Limitations of Nature to Lead Man to Ultimate Truth Part 3

J. The wisdom of God in the crucifixion death of His only begotten Son exceeds all the wisdom of the wisest creatures. 1CO 1:23-25. 1. The greatest philosopher would never have concluded that the Creator God would humble Himself to become a man that would suffer death unjustly, for such would imply that God is dead. 2. The Jews were perplexed at the notion that the Immanuel (God with us, ISA 7:14) Messiah of promise should be humiliated and die. JOH 12:34. 3. The princes of this world saw only the elimination of a trouble-maker who was threatening the established order, not the subjection of all princes and kings to the One they crucified, nor the confirmation of the only continual government ever in history. 1CO 2:6-8 c/w PSA 2:7-12; MAT 16:18; HEB 12:28. 4. Satan in all his subtlety and craftiness was undone by the one thing he thought would be his triumph over God: the death of Christ. HEB 2:14-16. a. The resurrection of Christ made the Man to be Lord of all angels. HEB 2:9; 1PE 3:22; MAT 28:18. b. Satan lost not only the legal claim He had on the elect because of sin (ROM 8:33-34), and the government of men through their blindness and fear, he also lost access to heaven, being overcome and ruled by the pleasure of a man, Jesus Christ, Who is his judge and executioner. REV 12:7-12.

K. The assumption of Satan’s minions that human wisdom/intellect is the “God in us” is behind the notion that the higher intelligence is divinely fated to rule. Example: 1. “FORCE, unregulated or ill-regulated, is not only wasted in the void, like that of gunpowder burned in the open air, and steam unconfined by science; but, striking in the dark, and its blows meeting only the air, they recoil and bruise itself... The blind Force of the people is a Force that must be economized, and also managed, as the blind Force of steam, lifting the ponderous iron arms and turning the large wheel, is made to bore and rifle the cannon and to weave the most delicate lace. It must be regulated by Intellect.” (Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, p. 1, “1st. deg. Apprentice”) 2. “There is, after all, a ‘divine right’ to govern; and it is vested in the ablest, wisest, best, of every nation. ‘Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding: I am power: by me kings do reign, and princes decree justice; by me princes rule, and nobles, even all the magistrates of the earth’ ” (Ibid. p. 203, “12th. deg. Grand Master Architect”) 3. There is some validity in such observations. c/w PRO 8:13-16. 4. It is self-evident that a complete ignoramus is ill-fitted to be in a position of authority. Even the qualifications for the ministry of Jesus Christ include proper instruction and aptitude (TIT 1:9; 1TI 3:2) and “continuing education” by study. 2TI 2:15. 5. Mr. Pike changed “...I have strength” (PRO 8:14) to “...I am power...” which shifts the dynamic from possessing strength to being the very power epitomized. 6. Mr. Pike skipped PRO 8:13, “The fear of the LORD...” which fear is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. PRO 9:10; 1:7. 7. Mr. Pike assumed that all men were “blind force” except folks like himself. A better model would be that all men inclusively are a “blind force” that are best regulated by the knowledge of God as revealed in Scripture. a. “Masonry, like all the Religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy, conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be mislead; to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it.” (Ibid. pp. 104-105) b. Translation: “We cleverly lie.” c. Such “Light” is more akin to Ignus Fatuus (marsh gas which is a bioluminescence sometimes visible over swamps which leads the unwary wanderer into trouble). 8. Daniel and his three brethren were wiser than all the sages of the realm because they were principled men who feared God and God gave them knowledge (DAN 1:8, 17-20), Daniel being especially blessed with special revelation. DAN 2:28-30. See also GAL 1:11-12. 9. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians...” (ACT 7:22) but not by that fitted for leadership in God’s system. It took forty years of humility, marriage, children and direct revelation and threatening from God to even get him to a point where God would put him to use (ACT 7:29-30) and what God gave him on Mt. Sinai was true wisdom. DEU 4:6. 10. Deep thinkers are not necessarily good thinkers. PSA 64:6. 11. Paul was a highly-schooled rhetorician who renounced his clever tactics in favor of rude, great plainness of speech. 2CO 4:1-2; 11:6; 3:12. 12. The other apostles, by contrast, were deemed by the intelligentsia of their day unlearned and ignorant (ACT 4:13) but God called them royal judges. MAT 19:28. 13. Christianity is a calling of “...not many wise men after the flesh...” (1CO 1:26) for it magnifies the crucified Christ against humanistic pride and knowledge.

L. Worldly wisdom and knowledge must be subject to heavenly wisdom and knowledge. JAM 3:13-17. 1. Hence, the warnings against the spoiling power of philosophy and a puffed-up mind. COL 2:8, 18 c/w 1CO 8:1. 2. The heavenly wisdom does not breed pride, envy or strife among brethren. a. The wise, knowledgeable man should not lord his attainments over others since such could open doors of envy and strife. b. Nor should he by sophistication gainsay plain truth which does not mesh with his learning. Ministers must be braced against such. 1CO 1:20 c/w EPH 4:11-14; TIT 1:9. 3. Heavenly wisdom is easily intreated (asked about or for something). It does not harden itself against appeals for mercy, favor or correction. 4. The wisdom from above is first pure, not proud nor cunning. 5. If it comes down to a contest between intellectualism and “what saith the Scripture?,” Scripture wins. PSA 119:128.