1 Corinthians 2:1
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
This is fascinating, and something all those that fill pulpits should heed. The apostle Paul didn't use big fancy words to preach the gospel. He didn't exaggerate a thing. Instead, as we'll find out in the next verse, he just laid out the facts, starting with the most important: Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice, reconciling the world unto Himself. Keep it simple and share the good news of the gospel of God's grace. We are to follow the apostle Paul as he follows Christ (1 Cor 4:16, 11:1).
The Greek for excellency is huperoche, which has the idea of prominence. It literally translates to "hold above." This verse is word for word with the Greek, but I wanted to point that one out.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
God's word and testimony are the most powerful weapons in our arsenal in this spiritual battle. In fact, His word is the only weapon in our arsenal according to Ephesians 6:11-17. Our weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God. The Greek there in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 17 is rhema instead of the familiar logos that is translated as "word." If our weapon is speaking the word of God, then that should be incentive to know what the gospel of God's grace is. Knowing what it is, we can be the catalyst through which God will remove the snares of the devil on our friends and family by speaking His word to them. God will present those opportunities to share the gospel, so I encourage all to study the scriptures daily with an open and prayerful heart. Know the gospel and your Savior, so when those opportunities arise, you will be ready in season or out of season (2 Tim 4:2).
1 Corinthians 2:3
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
This statement may not seem to make sense at first, because Paul spoke for a relatively long time in Corinth in Acts 18 concerning the gospel of God's grace. We're told he was there for a year in half before moving on. However, when we read the account in Acts 18, it is clear that Paul was in fear and had good reason to be. First, in Acts 18:4, he was persuading those in the synagogue every sabbath day for some time. When his friends in ministry arrived, he was emboldened and taught that Jesus is the Christ (verse 5). Acts 18:5 is another verse where the English doesn't do the Greek justice. Paul was feeling pressure of testifying that Jesus is the Christ, but the Greek word for testifying is more emphatic, having the prefix "dia," indicating that he thoroughly testified Jesus is the Christ.
Now, when I read about Paul in scripture, I know that he would hold nothing back, given the opportunity. in Acts 20, Paul spoke well into the night, causing poor Eutychus to fall out a window from exhaustion. But Paul didn't miss a beat. He went down to Eutychus, fell upon him, and declared he was still alive. Then he ate and went back to speaking until day broke, then went on his way. I would venture to say if Paul didn't need to sleep, he wouldn't bother so that he could keep speaking about the gospel of the grace of God.
Here in 1 Corinthians 2:3 is a bit of a different matter, though. We read in Acts 18 that once Paul thoroughly testified that Jesus is the Christ, much disputing and violence arose in Corinth. If it were not so bad, God would have no reason to tell Paul in a vision, "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city." God doesn't mention a lot of the details of what happened, but we can imagine the physical and spiritual turmoil of the hostile environment Paul was preaching in. At some point, Sosthenes was beaten before Gallio (verse 17), who is most likely the same as mentioned in chapter 1 and verse 1 of this epistle. Both of these men endured all of that for the sake of spreading the gospel of the grace of God. It should be no wonder that Paul would then be in weakness and fear while speaking in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 2:4
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
I can only imagine that once Paul saw that vision from God, how encouraged he must have been. Building off of verse 1, he again says that he didn't use words to tickle ears. He didn't make a show of himself. Much rather, he let the Holy Spirit do the job. We'll see the reason in the next verse, which is also something we should take special note of.
