1 Corinthians, Chapter 2
1 Corinthians 2:1-16, Godly wisdom and earthly wisdom
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we pray for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom, discernment, understanding, and insight into spiritual truths. We pray for our spiritual eyes to be opened and our spiritual blindness to be removed, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
VV 1-5, 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Paul acknowledged that he was not a great orator but he preached the gospel and declared his testimony through the wisdom of God. Paul’s priority was to preach the crucifixion of Christ. Paul acknowledged that he was trembling, fearful, and weak. He did not speak with human wisdom but through Godly wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul relied on Godly wisdom and not human wisdom.
VV 6-8, 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
There are two kinds of wisdom, Godly wisdom and human wisdom. Godly wisdom is contrary to human, earthly, or worldly wisdom. Paul spoke about a mystery concerning the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The rulers of this age, who were ignorant of this mystery crucified the Lord of glory.
VV 9-12, 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
The Holy Spirit revealed spiritual truths to born-again Christians but not to non-Christians because they do not have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit searched the hearts and minds of Christians to reveal, teach, convict, correct, instruct, and train in righteous living.
VV 13-16, 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Godly wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, human wisdom comes from men. Godly wisdom is spiritual, earthly wisdom is earthly. The “natural” men cannot understand spiritual truth because they did not have the Holy Spirit. Satan had blinded the eyes of non-Christians so that they are unable to understand the things of God. Spirit-filled Christians can rightly discern and judge the things of God. The Holy Spirit enabled Christians to know the mind of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God”.
Application:
We should seek Godly wisdom and not human wisdom. We receive Godly wisdom from the Holy Spirit who searched our hearts and minds.
Non-Christians cannot understand spiritual truths because they are blinded by Satan. Before we can share the gospel with them effectively, we should pray for God to remove their spiritual blindness.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for revealing to us the deep things of God through the Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing spiritual truth and wisdom to us through the Holy Spirit’s presence. Thank You for opening our spiritual eyes to see, know, understand and discern spiritual truths, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
