talk about balance. That is a very trite example, but it certainly gets across this point. Paul is simply saying that "until you achieve a certain level in your Christian life, some of the things I would like to tell you about have no meaning. We said this wisdom was for the "mature Christian." By contrast, the second part we want to under score is this — it is not for the un saved. Notice verse 6. The word for "princes here is the basic Creek word for "rulers." So we are not speaking here of certain people that would live in a palace, neces sarily, but anyone who has a meas ure of control over other people, any person in power and author ity. This in the Creek language gives the idea that it is worthless, it is useless, it just does not get the job done. So the wisdom of the princes of this world, or the wis dom of the rulers of this world, their wisdom is useless. So what is the nature of this wis dom? Notice verse 7. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mys tery, even the hidden wisdom, which Cod ordained before the world unto our glory." There are deep things concerning the spiritual life. There are mind taxing subjects when you get into the intricacies of how God really unites us in Him through the shed blood of Christ. Paul is saying these things cannot be understood by a person who is immature in the Christian life or a person who has not the Spirit of Cod within him. Let me give two rather simple illustrations. I do not think you could sit down a six-year old boy and adequately explain to him the nature of woman's intuition. In fact, sometimes you cannot even
In I Corinthians 2:6-7 we read, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought. But we speak the wisdom of Cod in a mystery, even the hid den wisdom which Cod ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this would knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." The nature of this wisdom is first of all for mature Christians. We may break the phrase "mature Christians" into two concepts. The first would simply be that they are mature. These are not newborn babes in Christ. The very word that is used here does not have the idea of absolute perfection on the part of a Christian saint. It simply means that they have come to a certain level or arrived at a certain level of understanding. Many of you may have had the opportunity of teaching either your son or daughter or somebody else's son or daughter how to ride a bi cycle. You may have decided that it was not possible simply to de scribe how you ride a bike or ex plain how you maintain balance on a bike. You probably did like so many of the rest of us who have taught children how to ride a bike. You got them on it, walked along beside them, maybe ran alongside, and tried to have them get the feel of keeping their balance; and con sequently, hopefully, they learn how to ride without falling down. But there is a level of experience that was achieved and when that person, that young person, first learned how to ride a bike and had that thrill of handling it by himself, without falling down, you could
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