1 Corinthians Chapter 2

1 Corinthians 2

Above image from https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/first-corinthians

One of the problems in Corinth was related to the pretentious, empty philosophy of the Greeks. Paul gave his reasons for not following the popular methods of oratory in his preaching of the word of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). However, fully mature Christians could look forward to an understanding of the true wisdom of God.

Since chapter breaks are man-made, I've included the relevant verses from the end of chapter 1 below:
1 Corinthians 1:24-29: But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

(1) When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.

• First came to you:
  • Acts 18:1-11: Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ... Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. ... Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
• Lofty words and impressive wisdom:
• As a well-educated Rabbi, he knew Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and probably Latin. Trained at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), the famed scholar in Jerusalem, he could hold his own in any argument. If Paul wanted to show off his intellect, he certainly knew how to do it, but he rejected that approach, instead focusing on the message of the cross. Paul wanted their faith to be in the power of God, not in the ability of human beings (1 Corinthians 2:5). God deliberately made the Gospel simple so that even a child could understand it.
• 2 Corinthians 10:10: For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!” Yet, Peter said some of Paul's teaching was hard to understand:
• 2 Peter 3:15-16: And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him - speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
• Wisdom (Greek - sophia):
• Sophia is used ten times up to this point in 1 Corinthians and repeated five times in the first three verses of chapter 2.

(2) For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.

• Except Jesus Christ ... crucified:
• This is the central message of Christianity. There can be no Christianity without the cross. The simple gospel message is called "milk" in chapter 3 (versus" meat"). They weren't mature enough to go much further in their Christian life:
  • 1 Corinthians 3:2: I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,

(3) I came to you in weakness - timid and trembling.

(4) And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.

• James Macknight's paraphrase of this is: "Paul's discourses were neither composed nor pronounced according to the rules of Greek rhetoric, yet they were accompanied with the powerful demonstration of the Spirit, who enabled him to prove the things he preached by miracles."
• Message (Greek - logos):
• Plain: He did not rely upon his own skill in argument or persuasion.
• Power of the Holy Spirit:
• Power = Greek dunamis.
• Romans 15:19: They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.

(5) I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

• Power of God:
• The true foundation of faith is not human reason, but faith in Jesus Christ and God's Word. You can't argue someone into believing in Jesus Christ and putting their trust in Him.
• 1 Corinthians 1:18: The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

(6) YET when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.

• YET (Greek δε):
• Back to verse 2.
• Mature (τελείοις teleios - Strong's Greek #5046: "having reached its end, i.e. complete, by extension, perfect") believers:
• "Mature" believers were in the minority in the church in Corinth just as they are today. Rarely does the sermon dig deep in the scripture to find God's great truths for us - we have to dig for them ourselves - like digging for gold, silver and precious stones! Few churches are expositional and few have deep Bible study groups.
• All Christians begin as "babes in Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:1); but through prayerful, deep study of God's Word and growth, they "will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13).
• David Prior, Message of 1 Corinthians: Life in the Local Church: "The “mature” are those believers who recognize and embrace God’s wisdom in the cross. Since Paul does not divulge who among them is “mature,” the readers must decide for themselves whether they qualify or not. This same principle applies to us today. Are you a mature Christian? If so, how have you arrived at that conclusion? Paul argues that we are only mature if we have the right perspective on the cross. Is the cross your solution to church conflict? Is it the means of unity? Then you are mature. Is the cross your solution to your marriage and family difficulties? Is it the means of reconciliation? Then you are mature. Is the cross your solution to work conflict? Is it the means of getting along with your boss and coworkers? Then you are mature. We never move on from the cross of Christ - only into a more profound understanding of the cross."
• Top 10 Spiritual Growth Questions (http://chrisedmondson.blogspot.com):
1. Am I reading my Bible for information or transformation?  (James 1:22-25)
2. Am I allowing people or circumstances to steal the joy that Jesus promised to me?  (John 10:10)
3. Is there anything in my life that God is consistently dealing with that I am trying to ignore?  (Ezekiel 14:1-5)
4. Who are the people in my life that God has placed around me for the purpose of me sharing Christ with them and/or inviting them to church?  (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)
5. Is there anyone I need to apologize to?  (Ephesians 4:25:27)
6. Is there anyone I need to forgive? (Ephesians 4:32)
7. Is there a sin I need to confess to others and ask for help? (James 5:16)
8. Am I fully utilizing the gifts and abilities that God has blessed me with--or am I simply choosing to waste my life? (1 Peter 4:10)
9. Do I know more lines from the movies [or popular songs] that I love than verses from the Bible that I read? (Psalm 119:11)
10. Is there anything going on in my life privately that, if it became public, would cause me and/or the body of Christ to be embarrassed? (1 John 1:9, James 5:16)
• 1 Corinthians 14:20: Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature [telios] in understanding matters of this kind.
• Ephesians 4:13-14: This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature [telios] in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
• Philippians 3:15: Let all who are spiritually mature [telios] agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.
• Colossians 1:28: So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect [mature - telios] in their relationship to Christ.
• Colossians 4:12: Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect [mature - telios], fully confident that you are following the whole will of God.
• Hebrews 5:12-14: You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature [telios], who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
• James 1:3-4: For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect [mature - telios] and complete, needing nothing.
• James 3:1-2: Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect [mature - telios] and could also control ourselves in every other way.
• Words of wisdom:
• The gospel, although foolishness to the Greek, was the highest wisdom - true wisdom is cross-centered.
• Proverbs 2:1-6: My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

