By: Obed Pineda
For eons, the greatest thinkers in human history have sought to answer some of life’s most “complex” queries, with very little success. For example, one inquiry that always seems to elude their understanding is the “What is the purpose of life?” Many theories and analytical thoughts begin to manifest as the philosophers of past and present begin to approach the question with human logic. Yet, this question remains unanswered because so many disagree on what the “correct” response is because none of their findings fully satisfy everyone. Nevertheless, there is another case for why they are incapable of reaching an answer to this question: they refuse to accept heaven’s response to the question. Evidence of this is found in their reluctance to accept that Scripture is indeed inspired by God (cf. Psalm 14, 2nd Timothy 4:3-4). This was what happened at Athens when the Greek philosophers “heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter’” (Acts 17:32). It is pivotal to observe that their reasoning for rejecting the apostle’s teaching was because it did not fit “human logic.” The concept of a man rising from the dead was beyond their comprehension and thus their conclusion was that it is unreasonable to believe that it can ever happen. It is judicious to remember that Paul’s audience was composed of “certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers” (Acts 17:18). The annals of history explains that although these two schools of thought were antipodal to one another (especially in relation to the previous question stated in this article), they both agreed that man’s life was exclusively physical. Both groups of “wise thinkers” denied that there was life after death. For this reason, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1st Corinthians 1:18). Still, it is worth noting that God declared to His prophet, “Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden” (Isaiah 29:14, cf. 1st Corinthians 1:19). The inspired Paul reveals that Isaiah’s prophecy was speaking about the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. “the message of the cross”). Christ rising on the third day after His death was the “marvelous work” that Jehovah God spoke about to the prophet, but He, too, established that even the greatest thinkers of the time would not be able to comprehend it. From a human perspective, it was unscientific for a man who had been buried for three days to be able to rise from the tomb alive. Because human wisdom has no “rational” explanation for this phenomena, their conclusion is simply that it just did not happen (cf. 1st Corinthians 15:12-19). There is a fallacy with this line of thinking that must be exposed; it solely depends on human logic and completely ignores the Divine revelation. When God revealed this prophecy to Isaiah, the Bible teaches us that even the prophet himself could not comprehend the meaning of this prophecy (cf. 1st Peter 1:10-12). The reason for this was because God chose that “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations…now has been revealed to His saints” (Colossians 1:26-27). It is undeniable that a major reason for this was because the timing was not yet right for God to activate His plan; it was too early for it to work correctly (cf. Galatians 4:1-5). The apostle to the Gentiles, nonetheless, also unveils that “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1st Corinthians 1:27-29). Both, godly and ungodly men, had to look to God to reveal the meaning of this magnificent mystery that had been kept secret for thousands of years. Not even history’s brightest intellectuals could ever decipher the Divine code, as the Babylonian king learned during his lifetime (cf. Daniel 2:1ff). Holy Writ declares that Nebuchadnezzar’s own wise men, magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers recognized that “there is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” (Daniel 2:10-11). It is fascinating to read that even Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men acknowledged the concept of heavenly revelation (i.e. inspiration), even though they did not fully grasp how it worked. Daniel, on the other hand, understanding who is God was able to unlock the mystery unsettling the king because “Daniel went to his house and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” (Daniel 2:17-18). Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah all understood that “there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets” and not all the answers can be found in man’s finite mind (Daniel 2:28). It is because of God’s limitless wisdom (and man’s limited knowledge) that man must go to the Scriptures to find the answers to life’s difficult queries. One must realize that God inspired His written Word so that civilization could have access to His eternal, all-knowing mind (cf. 2nd Timothy 3:16-17). Paul proclaimed that the significance of the mystery came about not by human wit, “but God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1st Corinthians 2:10). When the apostle refers to the “natural man” being incapable of receiving the spiritual things, he is speaking to the fact that man could (nor can) never discover the hidden meaning of God’s Word with earthly wisdom alone. Divine inspiration was always necessary for man to unravel the true meaning of God’s hidden wisdom (cf. 1st Corinthians 2:6-16). Although man can no longer be directly inspired by the Holy Spirit because the Scriptures are now complete (cf. 2nd Peter 1:3-4), man still needs His Word in order to become truly wise (cf. Proverbs 9:10-12).