The words "speech" and "words" in this verse are both of the root "logos" in the Greek. "Preaching" is the Greek kerugma, which is simply a proclamation without regard to content. This is different than the word "euaggelizo" which is specifically preaching the good news, and where we get our word evangelize from. The word for "enticing" is "peithos," which happens to have the same root of the word most often translated as "faith." The English "enticing" works, but we could also put in "persuasive" there to get the idea. So we understand that Paul's style at Corinth wasn't showy to bring attention to himself. He wasn't trying to scam anyone like some door to door salesmen are forced to do for their products. He didn't have to bring up anecdotes to convince anyone he was right, because he says the Holy Spirit demonstrated that God was with Paul and confirming his words. The word there for power is dunamis in the Greek, so it's the power of ability rather than power of authority. We'll get more into that in chapters 12 and 13, because this is definitely referring to sign gifts that were very much alive at that time. Spoiler alert: these sign gifts are no longer happening today according to the word of God (1 Cor 13:8). Why? Because the word of God is completed (Col 1:25), and that which was known in part is now made "perfect" (1 Cor 13:9-10).
1 Corinthians 2:5
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Now, this was done, that Paul would use simple speech to preach the gospel of the grace of God, and that the Holy Spirit demonstrated the truth of the gospel in the power and ability of God in order that the faith of the Corinthians would not be in the wisdom of men, but in God. That makes sense, doesn't it? In order to be saved from sin and death, faith must be placed in God and His power, not just in logical wisdom of men. Faith must be in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to be forgiven all sins, once and for all (Col 2:13). In that moment, the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit to the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13) inherits all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3) and is indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit until they join Jesus Christ in Heaven (Eph 1:13-14). None of that can happen simply on the wisdom of men. So I ask, what is your faith in?
Again, the Greek for power in this verse is the root dunamis, which logically makes sense looking back at verse 4. The only other thing I would like to point out in the Greek is the phrase "should not stand." The Greek literally has "may not be" with the verb "to be" in the present subjunctive. It is different than the verb "to stand" which is the root histemi. A minor point as the meaning is clear, I understand, but I am one to maintain the original language when at all possible.
1 Corinthians 2:6
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
Notice the change here. Paul and the apostles and prophets of grace do speak wisdom, but who is that to? To them that are perfect. What does that mean? To those who are maturing in Christ, those that are saved individuals. But there is a catch. Paul doesn't just speak anything, and most certainly not the wisdom of this world. He will reveal that in the next verse, but we know he wouldn't waste his time with the things of this world, especially on them that believe. He says all of that comes to nothing anyway, so why bother?
This verse starts off with the Greek "de." The Greek for "perfect" is teleios, which is of the root "telos." It means to have reached a consummation, or come to an end goal with all the results. It's the word used when Jesus spoke to Israel about going through the Tribulation period, and he who endured to the end will be saved (Matt 24:13). It is interesting to point out that the Greek word for "world" both times here is aionos, so it would more accurately be translated "age." There is also a definite article present for it both times so that it reads, "of this the age." Also, the word "that" is referring to the princes (Greek archon) of the age. Paul wouldn't speak of those in authority that are of the world, in other words, of secular authority, because he had his authority from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12). His authority, message, and apostleship was confirmed, as we just saw in verse 4, with the power of the Holy Spirit.
It should be evident from this context that Paul will speak wisdom to those that are saints, and that he will speak wisdom that doesn't come from carnal man. The wisdom he speaks is from divine origin, as Paul was committed the gospel of the grace of God to carry to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13).
1 Corinthians 2:7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Paul answers the thought in verse 6 to confirm that the wisdom he and his company speak is of God in a mystery, which is the hidden wisdom of God. God knew all of this before the foundation of the world. He knew that there would be a time where He would send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to go to the cross of Calvary to fulfill all the promises to Israel, that Israel would be concluded in unbelief for a season, and to bring salvation by faith apart from works to the Gentiles. This was the wisdom that Paul would speak, and as we read scripture, Paul was certainly faithful to God's wish for him in Christ (Acts 26:19).
Paul uses the word mystery almost exclusively. Of the 28 times we find it in the New Testament, it is only used 4 times apart from Paul: in Matt 13:11, Mark 4:11, Luke 8:19, and Rev 1:20. It should be no surprise that we see this, because Paul was given the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph 3:2-9). It was "kept secret since the world began" (Rom 16:25). But now, how wonderful is it that God told us the whole story that we need through the ministry of the apostle Paul (Col 1:25)? Again, we see the word "world" here is aionon, the plural of aionos which we saw in verse 6. God knew and ordained the dispensation of the grace of God before the ages to our glory, that the church, the Body of Christ, should make known the mystery, the fullness of God's wisdom, even unto the heavenly host (1 Cor 6:3, Eph 3:10). That alone is something worth meditating on for days and weeks.