(7) No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.

• Wisdom:
• Having stated in verse 6 what this wisdom is not, here he states what it is. It is, first, the wisdom of God; secondly, it is mysterious, or hidden; thirdly, it is a system of truth which God from eternity had determined to reveal for the salvation of his people. In other words, it is the revelation of the counsels of eternity in reference to the redemption of man - It is the message of the cross (1:23).
• We:
• Paul switches from singular “I” (verses 1, 2, 3 & 4) to the plural “we” (verses 6, 7 & 13).
• Though the Corinthians think that they have wisdom, Paul is saying those in “my group” have THE message of wisdom.
• After showing the falseness of what the Greeks call wisdom, Paul is introducing them to a new group that has true wisdom - God's wisdom.
• Mystery (Greek musterion - sometimes translated "secret"):
• The great mystery or secret for the present church age is that salvation would be sent DIRECTLY to the Gentiles and that there is now no difference between the Jew and the Gentile because both are members of the body of Christ.
• One of the reasons for the secret truths of the Scriptures is to hide from Satan and his hosts valuable knowledge about God's plans. The New Testament refers to many mysteries:
• Matthew 13:11: He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
• Romans 16:25-26: Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him.
• 1 Corinthians 15:51: But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
• Ephesians 1:9: God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ - which is to fulfill his own good plan.
• Ephesians 3:8-10: Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
• Ephesians 5:31-32: As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
• Colossians 1:26: This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:7: For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way.
• 1 Timothy 3:9: They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
• 1 Timothy 3:16: Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
• Revelation 10:7: When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as he announced it to his servants the prophets.”
• Revelation 17:7: “Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits.
• His plan (God’s Plan of the Ages) - the coming one:
• Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
• Isaiah 53:2-12: My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible
  for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
• Micah 5:2: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
• Zechariah 14:9,16: And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord - his name alone will be worshiped. ... In the end, the enemies of Jerusalem who survive the plague will go up to Jerusalem each year to worship the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, and to celebrate the Festival of Shelters.

(8) BUT the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.

• To understand why the world is the way it is, we must understand:
  1. God created the world “and he saw that it was good.”
  2. A revolution began, led by Satan.
  3. Satan’s hate for God leads to accusations, so plausible that many have followed.
• Rulers of this world:
• Jesus was put to death by the rulers in Israel. The high priest, King Herod, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Pilate and the sadistic Roman soldiers all played a part in the illegal trial and execution of Jesus. But, behind this plot was Satan himself who obviously did not understand what would happen in the Resurrection:
• Colossians 2:15: In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
• I believe that the Jewish religious hierarchy knew who Christ was - that he was the promised Messiah, a holy and righteous prophet of God and the heir to the throne of David. They did not want to lose their position, their power and their wealth, all of which was dependent on Rome. What they did not know was that the "fullness of God" dwelt in him bodily (Colossians 2:9). Read Matthew 21:38 below for Jesus' illustration:
• Matthew 21:33-46: “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on. "When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them - they were the wicked farmers. They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.
• They would not have crucified:
• If Satan could have understood God's plan, he would never have inspired his followers to crucify Jesus. Jesus had clearly prophesied His death and resurrection as the means by which He would provide salvation. He even said publicly that crucifixion was the type of death that He would suffer. Yet the devil missed it. Satan could not believe that once he had Jesus dead that He could ever escape. Satan was totally wrong. He will fulfill all the things that God said He would in the end times, despite the fact that Revelation has God’s victory printed in black and white. We believers who operate in God’s wisdom are infinitely wiser than the devil.
• Luke 23:34: Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”....
• Acts 3:17: “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance.
• Glorious Lord (Lord of glory):
• Glorious Lord or Lord of glory is a title of divinity. It means, possessor of divine excellence. The person crucified was a divine person. It is certain proof that Paul regarded Jesus as God, the Second Person of the Trinity. It is inconceivable that Paul would give this title to any lesser being.
• Psalm 24:10: Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies - he is the King of glory.
• Acts 7:2: This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran.
• James 2:1: My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

