The foolishness of God is wiser than men

There is but one only,living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts,or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, (Of God, and of the Holy Trinity -WCF Chapter II -I)

And because of him 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." 1 Cor 1:30-31

When I look at the enormous range of God’s creative works; vast and deep oceans, lofty mountain peaks, grand canyons, thunderous falls, swift and powerful rivers, gentle and meandering streams, mirror lakes, deep jungles and lofty trees, colors and scent of floral,  creatures both great and small, ….I am always truly awed at the Wisdom of God:  “O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” Psa 104:24

The wisdom of God is graciously and amazingly manifested in God’s Way of Salvation of sinners through the perfect redemptive work of  Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. This wisdom of God  is clearly stated by Paul  in  Eph 3:8-11 , “To me, .., this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ..” Jonathan Edwards said, “One end of revealing God’s counsels concerning the work of redemption, is making known God’s wisdom. It is called manifold wisdom because of the manifold glorious ends that are attained by it. The excellent designs, hereby accomplished, are very manifold. The wisdom of God in this is of vast extent. The contrivance is so manifold that one may spend an eternity in discovering more of the excellent ends and designs accomplished by it, and the multitude and vast variety of things that are, by divine contrivance, brought to conspire to the bringing about those ends.”

God’s wise plan and eternal purpose for perfect redemptive work through  Jesus Christ is  “a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.”1Cor 2:7. Yet the Gospel of Jesus Christ seems foolish to the intellectual atheist and skeptics, the scripture says in  1Co 1:18, 20 “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. …..Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Why did God, in all  wisdom, choose the way of Cross through Christ as the only Way, the only Truth and the only Life to Him ? Why ? The answer is simply this: so that no man standing before God can boast, I was saved because I…………… There will be no boasting of what I was. There will be no boasting of what I did. No boasting of  meritorious works. There will no boasting of familial privileges. Here is the clear answer from scripture, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1Co 1:27-29

The only appropriate responses are these “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Ps 90:12   and  “And because of him 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.” 1Co 1:30-31

God is only and  most wise ! “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.” Rom 16:27

An Almighty God

There is but one only,living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts,or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise,(Of God, and of the Holy Trinity -WCF Chapter II -I)

When the Bible declares that God is Almighty, it simply mean that God is all powerful and  unlimited in power and He  has absolute power over all. He is not limited in any way.  He alone has unlimited authority and influence, He is omnipotent.  In all of creation, there is no power like His for He alone is The Creator. No other  power, seen and unseen, able to or can withstand Him. No power, before or now or that to come, can oppose Him. He is not weary and He does not fail for nothing can thwart what  He purposes to do. God is the supreme power,  He is LORD and there is no other: For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Ps 95:3).

It is  interesting to note that the word Almighty, with reference to God, occurs no less than fifty seven times in the Bible. An Almighty God revealed to Abraham and declared to  him  in Genesis 17:1, “the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty;..”

The Apostle John  saw and heard and recorded for us : “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”” Rev 4:8

In the book of Job, the reference to God as Almighty occurs 32 times,  Job was humbled and  learned anew that God is God and He is The Almighty God:  Job 37:23-38:1-2,4  The Almighty–we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.  Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ”…… “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ''...... "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Job 37-38

As we enter a new year of where many storms of  uncertainties are still brewing in the horizon, lets always  keep in view, our faith is in the  God of the Bible  who is ALMIGHTY and He is also Good, Faithful and Unchangeable.

What if Jesus had never been born? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Someone asked: What if Jesus had never been born? Would most of the world celebrate the winter solstice?

If Jesus has never been born, my reaction would be very much be like Paul when he said hypothetically for a believer in Christ  if there is  be no resurrection. Paul said in 1Co 15:19, 32 “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. ….If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”" Because if Jesus has never been born,  there is no Gospel, there is no hope of life with God after. A Christian has no hope for this life and the life to come. So what should I as a Christian then do, I will just eat, drink and really be merry.

