It is impossible for a lesser creature to understand a more advanced one. How can anything understand something more complex and advanced than itself? For a flea to understand a dog it would have to be at least as advanced as a dog. For a dog to understand a man it would have to be at least as advanced as a man. How much greater distance is there between Creator and creature. People can imagine what God might be like, and people have plenty of ideas about Him. Almost everyone has an opinion as to what God is or is not like, or as to whether He even exists. But People's opinions are irrelevant, because they can never be more than speculations. By one's own resources the creature cannot possibly comprehend his Creator.
Throughout time, many people have tried to comprehend the infinite and establish theories. Hypothesis and speculation are fine, but when it results in division among believers, that is a problem. 1 Corinthians 2 continues to deal with the problem of disunity in the church at Corinth and in particular with the continued allegiance to human philosophies and leaders that contributed to the disunity. Human wisdom was keeping believers from divine wisdom, and from spiritual growth and unity.
Spiritual discernment enables us to draw conclusions based on God’s perspective, make wise decisions in difficult circumstances, recognize the activities of God’s Spirit, distinguish the correct and incorrect use of Scripture, and identify and expose false teachers. But this does not just come. Not only must we ask God to give us his discernment as we serve him we must let that discernment guide us in our daily walk (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). 1 & 2 Corinthians (p. 45). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.).
In discussing True Wisdom, Paul presents the case in: 1 Corinthians 2:6–16 that we can understand the things freely given by God from the Spirit of God. Therefore: (1) True Wisdom is not Humanly Discovered (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)and (2) True Wisdom is Divinely Revealed(1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
True Wisdom, which is Freely given by God is:
1) Not Humanly Discovered (1 Corinthians 2:6-9)
1 Corinthians 2:6-10 [6]Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. [7]But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. [8]None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [9]But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him" (ESV)
Yet, Paul said, among the mature we do impart/speak wisdom. Whereas false, human wisdom is a great hindrance to the gospel, true, divine wisdom flows from the gospel. With a crucified Messiah as its assumed content (1:23–24, 30 2:2, 8), Paul’s present concern is to explain the nature of this wisdom, which made it impossible for those in pursuit of merely human wisdom to recognize it as such (Fee, G. D. (1987). The First Epistle to the Corinthians (p. 102). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
To believers, “to those who are the called,” Christ is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1:24). Mature (teleios) can mean “perfect” (KJV) or “complete,” but can also refer to a person who has full membership in a group, one who is fully initiated. Here Paul uses this term in the same way it is used in other forms by the writer of Hebrews (6:1; 10:14) to refer to salvation. Those who are mature are those who are redeemed and are completely trusting in Jesus Christ. The apostle is not saying that he speaks God’s wisdom only when he is with believers who are advanced in the faith, but only when he is among believers who are truly in the faith—the saved. True believers are the only ones among whom the gospel can be wisdom. To all others it is a stumbling block or foolishness (1:23). Obviously some Christians are better taught in and more obedient to God’s wisdom than are others. But for every Christian, “in all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him” (Eph. 1:8–9). While the Christ rejectors hear his message as foolishness, to believers it is wisdom—the wisdom of God. Those who have welcomed the message of the cross are mature, whereas the worldly-minded who reject it are not. (Morris, L. (1985). 1 Corinthians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 7, p. 58). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
God’s wisdom, the truth about Him and His message for humanity, is not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age. What does Paul mean by the rulers of this age (6 and 8)? It could be earthly rulers, such as Pilate and Caiaphas, representing Roman and Jewish wisdom; or it could refer to demonic powers. Without ever identifying demonic powers with the power structures and human rulers of the world, the Bible nevertheless strongly suggests a world-view in which the powers of evil manifest their grip particularly in situations where human power is most effectively wielded (Jn. 16:11; Eph. 6:12.) (Prior, D. (1985). The message of 1 Corinthians: life in the local church (pp. 50–51). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
Age (aiônos) refers to a period of time, a historic age. Paul was speaking not only of the particular historical period in which he lived, but of all periods of history. All human wisdom is doomed to pass away. It is empty, futile, and comes to naught. Even the rulers (archontôn, meaning leading men, or men of authority) cannot claim it or even relate to it. This is a PRESENT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE which means “to be made inoperative” (cf. 1:28; Rom. 6:6)...this agewill pass away into the new age of righteousness (Utley, R. J. (2002). Paul’s Letters to a TroubledChurch: I and II Corinthians (Vol. Volume 6, p. 34). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
•There is a tendency in human pride to disregard the lessons of the past, thinking that modern leaders are more advanced. Often the "new ways" tried end up falling into the same traps but by a different route.
