The Wisdom of God and the Matter of Maturity

Paul's commitment at Corinth - as everywhere - was to present only Christ and Him crucified. That is, he purposed to only proclaim God's wisdom and power in Christ, and do so without distorting or deviating from that gospel by drawing attention to himself or any other human consideration. Paul discerned the transcendent wisdom and power that are bound up in the person, work and purpose of Christ, but he also recognized that multitudes miss it. The divine wisdom and power revealed in the gospel are lost upon the natural mind - whether it operates in men devoid of the Spirit or Christians who - like the Corinthians - grieve the Spirit by deferring to natural wisdom. For all their proud confidence respecting their wisdom and maturity, many at Corinth were "babes" - fleshly men who'd rendered themselves insensitive to God's wisdom and the mind of Christ in them. This message considers the topic of Christian maturity and how Paul understood it in terms of the mystery of God's wisdom bound up in Christ.