The sermon by Robert Bosley, titled 'The Wisdom of God,' delves into the often-overlooked attribute of God's wisdom, differentiating it from knowledge. Bosley emphasizes the importance of understanding God's wisdom as distinct and worthy of worship. He refers to Romans 11:33 to highlight the separate roles of wisdom and knowledge in God's nature. The sermon draws from Stephen Charnak's writings to define wisdom as the practical application of knowledge, illustrating that God's wisdom is eternal, immutable, and inherent to His nature. Bosley categorizes God's wisdom into creation, providence, and redemption. In creation, God's wisdom is seen in the intricate design of the universe. In providence, God's wisdom governs and maintains creation, exemplified in Job 38. In redemption, God's wisdom is fully displayed through Christ, who is the wisdom of God incarnate. The sermon concludes with practical applications, encouraging humility, trust in God, seeking wisdom through the Bible, and the necessity of coming to Christ for salvation.

Oh, good afternoon. It's, I'm looking forward to this. It has been enjoyable to study another one of the attributes of God. And similar to the assiety of God, this is an attribute of God that doesn't get a whole lot of of press, so to speak. If you look at various systematic theologies and just theological writings, oftentimes you'll see the wisdom of God relegated to a short paragraph or even subsumed under the larger category of God's knowledge.

But it is important that we examine God's wisdom on its own two feet, so to speak. It is distinct and vitally important and worthy of our consideration. So we heard much about wisdom this morning, the limitations of human wisdom. And so today we're going to look at not the limitations of human wisdom this afternoon, but the infinite and infallible wisdom of our God. Wisdom is often confused with knowledge.

And as I said, you'll often find that being the case even in systematic theologies, they will have wisdom and knowledge used almost interchangeably as if they are the same thing, but they are not the same thing. And as a short defense of this distinction, turn to Romans chapter Romans chapter 11 beginning in verse 33, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out, for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor or who has given to him and it should be repaid to him." And if you remember when I did the Asceti of God, this was the verse that I finished with because at the end of this hymn of praise and doxology, Paul turns to extolling the independence of God and essentially his assiety, but he starts out with this praise of what the New King James renders the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Other versions will render this as three things, the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God. It doesn't really matter for what we're doing here today.

The point is clear. The wisdom of God and the knowledge of God are two separate things for which God is worthy of worship. The distinction between the wisdom and knowledge of God is very well summed up in Stephen Charnak's book, The Existence and Attributes of God. Charnak writes, "'Knowledge has its seat in the understanding, "'wisdom in the practical. "'Knowledge is the understanding of general rules, "'and wisdom is drawing conclusions from these rules and applying it to particular cases.

God's knowledge is his understanding of all things and his wisdom is the skillful resolving and acting out of all things knowledge is the foundation of wisdom and antecedent to it and now when he says knowledge is the foundation and antecedent of wisdom He's not saying that in a chronological sense. God didn't first become knowledgeable and then become wise. We're talking in a logical order. A God being the eternal, self-existent, immutable God has eternally been all-knowing and perfectly wise. James P.

Boyce, founder and the first president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote that wisdom is the power which enables one to put to practical use the knowledge and skill which he has. So In its essence, what is wisdom? Wisdom is knowledge put to its proper use. And so there is a sense in which wisdom necessarily entails the other attributes of God, which makes sense. We've talked about the simplicity of God all his being is all his attributes there's no division among them so his wisdom is a immutable wisdom and his wisdom is a righteous and pure wisdom And again, this is not a wisdom that God gained over time.

Men gain wisdom by age and experience. But the wisdom of God is in his very nature. It is who he is. He is the wise God. So much so that Paul in Romans 16 says that God alone is wise.

In other words, he is the one that has wisdom in himself, of himself. It is part of his very nature to be wise. Just as God has never learned anything, he has never gained a ounce of wisdom. He has been eternally wise. And so I want to look at this eternal infinite wisdom of God under three categories or three headings.

First the wisdom of God in creation. Secondly the wisdom of God in providence. And thirdly the wisdom of God in redemption. The wisdom of God in creation. Turn with me to Proverbs chapter 8.

