The scriptures speak of two different types of wisdom; the wisdom of this world and wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17-24 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:6-7 “Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”
The two wisdoms spoken of here in 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 2 are with respect to the “gospel”, where the gospel refers to religious news about God, and not necessarily other types of wisdom per say (i.e. the arts and sciences). It says Christ sent him to preach the gospel, but not with wisdom of words that would be understood by the religious wisdom of the world. Therefore, the words used to explain the gospel here in 1 Corinthians cannot be technically understood by standard religious wisdom and knowledge (orthodox means), but rather the words are a mystery (dark saying or allegory) and intentionally hide the actual wisdom of God. The words preached therefore are a snare or difficulty (stumblingblock) to those who follow the Bible and the law literally and traditionally, and it is also foolishness to those who do not believe the Bible’s religions (i.e. “Greeks”); because wisdom is not readily apparent and actually hide a secret to be uncovered to those who would look past the way the standard religious wisdoms (orthodox) understands it. In 1 Corinthians above it says the wisdom of God is “Christ crucified”. And if this wisdom of God is spoken in a mystery, there is a mystery to be discovered concerning the cross that the orthodox view does not reveal. Because it says “in the wisdom of God [which is Christ crucified], the world by wisdom know not God”, therefore, the way the princes (i.e. religious leaders) in their infinite religious wisdom understand the cross in a standard orthodox manner (“wisdom of the world”) with respect to the gospel actually prevents them from understanding the true hidden wisdom of God concerning the cross (see 1 Cor 2:6).
1 Corinthians 1:25-29 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Here is says that not many noble and wise religious people have it right, because the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God are not the same. The wisdom that comes from God is a mystery and is hidden from our physical carnal body and mind, and if a person is not looking beyond the physical (flesh) they will not grasp it. It is not something apparent in the physical world or to those who use the natural mind understand things. The things that are hidden (non-flesh or physical) confound the wise who see things in the flesh (carnal physical world). It says here in 1 Corinthians that it is actually the things that are not [physical] which create the things that are [physical]. And it also implies here that when the noble and wise hear the wisdom of God, it will appear foolish to them and they will actually despise it because it goes against everything they have been taught and understand to be true.
John 9:39-41 “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”
Here in John it says that only those that become blind to the world are those who are made able to see the truth of the spirit. See the last sentence above (John 9:31), when you are blind to the world, you see no sin. Therefore, when you are blind to the ways and wisdom of the world and you are free from its guilt (see no sin). When you have the judgment of Christ (eye of God but blind to the world), you see the truth. And the truth shall set you free from the world and its infinite ability to see sin (John 8:32).
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 ”Let not man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. The wisdom that the noble and wise in the world have (princes of the world) is what actually imprisons them and those who follow it. To be wise, in God’s way, you must become a fool to the eyes of the world. If we are to take these words seriously, what does this really mean?
To confound in verse 27 means to put to shame or dishonor something. And to “confound the wise” doesn’t necessarily mean that the one who is “wise” in the world will realize their error (i.e. Proverbs 23:9 “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”)
For the words of 1 Corinthians 1 above to be true there must be something that seems weak that the wisdom of this world knows nothing about that would actually make foolish the wisdom of this world. And as it says above in 1Cor 1:28; if those seemingly wise in the world do hear about it, they would despise it! Again, there is something the religious world despises and portrays as foolish that is actually the wisdom of God! What could it be?
So what is the wisdom of God? The wisdom of God is not of the carnal mind. Again, 1 Corinthians above says that to them who are called, the wisdom of God is “Christ crucified” which again is not carnally (flesh based) speaking, but actually spiritually speaking (please see previous posts on the spiritual interpretation of Christ and Christ’s death. Remember the wisdom of God is hidden from the world and is a mystery (1Cor 2:6), one must become “blind” to truly see it (John 9), it is foolish and weak to the world (1Cor3:18-20,), and it is despised of the [religious] world and the carnal mind [which can represent the world].
Genesis 6:3 “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
The word “strive” here in Genesis 6:3 means to act as judge or govern. So this means that the understanding (judgement) of God does always show through in his fleshly body or the carnal mind. The wisdom of the God will not always cast judgment in the mind of carnal man.
Galatians 5:14-18 ”For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”
The “lust” that is spoken of here is the lust to devour one another [or ourselves being interpreted spiritually] through the law of the flesh. When we are under the law of the flesh we devour ourselves and others, rather than within ourselves and through one another, by the wrongful understanding of the carnal mind. But if you hear the law of the spirit (walk in the spirit), you will understand that we are God’s to be loved by ourselves as we are, and other people are a part of ourselves (“love thy neighbor as thyself”) which knowledge comes from the Spirit rather than the law of the carnal mind.
Romans 7:6 “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 7 says, the religious wisdom of this world (“the law”) is also the law of sin and death, which is brought about by the oldness of the literal letter (literal scriptures); which is to be compared to the tree of knowledge of good and evil (literal law of good and bad, commandments). And then there is the wisdom of God which is the law of the Spirit of Christ which is the tree of life (i.e. spiritual understanding of all things, not carnal-old-literal-letter understanding).
Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
The carnal mind is born into this world and sees the physical realm as reality. With the carnal mind, our physical eyes (five senses) are opened and our spiritual eyes are darkened (please see previous posts discussing the meaning behind the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). However God is truly spirit and our true being is spirit as God is in us (“Christ in you”). The wisdom of this world which comes from the knowledge of the tree of good and evil brings about the carnal law (Romans 7:6 above), which also is contrary to the wisdom of the spirit. The wisdom of God comes from the Spirit of God which is contrary to the carnal mind and the world under the tree of knowledge of good and evil (physical laws of good and bad). The tree of knowledge is the knowledge of good and evil in this physical world which rules the carnal mind, gives us a set of laws to follow in the physical realm, which also makes us see sin, and is contrary to the Spirit. The law of the Spirit is not of this world and its laws “lust” against the law of the world and the judgments of this world (see Gal 5). Which means the Spirit would actually have you do things that the carnal law might not allow (see also Roman 7). When one is blind to the world and led by the Spirit, one obtains the wisdom of God which is contrary to the law of the carnal mind, the law of the tree of knowledge, and the carnal understanding of the world of sin and death (see John 9:41).
Col 2:8 ”Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Hebrews 7:16&18 “Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life….For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.”
The traditions of men and the laws of this world are contrary to God. Remember 1 Corinthians 1; there is something the world despises and appears foolish to the world that is actually the wisdom of God. The religious wisdoms of this world see sin and fault and therefore follow the carnal commandment. But the law of the Spirit is contrary to the carnal law. And it says plainly in Hebrews 7 above that the carnal commandment (literal law) is weak and unprofitable…
If something where to suggest the commandment and law where contrary to the Spirit of God, the religious world would despise it and that theory completely. But it clearly says this in Hebrews 7 above. However, if something where to suggest we follow the Spirit God rather than the commandments, the world would be chaos because of what it says in Genesis; the Spirit of God will not always strive with man, hence the carnal law is born.
Romans 7:1 ”Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?”
The world and the natural man despise the wisdom of the Spirit because the carnal man through the physical world would rather rule and try to control itself according to a carnal law through the carnal mind. And carnal man MUST follow this tree of knowledge of good and evil (carnal and literal law) until he realizes his error, dies (1Cor 15:31), is born again (1Peter 1:23), and COMPLETELY CHANGED inside (see 1 Cor 15 below).
1 Corinthians 15:44-54 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.“
Romans 1:19-20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
Romans 1 implies that this natural world gives us an idea of the ways of the invisible God. 1 Corinthians 15 says that the natural way must come first and then the spiritual second. The natural world is an image of the unknowable God. The invisible things of God (Spiritual things) are understood by the natural physical things (physical, carnal) (Romans 1). The carnal world and the things manifested in our flesh are to be used as a tool and an illustration or picture to learn about God and the ways of God in a metaphorical way, and they should not to be used to scrutinize and judge one another or ourselves (sin). The natural is a metaphor or allegory of the invisible ways of God. The natural comes first and then we understand it spiritually. And the spiritual interpretation is the truth, and the sin of the natural world is an allegory of the spiritual truth and therefore nothing (John 9:41) to truly worry about. The physical world is an allegory of spiritual truth. And if the spirit is where the true wisdom resides, what power does the physical really have (1 Cor 15:54 - “death is swallowed up in victory”) & (Eph 6:12 “we wrestle not against flesh and blood…”)
John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Romans 8:9-10 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Interpreting Romans 8:10; the body is dead because it lives in the sin of this world, which is death in itself. But 1 Corinthians 15:54 tells us that that death has no power. And this death can be interpreted in two ways (two spiritual interpretations). One, if the physical world is an allegory of spiritual truth; true reality is in the spirit, and therefore, physical death has no true power because it is not our true reality. Or two, the death spoken of here is a spiritual death which means our heart is darkened (Romans 1:21) and our spiritual eyes are blinded (Romans 8 and John 9:39) which in turns means we are “dead” spiritually. But if we awake spiritually than that spiritual death is swallowed up in the victory (1Cor 15:54) by the “walking in the spirit” of Christ, but our body is still “dead” because it still lives in the physical world of sin which produces “death”.
1 Corinthians 15:36 “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:”
The natural earthly must come first (first Adam, carnal mind, physical body), and this “seed” is the ticket we are given and what we must use. But it must die for the spiritual quickening to happen (second Adam). And truth is gained once the carnal natural interpretation dies. The Law is spiritual (Romans 7:14), therefore, the carnal commandment must die. And this is what the religious world and its infinite wisdom of sin despises.
Again, the natural law and commandment MUST come first…but then it must die (i.e. go away).
1 Corinthians 2:14 ” But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”].
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The wisdom of the god of this world is the wisdom of the carnal natural man, therefore, for the carnal mind to hear that the carnal world needs to be dismissed, is complete foolishness to the carnal mind, because it will always be carnal until it dies [spiritually]. The carnal mind does not want to kill itself and will do all it can to protect its false vision for itself.
However, the physical natural world of corruption and death is the place we need to sow our seed in order to reap spiritual fruit; remember natural first, then spiritual (1Cor 15). The physical is an allegory of the spiritual realm and our spiritual consciousness. The law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). From John 9:41, you see no sin because the physical is not true reality if your carnal eyes are blind and your spiritual eyes are opened. But remember, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.” (Romans 6)
Romans 11:32-33 ”For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
It says all in the world are in error and all in the world are deceived (i.e. Rom 3:9-23 Rev 12:9).
The god of this world blinds us to the Spirit of truth. The wisdom of this world is given by the god of this world, and the wisdom of God given by the Spirit of truth. The carnal mind blinds us and is the wisdom of the world, the religious world.
John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”