SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 2
PAUL ADDRESSED TO THE CORINTHIAN BROTHERS:
“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came top you in weakness and fear, and with much 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 men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
WISDOM FROM THE SPIRIT (vs. 6-16)
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. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for it they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (v. 9), But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world by the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment. “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” (v. 16). But we have the mind of Christ.
THOUGHTS:
The teachers in Corinth depended on their eloquence and intellectual brilliance. But Paul trusted God in His power. If you think that you lack the ability to serve God, put your trust in God’s power. God can turn your weakness into strength.
The Jews asked for demonstrations of power while the Greeks looked for wisdom. Both power and wisdom come from the Lord. Allow the Spirit of God to teach you about the Son of God from the Word of God so that you can have the power and wisdom to keep the Christian life balanced.
Paul shared the simple message of Jesus Christ by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide his words. In sharing the Good News with others, we should make a studious preparation and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.
God will create a new heaven and a new earth and we will live with him forever. In the meantime, let the Holy Spirit comfort and guide you and give you the hope and courage to endure hardships, and avoid giving in to temptations.
God’s “deep secrets” refers to God’s wonderful plan – the promise of salvation, revealed only to those who believe in Christ’s death and resurrection and put their faith in Him. This knowledge cannot be grasped by the wisest people unless they are willing to accept God’s message. All who reject God’s message are foolish, no matter how wise the world thinks they are.
Many cannot understand spiritual truths and cannot grasp the concept that God’s spirit lives in believers. It seems so silly to them to decide on following Christ. Just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate fine music, the person who rejects Christ cannot understand truths from God’s Spirit. He won’t be able to hear what God is saying to him.
No one can know what the Lord is thinking. However, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believers have insight into some of God’s plans, thoughts and actions. They have “the mind of Christ”. We can begin to know God’s thoughts through the Holy Spirit by having an intimate relationship with Christ through prayer and reading His Word.