Father-God) your are in Christ Jesus.”
What has Christ Jesus become “to us” according to this passage?
If you will remember, one of our key phrases that we use throughout this whole study is, “Father-God working in Christ through the Holy Spirit.” That one statement sums up how the Lord-God is working for, in, and through us in salvation. In this study we will see that because of Father-God’s choosing and calling, we are now “in Christ.” He is the One who initiates toward us.
Now that we are “in Christ,” He—Jesus—has become everything to us. In this verse, He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. These are the truths we are going to focus on this week that will lay a foundation for the rest of the study.
Christ Jesus is our wisdom, because “in Him” we discover Father-God’s way of doing things. His ways are not our ways. His wisdom often seems counter-intuitive. But now that we have the ability to know Him deeply in Christ we have access to His true wisdom. Part of that wisdom involves understanding His process of salvation.
What Is the Process of Salvation?
Take a look at the following verses and think about what they are saying about “when” we are saved:
Ephesians 2:8–9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. {ESV}
Romans 13:11
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. {ESV}
There are Three Aspects of Salvation
In the verses above, Paul seems to be saying that we “have been saved”—it is already done—but also that salvation is yet future; it is coming and is nearer now that when we first believed. In order the understand this we need to understand that the Scriptures present the process of salvation from three perspectives. Take a look at the following chart:
As we think about this process of salvation, it is absolutely critical that we understand the goal of this process: to make us like Jesus! Now Father-God is not making “clones” of Jesus; we will be who we are personality wise, but in virtue we will be like Jesus—thinking, desiring, acting in ways that are only good and righteous.
In faith, we look back to see what Christ has done for us to make the means of our salvation complete and finished. In hope, we look forward to see that our complete and full salvation will not be experientially complete until we are fully conformed to Christ’s image. But this future reality is made certain because of the faithfulness of Father-God and the finished work of Christ. So now in the present, as we journey toward our eternal destination we can be certain and secure in God’s work for us and in us because He will finish what he has started.
Consider these truths:
Philippians 1:6
For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.
This process of salvation that you are now experiencing was not initiated by you, it is not sustained by you, nor will it be completed by you. The work of salvation belongs to God alone. Our Father does call us to cooperate in the work that He is doing in us, to us, and through us, but in the end He has the responsibility to complete what He started in us. This should be a great encouragement to you. No good father expects his children to raise themselves and your Heavenly Father does not expect you to perfect yourself. We now belong to Him and He will complete what He has begun.
Thinking about today’s discussion, is there anything new that you have heard here? How has this helped you understand the process of salvation better? What questions do you still have about salvation?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