(9) That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

• No eye ... no ear:
• Just as a tone-deaf person like me cannot fully appreciate fine music, the person who rejects Christ cannot understand truths from God's Spirit.
• Properly speaking, this is not a strict quotation from the Scriptures. Paul is paraphrasing Isaiah 64:4 to remind us that God's wisdom and plan is past our finding out on our own.
• Isaiah 64:4: For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

(10) But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.

• Spirit:
• What could not be discovered by human reason, God has revealed by his Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can tell us about God and His wisdom. This knowledge is unattainable by human wisdom or investigation.
• True wisdom is Spirit-directed. The Holy Spirit reveals deep things to Christians. Therefore, if we want to grow to maturity in Christ and understand God's Word, we must rely upon the Holy Spirit’s power.
• Ephesians 3:5: God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
• Searches:
• There is nothing in man that He doesn't know about. He knows our thoughts, our minds, our dreams, our short-comings and our sins - we can't hide from Him.
• Revelation 2:23: I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

(11) No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.

• No one:
• The only way to know God is through the revelation of God through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, found in God's Word, the Bible. Greek wisdom cannot fathom the mind of God nor understand His plans, just as it's impossible to read another man's thoughts.

(12) And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

• "We" is emphatic in the Greek text. Paul is resuming the "we preach" in 1:23.
• Received:
• There are two sources of knowledge, - human and divine. It is not human reason, but the Spirit of God that can reveal Jesus Christ to us. Apart from the working of the Holy Spirit in a person, it is impossible to be saved!
• God's Spirit:
• God's Spirit is the Holy Spirit Who comes from Him and is sent by Him to teach us.
• John 16:7 Amplified Bible (AMP): But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor - Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you].
• World's spirit:
• The world's spirit is a paraphrase for human reason, knowledge and understanding.

(13) When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

• Human wisdom:
• Paul taught that true wisdom is not knowledge, is not insight, is not intelligence, is not some experience, is not even science. Paul teaches that true wisdom is discernment, guided by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual discernment is true wisdom because it enables us to draw conclusions based on God’s perspective, not ours, to distinguish the correct and incorrect use of Scripture, and to identify and expose false teachings and teachers.
• The Spirit's words:
• This is verbal inspiration - the writers of the Scriptures were controlled by the Spirit of God in the choice of the words which they employed in communicating divine truth. Paul’s assertion is that the words which he used, were directly from the Holy Spirit to him.
• "Thus says the Lord" occurs 413 times in the King James version of the Bible.
• 2 Samuel 23:2: “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17Amplified Bible (AMP): All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately - behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
  • The Greek word for “God-breathed” or as some translations say, “inspired” is “theopneustos” and means literally the very “breath of God.” The Word of God is God’s breathing out His literal Word.
• Scripture interprets Scripture:
  • Acts 17:11: And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
  • 2 Peter 1:20-21: Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

