The Bereans were commended by God for their diligence in searching the

Scriptures, but that intrusion which is condemned in Colossians 2:18 is to be

deplored.  What is it that has cast a slur upon the study of Dispensational

Truth?  Largely the attempt to fill in all the gaps that are permitted by

inspiration of God, in 'the beginning' and in 'the end'.  This revolves

largely about the problem and permission of evil in the beginning and the

ultimate destiny of all men at the end.  If we are truly wise we will leave

these things for the future day of revelation, accepting with becoming

meekness, that by Divine appointment, we see now by means of a mirror, in an

It is not accidental that the text which forms the heading of this

study, is found in an epistle sent to the Corinthians, for 'the Greeks seek

after wisdom', and we shall discover that where the limitations of human

research are most emphasized, is in those Scriptures which are most

identified with 'wisdom', such as Job and Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament,

Corinthians and Colossians in the New Testament.  Let us assemble these

references in order that their accumulated emphasis may be felt.  First the

apostle deprecates the preaching of the gospel with mere 'wisdom of words' (1

Cor. 1:17), lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its meaning.  To this he

returns in chapter 2, 'And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with

excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him

crucified' (1 Cor. 2:1,2).  Continuing, he declared that his speech and

preaching was not with enticing or plausible words of man's wisdom, for he

shrank from the prospect that their faith should stand in the wisdom of men

rather than in the power of God.  However, lest by this emphatic repudiation

of man's wisdom and man's word he should be misunderstood, he added:

'Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect' (1 Cor. 2:6),

a wisdom entirely different from the wisdom of this world, indeed a wisdom

which had been 'hidden', a wisdom spoken in a 'mystery', a wisdom unto which

none of the princes of this world could attain, but which demanded revelation

and initiation, rather than acuteness of reasoning.  The hidden character of

this teaching is further stressed by the words:

'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart

of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him' (1

Cor. 2:9);

not that they are unintelligible, but that they are not discovered by the

probings of human wisdom, for 'God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit'.

'The deep things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God'.  These

blessed truths are 'spiritually discerned'.  'The wisdom of this world is

foolishness with God' (1 Cor. 3:19).

The opening chapters of 1 Corinthians seem written among other things

to level to the dust the vauntings of human wisdom, declaring by the use of

such words as 'hidden', 'mystery', 'not seen', 'not heard' that where the

believer sees in a glass darkly, the unbeliever, be he ever so wise, sees

nothing.  The things which 'the words which man's wisdom' teach, are a

reference, in the first place, to the speculations of Greek philosophy, and

however far in advance the disciples of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle may

have been, when compared with the rest of the world, the apostle tells them