1 Corinthians 2:6-13: “We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”

The earth is flat, and the moon is made of green cheese. Autumn leaves change color because fairies come out at night to paint them orange and yellow while we sleep. Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. 

If I told you I believed these things, you’d probably think I was joking. If I insisted, you might wonder if I’d lost my mind. And if everything else about me seemed normal, you might just consider me a fool.

Of course, I don’t believe these things, but I know that some of the truths we hold in the Bible can sound just as strange to much of the world around us. The Christian faith often leads people to question whether we’ve lost touch with reality.

God’s wisdom and the world’s wisdom often part ways because God’s is hidden from the current age in which we live. The difference between these two types of wisdom isn’t just a matter of choosing between two paths. Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father and to eternal life. That is God’s wisdom.

The world preaches the equality of all religions or embraces a vague, empty “spirituality” that more and more people are adopting. These lead neither to God nor to life. As Paul says, “they are coming to nothing.”

Yet, we’re told that adopting the world’s views will make us more intelligent and just or fair. And, if we reject the world’s wisdom in favor of God’s, we’re labeled as extremists, intolerant, self-righteous or simply ignorant. 

Paul’s message of wisdom refers to the gospel, God’s secret wisdom.

Look at the facts of Jesus’ life. If God hadn’t intervened in human history, who would have known about a man named Jesus who lived and died in the obscurity of Roman-occupied Israel? When he was born, who would have known unless God sent angels to announce it to the shepherds? When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, it took angelic intervention to convince the women that his body was alive and not stolen. And the disciples didn’t believe until Jesus himself appeared to them. Without God’s intervention, all of this would have remained God’s little secret.

One commentator observed, “No heathen people ever conceived of a god who would actually care for those who placed their reliance on him.” They live in fear, not faith. They must work their magic and pay their dues to keep their gods happy and themselves safe.

A God who loves freely and forgives freely? That’s our message, Paul says. That’s God’s wisdom. By giving us the gospel and leading you to faith, God has let you in on this secret.

And it’s not a secret he wants us to keep.