As Christians, by the grace of God we know that our Lord  Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the God the Father,  has come!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isa 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As Christians, by the grace of God we know Jesus Christ is now ascended and glorified and will return. And everyone, yes everyone including those who do not accept or reject Him now will have to bend our knees to worship Him : Php 2:9 -11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Oh Come, let us adore Him !

Mary and her child rest on the floor of a simple barn. In the back are the ox and the ass; on the foreground Joseph's tools.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

The birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King of Israel, as prophesied in the Old Testament is in Bethlehem, King David’s royal city.

Modern day Bethlehem is in Palestinian political controlled territory.

Luk 2:1 -6
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.

“Mary had up to this time been living at the wrong place for Messiah’s birth. A little longer stay at Nazareth, and the prophecy would have failed. But lo! with no intention certainly on her part, much less of Caesar Augustus, to fulfil the prophecy, she is brought from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and at that nick of time her period arrives, and her Babe is born (Psa_118:23).” (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on Luke 2)

Joh 7:41-43  Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him.

Regarding why Jesus Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, King David’s royal city: what did the scriptures from the Old Testament say ?

Mic 5:2-4  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.

1Sa 16:1  The LORD said to Samuel, “….Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

Luk 1:32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.“

Mat 2:5-6  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:”‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.‘”

Two hymns below relating to Bethlehem as the birth place of the God’s only Messiah. God’s only Way, Truth and Life  to redeem a sinning elect, by His grace alone,  from the world to be born again through the mighty work of the Holy Spirit and imputed with the  righteousness of God in  Jesus Christ.

O little town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth,
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth!

How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy pray to the blessèd Child,
Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

He came down to earth from Heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor and obey,
Love and watch the lowly maiden,
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

For He is our childhood’s pattern;
Day by day, like us He grew;
He was little, weak and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav’n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around

John the Baptist as a baby filled with the Holy Spirit, leap for joy !

Joy to the World !

The Lord Has Come.

Let Earth Receive Her King

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, ….” Gal 5:22

Luk 1:39-45

Elisabeth cordially invites Mary to enter the house. Zechariah repeats the invitation to Joseph.

“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us

Il Tintoretto 1518 – 1594 – The Annunciation
oil on canvas (440 × 542 cm) — c. 1563 Scuola di San Rocco, Venice
Il Tintoretto biography

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the prophecy came to Prophet Isaiah
Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luk 1:26  In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
Luk 1:28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Luk 1:29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
Luk 1:30  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luk 1:32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
Luk 1:33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Luk 1:34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
Luk 1:35  And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.
Luk 1:36  And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
Luk 1:37  For nothing will be impossible with God.”

God is beyond comprehension ?

There is but one only,living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts,or passions; immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty,….…(Of God, and of the Holy Trinity -WCF Chapter II -I)

We are often trying to cram the vast ocean of God's truth about Himself into our little box of brains.

Isa 55:8 -59  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Rom 11:33-34  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”

What do we mean when we say the Bible declare that God is incomprehensible? When the Bible states that  God is incomprehensible, we mean God through scripture is saying that  there is much about Him that is still mysterious. God is simply beyond our understanding and comprehension. Augustine of Hippo was trying  and struggling hard  to understand the Trinity nature of God without success until he recognized  the humbling fact that as a finite creature he was merely trying “to cram the ocean of God’s truth about Himself into his little box of brains”.

I have heard people say (sadly…arrogantly), unless they can see and understand God, they cannot possibly have a faith in God. One must honestly ask oneself:  can a finite creature ever understand an eternal and infinite God ? Of course not. Unless God chooses to reveal the truth and illumine the minds, even if we are staring at the truth, we will still be blind to the truth and have no light to see through the darkness.

We must very careful not cut God down to a size that we can handle or a level that we can understand, that would be idolatry. While God transcends our understanding, He has revealed enough through His creative work and His Holy Scriptures and His Prophets and Apostles and through His perfect gift: His only begotten Son, the blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Our response as finite creatures and wretched sinners saved by His grace should be:

“As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: Job 5:8-9

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Rom 11:36