Joel M Bradshaw

27to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

My thoughts: The final line of Paul’s magisterial benediction. One of the best. 3 points:

1. Paul’s God is the only wise God. It implies that if there are other gods, they are not wise. It could also imply that there are no other deities, for by definition they would be wiser than humans. Paul viewed God in an ONLY category. This is the same idea as the first of the 10 Commandments. If this were the Heavenly Oscars and the nominees for God are read, only Paul’s God is in the nominee list. None other qualify.

But God is wise. Joseph, the dreamer, revealed to Pharaoh that only God could reveal Pharaoh’s answer (Genesis 41). Daniel told his Babylonian overlord that God was the revealer of mysteries. No wise man could reveal, but God in Heaven could (Daniel 2).

If God were just powerful, we might still turn to him. For we need his power. But we like the fact that he is wise. We can then turn to him, depend on him, be guided by him. We need not only the King, but the King who cares. The God who not only can but WILL. Ultimately, we don’t have to have life all figured out, because our wise God cares for us and has given us the Bible.

2. This God receives glory forevermore. Your life. Human history. All will result in God’s glory. Paul called himself the worst sinner (1 Timothy 1:16). And yet even his story ended up with others praising God because of Paul (Galatians 1:24)! Your greatest marching order is to glorify God in whatever you do (1 Corinthians 10:31).

3. The Father was glorified through Jesus. His birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension. The greatest injustice of all time was the sinless Jesus died the worst kind of death as a substitute for sinners like you and me. He died as a sinner would though he was not a sinner. He bore our sins even though he committed no sins. He received the just wrath due our sins in our place even though he was the only one ever who never sinned. And we are told in Isaiah 53 that it was God’s will to crush him.

God was glorified as the plan of salvation unfolded. Saving a sinner like you, reconciling a sinner like me brings God glory. God’s love, God’s wrath, God’s mercy, God’s grace. They all bring God glory as he shows them.

We join Paul’s amen.