Paul repeats the assertion that he is indeed presenting Godly wisdom in verse 7, that he imparts/speaks a secret and hidden wisdom of God. Expressed as a PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE; this mystery has now been clearly manifested in Christ (cf. Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:3–5; Col. 1:26). This uncovered secret (the gospel) emphasizes God’s revelation versus human discovery (cf. Rom. 16:25–26; Eph. 1:9–10; 3:3–5; Col. 1:26; 2:2–3). The most comprehensive definition of this mystery is that Jew and Gentile are united in one new people of God (the church, cf. Eph. 2:11:-3:13) (Utley, R. J. (2002). Paul’s Letters to a TroubledChurch: I and II Corinthians (Vol. Volume 6, p. 34). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
The natural/unredeemed person does not know and understand it, and considers it foolishness, because it is a secret and hidden wisdom of God. This secret and hidden wisdom/Mystery (mustçrion) which does not refer to something strange and puzzling but to that which is held secret. God intentionally holds His wisdom a secret from unredeemed humanity (cf. Matt. 11:25; 13:10–13 Rom. 16:25-26, Eph. 3:5-9, Col. 1:26, 2 Tim. 1:9). The perfect tense, plus the phrase that follows (“before time began”), indicates that such wisdom has been hidden in God from eternity until such a time (“now”) as he was ready to reveal it (Fee, G. D. (1987). The First Epistle to the Corinthians (p. 105). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
To His people, His called and perfected ones, which God decreed/predestined before the ages to give His wisdom through His Son for our glory. Before time began, our heavenly Father determined to give us His saving wisdom that would lead ultimately to our eternal glorification (Rom. 8:18). The wisdom is a wisdom which God decreed before the ages. This means that God made the plan, set it in motion, and will see to it that it will succeed. The great plan of redemption was not a hasty afterthought on the part of God after He saw what man had done (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 574). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).
The crucifixion is proof that the rulers of this age mentioned in verse 8 did not have God’s wisdom. None of the rules of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Neither the leaders of the Jews, to whom the gospel was a stumbling block, nor the leaders of the Gentiles, to whom it was foolishness, understood God’s divine wisdom. In their ignorance of God, their willing ignorance, they executed His Son. Paul’s own testimony demonstrates that ignorance (1 Tim. 1:12–13). That is the outcome of human wisdom. In the world’s eyes, Jesus was anything but glorious; but in God’s eyes He is the very Lord of glory. Since only God is glorious, the expression of Christ as the Lord of glory affirms His deity. Yet from people of yesteryear to cultist of today, the acknowledgement of Christ as deity is seen as foolishness. Though Jesus emptied Himself of His majesty when He became human, He remained fully equal with the Father (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (1 Co 2:8). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.).
Please turn to Isaiah 64
The free quotation cited in verse 9 is from Isaiah 64:4 and 65:17 is often memorized. But it is also frequently misapplied. Paul is not referring to the wonders of heaven, but to the wisdom God has prepared for believers.
Isaiah 64:1-5 [64:1]Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence-- [2] as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-- to make your name known to your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! [3]When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. [4]From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. [5]You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? (ESV)
•God comes from heaven both at the first and second coming of Christ (John 6:33, 38, 50; Rev. 19:11). Isaiah sees the heavens as a vast curtain, concealing God, and begs God to rip them apart and step down into this world with his felt presence (cf. 40:22).(Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1356). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
•Believers see what the heavens conceal, and embrace this coming, this incarnation of wisdom by faith.
Paul's point is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of people cannot know or comprehend His wisdom. It is prepared only for those who love Him.
Neither externally nor internally, objectively nor subjectively, can humanity discover God. His external searching is empirical, experimental—represented by seeing and hearing. God’s truth is not savingly internalized by what can be observed by the eye or the ear, no matter how many sophisticated instruments we may use.
We are just as helpless in trying to discover His truth subjectively, through our minds (heart). Rationalism cannot reason out God’s truth. Humanity's two greatest human resources, empiricism and rationalism, human observation and reason, are equally useless in discovering divine truth. They will always, in fact, eventually turn people against divine truth. Ultimately they lead people to crucify Christ, first physically, then mentally and emotionally.
But God’s truth, God’s plan, God’s wisdom, is not hidden from His children. All that God has prepared for those who love Him.
Hymn: How did you learn of your sin? Wasn’t it from the Word of God? How did you find out that God is holy and your sinful nature caused you to stand justly condemned before him? Wasn’t it from the Word of God? How did you discover that this same God is a God of matchless grace and that he has made through his Son’s death on the cross a way for you to be forgiven of your sins? Wasn’t it through the Word of God?