(14) BUT people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

• BUT (Greek - δὲ):
• Contrasting those who are spiritual (saved) to those who aren't spiritual (unsaved).
• People who aren't spiritual:
• Strong's Greek #5591 psuchikos anthropos - describes most people who live as if there were nothing beyond this physical life. This is the kind of life common to all animals - unsaved man.
• Translated "the natural man" in the KJV. He is described in Galatians 5:19-21: When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
• The "natural man" is any person who does not possess the Holy Spirit, namely: unbelievers - spiritually dead, without God.
• The natural person can, of course, understand the gospel and experience salvation but only when the Holy Spirit illuminates his or her understanding.
• Psuchikos is used one other time in the New Testament in Jude 19, which says in the NASB, "It is these who set up divisions, worldly people (i.e., natural people), devoid of the Spirit."
• Foolish:
• Spiritual things seem foolishness to the natural man. Why waste time on "spiritual" things when you could be making money or having fun? Moreover, he can't understand the things of God (even if he wanted to) because they are spiritually discerned. It would be wrong to expect the natural man to see and value spiritual things, just as it would be wrong to expect a corpse to see the material world. You cannot "convince" someone to place his or her trust in Christ - without the Holy Spirit's working.
• 1 Corinthians 1:23: So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.
• Those who are spiritual:
• When Paul speaks of a "spiritual" person, he does not mean an especially religious person, or a person who spends much time in prayer and Bible reading, or a preacher, priest, nun or monk. He means a person who is led by the Spirit of God and bears the fruit of the Spirit. We know this from Galatians 5:16–6:1 where Paul calls believers to walk by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit, and to bear the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, the spiritual people are the people in whom God is at work producing the fruit of meekness, love, joy, peace, kindness and the rest.
• Understand (Strong's Greek #1097 - ginosko - to know, especially through first-hand personal experience):
• There are two different words in Greek that are translated “to understand”. One means to understand intellectually, while the other is often used to mean understand by experience. It is the latter word which is used here. Paul is not saying that an unbeliever cannot understand the facts of the Bible or that he cannot grasp basic theology or even that he cannot interpret Scripture correctly. Rather, what he is saying is that he cannot know the things of God through personal experience.
• There's a big difference between knowing what something says and knowing what it means. Millions know what the Bible says. But many do not know what it means because that can only be revealed by the Spirit. Man's pride rebels against the idea that he cannot understand spiritual truth on his own. When we humbly and dependently allow the Spirit to teach us, we will know the truth.

(15) Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.

• The Greek word δὲ is inserted here to contrast the spiritual man with the natural man.
• Those who are spiritual:
• Strong's Greek #4152 - pneumatikos.
• There seem to be three groups of people referred to in this context (There is often no visible difference between # 1 and #2):
  1. Lost people.
  2. Saved, but immature believers. Sadly, most immature believers don't even realize their situation, even when mature Christians easily recognize their situation.
  3. Mature believers.
• All things:
• The all things refers to the things of the Spirit.
• Evaluate (Strong's Greek #350 - anakrino - to scrutinize, investigate, examine, discern):
• The Christian has a spiritual capacity to sift, to investigate, to examine and to discern God's Word and spiritual matters. On the other hand, the natural man does not have the ability to subject the Christian way of life to examination and judgment, for he is completely unacquainted with the meaning of spiritual life.
• 1 John 4:1: Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
• They cannot be evaluated by others:
• The point is that natural man is not equipped to judge a truly spiritual person.

(16) For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

• Who can know the Lord's thoughts?:
• David Lipscomb: "The whole trend and meaning of the chapter is that none could know or teach the word of God by human wisdom." Today, all people are dependent for a knowledge of the will of God upon the revelation made by God's Spirit through the apostles and inspired teachers of that era.
• Romans 11:34: For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice?
• Who knows enough to teach him?:
• This is an allusion to Isaiah 40:13-14: Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?
  • Isaiah 40:13 refers to the mind of Yahweh (translated here as LORD); but Paul has no trouble inserting mind of Christ for mind of the LORD, because Jesus is Yahweh!
• We have the mind of Christ:
• The pronoun "we" is emphatic! This refers to (1) Paul and his companions; (2) Christian preachers; or (3) mature Christians. The Holy Spirit has opened our minds to His perspective, His priorities, His heart:
  • Romans 12:2: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
  • 1 Corinthians 1:10: I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.
  • Philippians 2:5 (NIV): In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
• John Wesley: "No man ever had any greater right than Paul to say, `We have the mind of Christ.'"

This thought of spiritual versus natural continues in chapter 3. Remember that chapter breaks are man-made:

• 1 Corinthians 3:1-3: Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

NOTES:

• Except otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers,Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. If you want further study, I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at http://1corinthiansblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/1-corinthians-references.html
• Index to all our 1 Corinthian studies are at 1corinthiansblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/index-to-1-corinthians.html
• Index to all our studies are at oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/