“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believed, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the this age but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:15-22 NKJV)
Did you notice the above verses are one sentence, thus one continuous thought? Why is that important? Because you can’t separate their meaning. Taken in context our understanding of wisdom and revelation must be centered and focused on Jesus. He IS the Author and Giver of all wisdom and revelation. How does that apply?
No one, regardless of intellectual capacity or lack thereof comes to an understanding of their need of Jesus as Savior except it is revealed to them through a deliberate act of the Spirit of God. A few verses earlier Paul had explained that salvation is a grace gift of God activated by faith for which we can take no credit. You can have an IQ of 300+ but will never figure out on your own how to have your sins forgiven and a home in heaven.
Wisdom, which is itself a gift of God, can be activated and increased by the Spirit of God in anyone willing to apply themselves and submit to the authority of their Creator, but human wisdom alone is never enough to bring us to a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus. That requires and demands revelation. The word Paul used that’s translated “revelation,” literally means, “laying bear, making naked; a disclosure of truth, instruction concerning things before unknown or used of events by which things or states of persons hitherto withdrawn from view are made visible to all; manifestation, appearance.” (Strong’s)
Everything, from the revelation of who Jesus was/is to the world in which He was born to the revelation that I and you received (if you’re a believer in Jesus) are all gifts from God. We don’t come to an understanding of Biblical Truth without the guidance and illumination of God’s Spirit. On several occasions I’ve heard some form of: “Now I finally see or understand what I’ve been missing!” And that’s essentially the experience of every born-again believer, including the Apostle Paul.
While we are all born with a “God-shaped vacuum,” as Blaise Pascal describes it, that vacuum can never be filled by anything but the God who shaped it. Only His Spirit can inform us, reveal to us, lay bare the truth of who Jesus is and why we need Him, and that revelation of Truth is ever and only accomplished through believing prayer. We must ask before we can receive.
Which begs the question: Have you ever asked the Lord of Creation to forgive your sins and become the Lord of your life? The Spirit of God is asking you in this moment to open your heart and life to Him. How do I know that? Because He’s revealing it to me as I type. Please click on this link and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a brief explanation of why that decision is the best one you’ll ever make in your life.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 