“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 2:6)

Although beginning in the glory, things on earth quickly went downhill. After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, sin crept in. Where man was once in charge - Satan and his demons quickly began to push their weight around. Sin not only caused the fall, it placed the devil in the driver’s seat. This tragedy would play out for several centuries until God broke in a marvelous new way.

Finally, as time reached its fullness, God sent His Son to transform everything. Jesus came with His father’s Kingdom and permanently broke the devil’s hold. With Christ’s glorious death and resurrection, Satan’s kingdom started to fade. Evil is not entirely gone, but it is certainly losing ground!

With Jesus’ overwhelming victory, wicked earthly systems are increasingly coming to nothing. Their cracked foundations are not only collapsing, but a new order of things is replacing them. I believe this is what the Apostle Paul was explaining in 1 Corinthians 2:6.

While God is actively moving, it seems a worldly wisdom is often embraced. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know their lives could not be defined by the popular wisdom of the age. Though embraced by multitudes, it was certainly a withering system. Rather than trusting in darkness, the emerging Kingdom of God should be the source of wisdom.

I feel like we are dealing with a similar challenge today. There is little doubt that humanism and shallow earthly wisdom is widely accepted in America today. Many are more concerned with their own opinions and feelings than the precepts of the Kingdom of God. Sadly, church-goers are not much different from the non-churchgoers. Somebody has to acknowledge that many of our common ways of life are coming to nothing.

Yes, the devil once held a foothold in the earth. Unfortunately he attached himself to many of the systems and practices. His twisted imprint is still all around us. While it can still be seen and felt, its basis for existence has been crushed.

How can we continue to trust in a wisdom and power that is fading? Jesus is bringing an ever-increasing kingdom that is displacing the works of darkness. He is increasing and Satan is decreasing.

In many ways, we are like David’s mighty men in the cave of Adullam. Saul is still around but David is making his move. You cannot fall in love with the system of Saul while the Kingdom of David is advancing. While foolishness and sin surround us, we must trust in the glorious advance of God. Everything else is coming to nothing.