“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10, AV)
In 1983, the Lord saved me while I was reading a Gideon placed Bible in a Minneapolis hotel room. This began the most exciting adventure of my life. After being saved by God’s grace, I had a tremendous hunger to understand spiritual things. The pastor of our small mission church saw this and began to pour into my life. He spent time talking with me and giving me books to read. From that time on, many pastors and teachers have influenced my life. I am grateful for the knowledge they poured into my life. It certainly has been a blessing to have been enriched by these godly men.
In the previous verses, we see that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about the mystery of the gospel, the wisdom of God, made known to them. Paul did present this to them verbally, but he was not the source. Here, Paul quoted from Isaiah to magnify how blessed believers are to have received the riches of God’s revelation.
Paul indicated through the quote that no person has seen, heard or even been able to imagine the tremendous blessings revealed from God. In His word believers see the great and awesome promises realized by faith in Christ and His finished work of dying on the cross. God prepared the riches of this revelation for those who would truly love Him, that is those who would come to faith in His son, Jesus. The promises of redemption in Christ, of eternal life, heavenly citizenship, adoption as children of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s eternal presence, heavenly intercession, and the list goes on and on, are seen in the riches of God’s word.
Every day, as we search the Scriptures and hear preachers and teachers expound on the word of God, we are further enriched. Yet, this increased knowledge of our spiritual riches does not come from men and women, but God who has orchestrated the revelation of these things to us. He has ordained that people filled with the Spirit translate these words in our own languages. He has appointed preachers, teachers and evangelists to present these things. Yet, these things have been revealed to us by His Spirit. God has blessed believers with a wealth of understanding.
It is through this knowledge that we have assurance of the future. It is through this knowledge that we experience the peace of God. Through it we have a joy in this life and a joyful anticipation of that which is to come.
Do you often find joy and hope missing in your life? Perhaps the problem is that you have forgotten the precious riches of Scripture. Perhaps you have not dug into their depths like you were digging for precious treasure. The point here is to immerse yourself in God’s word. For in it you will find true riches.
Renewing the Heart 