The True Wisdom of God

⁶ Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed.^(A)

¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.^(A)

¹⁵ This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.^(A)

⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing clearly the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.^(A)

¹⁰ And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,^[a] will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.^(A)

¹¹ He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers^{(A) 12} to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,^{(B) 13} until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity,^[a] to the measure of the full stature of Christ.^(C)

⁸ and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are,

Christ the Power and Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.^{(A) 19} For it is written,

²⁰ Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?^(B)

¹² Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ,^[a] greets you. He is always striving in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured^[b] in everything that God wills.^(A)