SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 2
BIBLE VERSES:
“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:3-5)
“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him—” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
“For, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Paul told the Corinthian believers that when he proclaimed the testimony of God, it was not with eloquence or superior wisdom but is with the power of the Spirit.
WISDOM FROM THE SPIRIT (vs. 6-16)
No rulers understood God’s secret wisdom because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord. The wisdom of God is hidden and destined for His glory. He revealed the wisdom by His Spirit to those who love him.
No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God (v. 11). If we receive the Spirit for God, we speak words taught by the Spirit expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. For those who are without the Spirit, things that come from the Spirit of God are foolishness to them because they can not understand them. But God will instruct the spiritual man to know His mind and have the mind of Christ.
THOUGHTS:
CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD AND WISDOM OF GOD (By Warren Wiersbe)
Wisdom of this World:
- Wisdom of words
- Man’s word
- The spirit of the world
- Foolishness to God
- The philosopher
- Ignorance
- Leads to condemnation
Wisdom of God:
- Wisdom of power and words
- Spirit’s word
- Spirit of God
- Foolishness to men
- The preacher
- Knowledge of God
- Leads to glory
The Spirit of this world blinded people’s mind and make people proud of their wisdom. But the Spirit of God teaches the truth of God’s word so that people will walk in the light.
The natural man is the unsaved man who cannot comprehend of God coming in human flesh because he cannot grasp the spiritual truth. But the spiritual man is the believer controlled by the Spirit. He is a man of discernment with true wisdom and is able to judge and evaluate things in God’s perspective.