William R. Newell captured all of this in his much-loved hymn, ‘At Calvary’: Years I spent in vanity and pride, Caring not my Lord was crucified, Knowing not it was for me he died On Calvary. By God’s Word at last my sin I learned; Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned, Till my guilty soul imploring turned To Calvary (Ellsworth, R. (1995). Strengthening Christ’s Church: The Message of 1 Corinthians (p. 50). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.).
True Wisdom, which is Freely given by God is:
2) Divinely Revealed (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 [10]these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. [11]For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts 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 understand the things freely given us by God. [13]And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. [14]The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15]The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. [16]"For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (ESV)
It is as unnecessary as it is impossible for people to discover God’s truth on their own. People cannot come to God on their own; but God has come to humanity. The Holy Spirit has invaded humanity's closed box and shown them God—through revelation, inspiration, and illumination.
The Holy Spirit is the Trinity’s agent of transmission and communication. The first step of His transmission of God’s truth is revelation. As a member of the God-head, the Spirit knows the mind of God perfectly. God has used angels for many amazing and wonderful services to humanity. But He did not entrust the revelation of the New Covenant to an angel. The truths of His Word God has revealed to us through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture. He used many human agents, but the message is entirely His. The revelation is God’s pure Word.
To illustrate the Holy Spirit’s unique qualification for revealing the Word, Paul compares the Spirit’s knowledge of God’s mind to a human being’s knowledge of his own mind. No person can know another person as well as one knows themselves Even husbands and wives who have lived together for dozens of years, and have freely shared their thoughts and dreams and problems and joys, never come to know their mates as intimately as they know themselves.
It is the Spirit of God, the One who intimately knows the depths of God (v. 10) and the thoughts of God, (v. 11) whom God has sent to reveal His own wisdom to those who believe—to us. That He searches does not mean that the Spirit has difficulty finding out the deep things of God. It describes his access, as part of what we often call the Trinity (2 Corinthians 13:14), to these deep truths. The Spirit comprehends these truths and is thus able to reveal them to us (Redford, D. (2007). The New Testament church: Acts-Revelation (Vol. 2, p. 166). Cincinnati, OH: Standard Pub.).
Our innermost thoughts, the deep recesses of our hearts and minds, humanly, are known only to ourselves, which is the sprit of that person which is in him. In a similar way, only God’s own Spirit can know Him intimately. The declaring of the thoughts of God constitutes the process of revelation.
The process of the Spirit’s transmission of God’s truth in verse 12, is called inspiration. His truth cannot be naturally discovered by humanity; it can only be received. In order to be received, something must first be offered. God’s truth can be received because is it freely given. The Spirit who is from God, not the spirit of the world (that is, human wisdom) has brought God’s Word—which comprises the things freely given us by God. The Bible is the Spirit’s vehicle for bringing God’s revelation. What does it mean that the things God gives us are “freely given”? The Greek verb for this idea (charizomai) generally conveys the thought of giving without regard to merit (Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7, p. 41). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers).
The we’s and the us of verses 12–13 (as in vv. 6–7, 10) do not refer to Christians in general but to Paul himself. God’s Word is for all believers, but was revealed only to the apostles and the other writers of Scripture. Only those men properly can be said to have been inspired. The promise of John 14:26 (“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit … will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”) is for the benefit of all believers, but was given only to the apostles. Paul and the other writers of Scripture did not record their own ideas and interpretations. They recorded what God gave them and only what He gave them. We have received … that we might understand/know. The Spirit used words that the human writers knew and used, but He selected them and arranged them in precisely the order that He wanted. The Bible, therefore, not only is God’s Word but God’s words. “All Scripture is inspired by God [lit., ‘God–breathed’]” (2 Tim. 3:16). Scripture means “writings,” and refers specifically to what God’s chosen men wrote by His revelation and inspiration, not to everything they said and wrote. It refers, as Paul explains, to the things freely given us by God, to the “God–breathed” words they recorded.
In interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual, we must recognize what it means to be “spiritual” is profoundly tied to the cross, and to nothing else. More precisely, to be spiritual, in this passage, is to enjoy the gift of the Holy Spirit—and this means understanding and appropriating the message of the cross, “God’s secret wisdom.”( Carson, D. A. (2004). The Cross and ChristianMinistry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians (p. 62). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)
The next step in the Spirit’s transmission of God’s truth mentioned, started in verse 14, is that of illumination. It is possible to read the Bible—even many different copies and versions of the Bible—and yet not understand it. It is possible to study the Bible for many years, memorizing much of it, and still not understand it. The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day were highly trained in the Old Testament, yet they missed its central message. They completely failed to recognize the promised Messiah when He came and lived among them (John 5:37–39). They did not accept the things of the Spirit of God because those things seemed to be folly/foolishness. “Folly/foolishness” means dull, insipid, or tasteless, and this is precisely how spiritual things are perceived by those who do not have the Spirit. Such individuals lack the capacity to discern the truth, excellence, or beauty of divine things, judging them to be absurd and distasteful (Thomas Nelson, I. (1995). The Woman’s Study Bible (1 Co 2:14). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
Because such people do not belong to God, they could not understand them, because they are spiritually discerned/appraised. Those scribes and Pharisees, like everyone who rejects God, lived only in the realm of the natural person. They had no means and had no desire to understand the spiritual nature of God’s Word.