Proverbs chapter 8, one of the classic texts about the wisdom of God. Now for the sake of time I will not be reading the whole chapter but I will start in verse 12 and skip through a few few verses here. I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge and discretion. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine and sound wisdom.

I am understanding. I have strength." So this is the description of wisdom personified as a woman crying out in the streets and at the beginning of the chapter and now wisdom defines herself that that that wisdom is opposed to all that is evil. Wisdom is counsel and sound wisdom. Wisdom is understanding. It gives strength.

Verse 15, by me kings reign and rulers decree justice. Do you see the point there? It's not simply that kings rule by wisdom, but they also decree justice. It's not that every king's decree is a wise decree, but just decrees are wise decrees. Because again, wisdom is the proper application of knowledge the proper moral god-honoring application of knowledge is wisdom.

Skip on down to verse 22. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth. While as yet he had not made the earth or the fields or the primal dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there. When he drew a circle in the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters would not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth then I was beside him as a master craftsman and I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him and so we have wisdom here as preceding the creation of all things and wisdom being involved in the creation of all things. It is by wisdom that God did all of these things, that he established the world, He set the boundaries of the oceans.

He made all of these things by wisdom. Wisdom, verse 30, was a master craftsman with God. Now, if you know any of the history of how this passage has been interpreted and used. It is used by some as a, seen by some as a reference to Christ. Christ, the pre-incarnate wisdom of God.

And I understand the reason for that. I mean, the parallels are very striking. Wisdom creates. Wisdom is the mean through which God made the world. Wisdom here is personified in speaking.

Christ is called the wisdom of God in the New Testament. There are some arguments against it. I'm not really going to argue one way or another, but that is a historic way of looking at this. This is Christ personified, that he is the wisdom of God through which God made the world. So we see God's wisdom in his creating power.

God has made an amazing world, has he not? The intricacies of everything from the smallest molecule to the galaxies in our entire universe. I mean, it's incredible how everything works so intricately and fits together and functions in such a way that it clearly reflects a not only a knowledgeable but a wise mind. God's wisdom is incredibly displayed in this creation that he has masterfully made and woven together. Only an all wise and perfect God could make such a universe.

It is truly amazing what God has done in creation. Now the wisdom of God in providence. We often mention the doctrine of providence, But what exactly is the doctrine of Providence? Providence is a theological term that does not actually appear in Scripture Yet it is clearly a truly biblical doctrine and and as an aside you will often see people argue that if it is a word that does not appear in Scripture, then the theology that it's teaching cannot be true. The cults do this all the time.

Well, the Trinity is not true because the word Trinity doesn't appear in the Bible. I hope we all see how silly that kind of argumentation is. Just because the word providence is not in Scripture does not mean that the doctrine of providence is not true. We use theological terms to teach these doctrines. We don't have to draw every single term from the text of Scripture in and of itself.

So if that's how you think theology is done, that we that you know that a doctrine is false if the word defined by is not found in Scripture. If that's how you think theology is done, that we, that, you know, a doctrine is false if the word defined, that it is defined by is not found in scripture. If that's how you think theology is done, you're wrong and stop it, okay? So, Sorry, just a little bit of a rabbit and sometimes you just gotta chase them. So, rabbit trail.

But the providence of God, what is the providence of God? The Baptist catechism, question 14 gives us a very helpful definition. The catechism asks, what are God's works of providence? The answer? God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions.

That is the work of providence. God created the world, but he didn't just spin a top and let it go. He created the world and he is governing it. He is maintaining it. And he is orchestrating all things toward the appropriate end.

He's applying his knowledge to bring all of his creation towards an appropriate end. The wisdom of God and Providence. All of creation is under the governing control of God and as a there are obviously multitudes of texts we could go to to examine this but and I know I'm a little bit all over the place, but turn with me to Job, the book of Job, chapter 38, to see an example of this teaching of God's wisdom and providence. Job chapter 38, starting in verse one. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Now if you remember the book of Job, up to this point, Job and his worthless counselors had been debating back and forth the nature of God and sin and evil in the world and things like that. And now God shows up to put Job to the test. He appears in this this whirlwind and he says, who is it who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? He's saying to Job, who are you to to darken or to question? Council my counsel God is saying my counsel by words without knowledge How can you question me when you know so little?

