The Wisdom of God

Sometimes in our "chapter and verse" world of Scripture we get a little ... choppy in our understanding of what is written. We tend to think of, as an example, Romans 1:32 as an end of a thought and Romans 2:1 (the next verse) as the beginning of a new thought. The truth is that these were all written without chapter and verse designations. These followed later so we could all be on the same page, so to speak. The unfortunate side effect, then, is that sometimes we miss the bigger picture. In Paul's epistle to the Romans, for instance, Paul has a message that starts in the first chapter and ends around the 11th chapter. He is outlining a fairly comprehensive theological perspective. It is ... doctrine. Chapter 12, then, starts with a "therefore" -- "What should we do in light of this doctrine?" The rest of the epistle (essentially) is application.

Between the doctrinal part and the application part, Paul, finishing his theological perspective, says this:

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?" "Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?" For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen (Rom 11:33-36).

Now, there are some real important and deep things in that little paragraph. There is the fact that no matter how much "good" we do, it can't be said that God owes us anything. There is the absolutely God-centered focus of all things. There is the focus on His glory. All very, very important things worth examining further and pondering. I, however, want to look only at the first thought.

Paul has laid out a pretty clear theological framework, starting with Man's sinful condition, the solution to that condition, the ramifications of that solution, and so forth. However, despite eleven chapters of preaching (I mean, seriously, which of us would sit through 11 chapters of preaching in a church service?), Paul has an interesting conclusion. "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" In other words, Paul says, "Yes, I've done the best I can, but let me tell you ... I haven't scratched the surface. God and His judgments and His ways are so far above anything I can explain or even understand. It's too marvelous to even contemplate!"

The next time you think, "I think I have this stuff figured out", think again. You don't. Can't happen. And the next time someone asks you a question about God that you can't answer, don't worry about it. Sure, search to see if you can find an answer, but realize that, in the final analysis, human beings (finite) can never fully grasp God (infinite). That's okay. To Paul, it's even a good thing. It should be to us as well.