Please turn to Psalm 119
The natural person cannot know or understand the things of the Spirit of God because they can only be spiritually discerned/appraised. Spiritual is in opposition to natural, and thus refers to the inner capacity of the redeemed to grasp God’s truth. God’s Word is spiritually evaluated, spiritually discerned, spiritually understood—and the natural person is spiritually dead.
Psalm 119:17-24 [17]Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. [18]Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. [19]I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! [20]My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times. [21]You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. [22]Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. [23]Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. [24]Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.
•The psalmist understood the need for God’s illumination of His Word (Ps. 119:18). He did not need the Lord’s help to read His Word, but he knew he needed His help to understand it.
Quotes: Martin Luther said, “The Bible cannot be understood simply by study or talent; you must count only on the influence of the Holy Spirit.”
John Calvin wrote: “The testimony of the Spirit is superior to reason. For … these words will not obtain full credit in the hearts of men until they are sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit.”
On the other hand, the spiritual person, as verse 15 indicates, judges/appraises all things. The believer has a resident Truth Teacher to enlighten them about all the things of God about which one needs to know. “As for you,” John wrote, “the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him” (1 John 2:27). The Holy Spirit takes God’s Word, the Word which He has revealed and inspired, and illuminates it for those in whom He dwells.
Unlike God’s revelation and inspiration, which were given to the biblical writers, His illumination is for all Christians. We all can rightly judge/appraise the Word when we rely on the Giver of the Word.
Because the unregenerate person cannot rightly appraise God’s Word, such an individual cannot rightly appraise God’s people, either. The spiritual person … is himself to be judged/appraised by no one. The person in Christ will be misunderstood and mistreated just as Christ was misunderstood and mistreated (John 15:20). The world will laugh at us, mock us, and, in many places of the world still today, even kill us. The world crucified Christ and it will crucify His followers.
It is just as impossible for the world to understand faithful Christians as it is for them to understand God Himself and His Word. They try to appraise believers, of course, but they are always wrong. They may accurately evaluate our faults, shortcomings, and our living that is inconsistent with our faith. But they cannot accurately evaluate our faith. If the gospel itself is a stumbling block and foolishness to them, so is faith based on the gospel.
Paul concludes in verse 16 by asking: Who has understood/known the mind of the Lord? Taking verse 15 and 16 together, Paul offers is a syllogism: Major premise: Of course, no one knows the Lord’s mind and instructs him—this is admitted as self-evident. Minor premise: We have Christ’s mind—he revealed it to us, and so this, too, must be admitted. Ergo, the self-evident conclusion: No one can instruct, know, probe, judge us, in a word, evaluate aright what we are and have. Id est, no fool of this world. God, of course, can; Christ and all who have his mind can, but no one else can. What folly is it then for those who have not even the ability to accept the things of God’s Spirit, who deem them to be foolishness, to sit in judgment on these things and on the people who possess them and glory in them! Do they, perhaps, intend to instruct the Lord? Will they attempt this impossible, presumptuous, blasphemous thing? Christ is God, and God’s wisdom, in which no one can instruct Christ, has its origin in the Trinity (Lenski, R. C. H. (1963). The interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second epistle to the Corinthians (pp. 118–119). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.).
What unregenerate person thinks God’s thoughts? None. Unbelievers frequently want to correct believers, to argue about the truths we believe and follow. But when they contradict scriptural teaching, they are not arguing with us but with God, whose thoughts they do not understand. They are trying to instruct Him. What folly.
As Christians, however, God instructs us. We are able to understand all things of His Word because we have the mind of Christ. Christ thinks God’s thoughts, and understands God’s wisdom. We have His mind (nous). This term is translated “understanding” in 14:14, 15, 19. Its usage here may best be understood from its use in Luke 24:45 of Jesus’ revelation to the disciples on the road to Emmaus: “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
The doctrine of illumination does not mean we can know and understand everything (Deut. 29:29), that we do not need human teachers (Eph. 4:11–12), or that study is not hard work (2 Tim. 2:15). It does mean that Scripture can be understood by every Christian who is diligent and obedient.
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1984). 1 Corinthians (pp. 60–67). Chicago: Moody Press.)