And so he proceeds over the next I think it's four chapters to just barrage Job with question after question to show him just how little he really understands to show him that no, you're really not in control, Job. In verse 12, he says to Job, have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth and the wicked be shaken out of it. It takes on form like clay under a seal and stands out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld and the upraised arm is broken. Have you entered the springs of the seas or have you walked in search of the depths?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me if you know all this." And so God is questioning Job. Are you the one that that makes the sun rise, Job? Are you the one that understands how the springs in the sea work and that are you the one that that knows how death works and who controls death are you that one Job and obviously the the the question is is silly on its face of course Job has no earthly idea about any of these things.

And the point is God is teaching Job, this is all my work. I am the one who causes the sun to rise. I am the one who causes the springs in the sea to work. I am the one in control of death, Job. I'm the only one who truly comprehends the breadth of the earth and all that is in it.

And all this is God's governing all his creation, his knowledge put to work in maintaining and organizing and governing all his creation. We see here the wisdom of God at work in ordering and maintaining all that he has made. There's so much here to read. Go down to verse 31. He says, can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades or loose the belt of Orion?

Can you bring out Maseroth in its season, or can you guide the great bear with its cubs? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? Job, do you have control over the stars? Are you the one that makes the stars move?

No, it's God and his wisdom, his wisdom in his providence who organizes and governs all these things. God is the one in control here. Can you lift up your voice to the clouds that an abundance of water may cover you? Can you send out lightnings that they may go and say to you, here we are. Who has put wisdom in the mind or who has given understanding to the heart?

Who can number the clouds by wisdom or who can pour out the bottles of heaven God says you you don't bring forth the rain you don't cause lightning and thunder that's my work Job And God goes so far as to say, who has put wisdom in the mind? God's wisdom in his providence is so far-reaching and so all-encompassing that any man that has wisdom has wisdom because God has given that wisdom to him God is the source of all wisdom and he organizes everything by his wisdom he counts the number of clouds by his wisdom the wisdom of God on full display here in his providence over nature. And really we could simply summarize God's providence, the wisdom of God in his providence simply in Ephesians 1, Ephesians 1-11. God works all things according to the counsel of his will, the counsel of his will, his wisdom. Everything is worked together by God's wisdom for his purposes as the providence of God and God's wisdom on display in the providence of God and now lastly and definitely not least God's wisdom and redemption God's redemption of his elect people is the supreme display of his wisdom.

Stephen Charnecoeur I mentioned earlier calls God's work of creation the footsteps of God's wisdom. We see traces of God's wisdom. We've seen where God's wisdom has been, so to speak. But in redemption, we see wisdom's face. When you consider the redemption of sinners, you are looking at the fullest expression of the wisdom of God.

Turn with me to 1st Corinthians chapter 1. We will see the wisdom of God when full display in redemption. 1st Corinthians chapter 1 beginning in verse 18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world for since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe Paul is Writing here and in trying to explain why does the world not get it? If you're a Christian, I mean you get it I mean, it's it's it's plain as day Christ is a glorious Savior, and we have no other hope.

But the world, it's foolishness. It's moronic. But that's the wisdom of God on display. The wisdom of God humbling the wisdom of this world. He says he will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent and we'll see here in a minute that is so that his wisdom would be seen as supreme.

In verse 21 he says, For since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God. This is the wisdom of God on display in his orchestrating of all things in the history of redemption. It is the wisdom of God at work that the world through its own wisdom doesn't know God. Do you see what he's saying here? God has orchestrated through his wisdom this whole plan of redemption, even including the rejection of the gospel by those who claim to be wise.

God's wisdom on display in the story of redemption and saving his elect. God did this all to show the greatness of his own wisdom, to display that man's wisdom is sheer folly in comparison to his wisdom. Look in verse 22, for the Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God so those Greeks, which would pretty sure be all of us, non-Jews, the Gentiles, they seek after wisdom. And yet, they reject true wisdom. Through their own idea of what wisdom is, their own self-deluded wisdom, they've rejected the wisdom of God and all this in accordance with God's decree through the plan of redemption.