1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Here is another verse with proof that Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, or any of the Old Testament could possibly be talking about the dispensation of the grace of God, or of the rapture event, or any other part of the doctrine of the gospel of the uncircumcision in which we live today. None of the rulers of this age knew of the grace God was going to be giving through Jesus Christ's shed blood on the cross. Since the flesh is against the Spirit (Gal 5:17), had they known the glory it would bring to God, they would not have crucified Jesus Christ.
Again, the word for "world" here is aionos. There are some definite articles missing: the age and the glory. The word for "known" here is from the root ginosko, the knowledge through experience.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
God quotes Himself in Isaiah 64:4 to get His point across. In this context, it is reiterating the point that the princes or rules of the age had no idea what they were doing, because if they did know, they wouldn't have gone through with it. Let's be honest, we wouldn't know either had not God revealed the unsearchable riches of Christ to the apostle Paul to share with the world. What an amazing privilege it is to be living in this dispensation of the grace of God!
This verse is pretty much word for word with the Greek.
1 Corinthians 2:10
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Verses like this make me really appreciate the God we serve. He loved us so much to reveal to us His plan in due season through His Spirit (Titus 1:3). We're about to get a lesson on the spirit in the next couple of verses, but how nice of God to reveal to us how much He loves us. He knew full well that Adam and Eve would eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He knew the only way to fix that would be to send His only begotten Son to shed His blood to cover that sin and the sin of the world. God knew there would be a day that He would get to unveil His plan of reconciliation through Jesus' blood on the cross. Can you imagine how it must have pleased God to look forward to that day? He was willing to go through all of this, to put up with sin and iniquity, because it would result in His creation and souls being saved through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Amazing that He kept it hid for about 4,000 years!
The only thing to note from the Greek is the missing article for the God both times.
1 Corinthians 2:11
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
We were just told by God's inerrant word that the spirit searches all things in the last verse. Here we get to spell that out a bit. Who really knows you best? It's you. No matter what the relationship is, no one knows a person as well as that person, because that knowledge is only in their spirit. Most of it can be made manifest by word, gesture, or other communication, but not all is known. We can apply this to God as well. No one knows the intimate things of God except His Holy Spirit. We're laying the groundwork for something truly amazing coming in the next couple of verses.
The word for "knoweth" in this verse first is the Greek eido, which is the intuitive or perceived knowledge. The second "knoweth" is of the Greek ginosko, the experiential kind of knowledge. This is an important difference to note in the lesson God is about to teach. The beginning of the verse reads a bit different in the Greek as well. Here is a more literal translation with missing articles noted:
For who of mankind perceives the things of the man if not the spirit of the man which is in him? In this manner also the things of the God not one knows if not the Spirit of the God.
1 Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Isn't this awesome to read? For all those that trust in what Jesus Christ has done for them on the cross of Calvary, they not only are saved from sin and death, which is a miracle in itself, but the spirit which is of God dwells within them. God's Holy Spirit seals us unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14) and teaches us the things that are freely given of God. He will show us what the bible means because they're all His words and He desires us to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Tim 3:16-17).
It may be hard to see in the English, but the verb to know is in the subjunctive in the Greek. It also is the root eido, so we can perceive the things that are granted to us of God. What things are those? All the spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3), the riches of the glory of His inheritance (Eph 1:18), and the full knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). One other thing to point out in the Greek is that the word translated as "freely given" is the root charisma, typically translated as grace. So, the challenge then is, are you, as a saint, allowing God to teach you the truth? Are you diligently seeking spiritual knowledge that can only come from God? Or are you quenching the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19)? The choice is ours every day, because God will not take our free will away. God made people, not robots, and people have the choice whom they may serve. God gives us this warning in Romans 6:16, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Seems like an easy choice, but something we can struggle with as our flesh battles against the spirit (Rom 7:22-25).