He says, but to those of us who are called Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God Christ the fullest display of God's wisdom that if if if the plan of redemption is as Charnek said the looking into the face of wisdom turning and seeing Christ is looking into the eyes this is the clearest most intimate most personal way of seeing the wisdom of God. The gospel so much displays the wisdom of God. Christ here is called the wisdom of God, also in Colossians chapter two. Now what does it mean that Christ is the wisdom of God? And I think that Christ is the wisdom of God in three ways.

First, he is wisdom incarnate. He is wisdom incarnate. God is all wise. And in Christ, we know, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. God Himself, the eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly wise God took on a body to enter His creation.

Christ is wisdom incarnate. And that's why none of his enemies could ever refute him. That's why his teaching is the high point of wisdom, because Christ is wisdom incarnate. Secondly, Christ is the wisdom of God because by him the wisdom of God in redemption is fully revealed. What is called elsewhere the mystery of redemption, mystery would be hidden knowledge or a hidden wisdom.

This mystery of redemption into which even the angels longed to look is revealed in Christ. The angels long to look. They didn't understand how is God going to to save this people because angels don't have a Savior they don't understand they didn't they didn't get it they all long to look into what God was planning and so this wisdom of God in redeeming a people through this intricate and masterful plan that he has woven ever from the fall and really from before creation. Who but an infinitely wise God could have executed such an elaborate plan to show his wisdom and to glorify himself in the redemption of people like us. If you or I chose to try and develop some scheme of redemption we would not have done the same thing and our plan would have been far worse than God's.

God's plan is perfect. This plan where he is going to redeem a multitude of those who deserve no redemption and a plan where in this redemption he is going to fully satisfy both his justice and his mercy a plan where he is both the just and justifier The wisdom of God fully displayed in redemption. And Christ is the wisdom of God, thirdly, because it is through Christ that we learn true wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We heard that today.

The beginning of wisdom or the foundation of wisdom is to fear God, but who really fears God? It's only those whom the Father has drawn to the Son. It's only those that the Spirit has taken out that heart of stone and given a heart of flesh and brought them to Christ is only those who are in Christ who truly fear God and is therefore only those who are in Christ who truly have true biblical wisdom. And even beyond this initial foundation of wisdom is through Christ and the work of his spirit in us that we have our minds illumined and open to receive the truth of God's Word, and that makes us wise because God has given us His Word, a portion of His wisdom. So it's all through Christ that we truly gain and see God's wisdom on display.

And so what does what does all this this mean for us? How do we take this doctrine of the the wisdom of God and and live in light of it and apply it to ourselves was it mean for us well firstly it should humble you not to repeat myself from before but really all the attributes of God should humble us. Every one of these attributes of God should be the constant drumbeat. He is not like you. You are nothing compared to him.

Your wisdom? It's foolishness. God is wise. God alone is wise in the strictest sense. And so this doctrine, like all the other attributes of God, should humble us because we are nothing in comparison to him.

Secondly, this should provoke trust in us. If God is all wise and his wisdom is the application of perfect and fallible knowledge, Why would we not trust him? What does Romans 8 say? He works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Everything God does in our lives is for our good.

We can trust our God because he rules in perfect wisdom and he orchestrates providence in perfect wisdom. Thirdly seek God's wisdom in his word. God has spoken. He has spoken infallibly and sufficiently for all we need. This is how we learn God's wisdom.

Go to it. If you want to be wise, Read your Bible. That is the wisdom of God given to us for us to learn. And fourthly, If you are here apart from Christ, seek the wisdom of God incarnate. Run to Christ.

Go to the one who is wisdom himself. Go to the one that is that ultimate display of God's wisdom. Run to him for your salvation. Run to him that you may know how to serve your Creator and how to worship him. There is no other mediator.

There is no other Savior. There is no other fount of wisdom. If you do not know him today, run to the one who is wisdom. Repent and put your trust in him, not your own wisdom, but in the true wisdom of God. Let's pray.

Oh, Father, we come before you and We thank you, Lord, for being the all-wise God. That you alone are wise, that you rule in wisdom, you reign in your wisdom. You're working all things together to display the glory of your wisdom God may we trust you create in us Lord hearts that long for the true wisdom of God creating us hearts Lord that do not seek to turn a sign to this world's so-called wisdom but may we see it for the counterfeit that it is and run to Him who is wisdom itself. Be with us God and make us wise in Christ's name. Amen.