1 Corinthians 2:13
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
This was Paul's job as the apostle of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:1). He was proclaiming the words given to him by God through Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12). Clearly, these words are spirit and not carnal. They are of God and not of man, because everywhere Paul went, people either received the word or mocked and/or wanted to kill him. We read about that all through Acts after chapter 13 when he was unleashed with the message reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19). If we want to know the spiritual things, the truth of God's word, we need His spirit. It was Paul's job, and all other apostles, to speak those words so those hearing may understand spiritual things.
The Greek only reads differently in the middle of this verse. It more literally says, "not in words (logos) of human-taught wisdom, but in [words] of Spirit-taught. The word "teacheth" is an adjective in the Greek, not a verb. Similar idea, just said a bit differently.
1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
This is why Paul met with such divisiveness when he proclaimed the gospel that was given to him. For those that rejected God, they could not understand what Paul was saying. We see that with the address in Athens in Acts 17, especially in verse 32. The natural man can't understand spiritual things because they are spiritual. The natural man would need a spirit to understand, but that can only come through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ being the atoning work for sin. God wasn't kidding around when He told Adam and Eve that in the day they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that they would surely die. They died spiritually that day, and as offspring of Adam and Eve, we inherit what they had: spiritual death and sin. That's why God says that through Adam sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom 5:12). The only fix is to revive the spirit, but that can only be done by the Giver of Life (Gen 2:7). That's another reason to see that works on our part to make our way into Heaven are useless. Humans can't fix death, but God can and has through Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Paul wasn't the only one that met division. Jesus Christ also did in His earthly ministry. Paul was still Saul of Tarsus at that time and on the other side of the spiritual battle. Note Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. We could also look at any encounter with the Jews and religious leaders when Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He would plainly tell them He was the Son of God, but they just wouldn't hear it nor understand it.
The Greek word for "receiveth" is dechomai. It has the idea of receiving by welcoming. This is different than the Greek lambano, which is to take hold of or aggressively receive. Natural man will not welcome the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. The word for "know" here is of the root ginosko.
1 Corinthians 2:15
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
In contrast to the natural man not knowing anything spiritual, the one who is spiritual can judge everything. Why? Because the spiritual one is taught the truth of God through the Spirit of God. How can God then say in His inerrant word that the spiritual one is judge of no one? Because it is God who justifies (Rom 8:33). No one can lay any charge against the saint of God, because they have the Spirit of God in them, and God predetermined those who are saints to be holy and without blame before Him in love during this age we live in (Eph 1:4-6, 13-14).
The Greek "de" is translated as "but" and "yet" in this verse. Also there are articles in this verse that drive the meaning. The KJV is pretty accurate, but just for comparison, this the literal interpretation:
Now, the [one] spiritual judges the all things. Now, himself under no one is judging.
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Can anyone question this? Did anyone know what God was thinking before He revealed it to us through Jesus Christ? Of course not. However, now God has made it manifest through Jesus Christ and the gospel given to the apostle Paul, so that the saints of God, the church which is His Body, will show the manifold wisdom of God even to the heavenly host (Eph 3:1-11). No one could have possibly seen this coming since it was hid in God since the world began (Rom 16:25, Eph 3:9, Titus 1:2). But now, anyone who is a saint has the mind of Christ because the Holy Spirit dwells within them. Doesn't that just send an exciting chill down the spine?
The only thing to point out in the Greek is the word "instruct." It is the compound word sumbibazo, made up of syn (together with) and embibazo (board a ship). It has the meaning of causing to stride together, or where we get our phrase "get on board with me". So the question posed in this verse is saying who could be equaled with God's mind to know any of this when God knew it? We were just told that no one know the things of a man save his spirit and the same with God. Of course no one could know, but now we can through the gospel of the grace of God, because saints have the mind of Christ.
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