Introductory remarks:
"Paul didn't dazzle them with clever words but humbly gave God's message. Believers see the message to be very wise. The world doesn't know God's plan for those who love Him, but God's Spirit reveals it to His own. Which is the only way man can know the things of God" (A Survey of I Corinthians - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: Proclaiming Christ Crucified vv. 1-5; the revelation by God's Spirit vv. 6-16.
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
Verse 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."
LGT "And, I having come to you, brethren, came not according to excellency of word or wisdom, announcing to you the mystery of God."
And, I having come to you: brethren: Paul continues his loving address to his brethren. When I came the first time announcing the Glad Tidings of Christ, and Christ Crucified (Acts 18:1&tc.). Came not according to excellency of word or wisdom: Paul came not with philosophical oratory or as a great communicator, but as a simple apostle expounding the Word of God, which was that Christ had been crucified and they are now beneficiaries of this fact. It was not that Paul could not be philosophical, but the Glad Tidings that he was sent to teach were directly from God, and the Word alone must convince the soul, lest the cross of Christ be made of none effect (1Co 1:17). Today the way a preacher is elected for an assembly is nothing more than a beauty contest; if he is interesting to listen to, and he comes across as having a good personality, they vote him in. Another thing that impresses most assemblies is the man's style of preaching; most preachers today use either the topical or textual method of preaching, and this usually tickles the ears of the assembly because of the allegorical method used for interpretation. Paul used exegesis, that is, expository preaching, which is the only way a teacher should teach the Word of God. Announcing to you the mystery of God: this mystery is that Christ has been crucified, and that they are the beneficiaries of all the Divine Riches of His grace. In the Old Testament the people had the Patriarchs, the Prophets, Priests, and Kings, and the Books of the Psalms and Wisdom, which foretold the coming of Christ, and that He would be crucified for the sins of the world, but this was done with prophetic words and types in their sacrifices and festivals, but it only foreshadowed these things [mysteries] to come surrounding Christ's crucifixion. Now Paul was come to reveal the mystery of the cross, the fact that Christ has come and has been crucified, and the effect of this mystery is that they are no longer under Law but under Grace, and that they have a new standing before the Father as being perfectly righteous without any works of the Law, or works of their own.
Verse 2, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
LGT "For I did not decide to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
Paul made this decision that the Cross of Christ, that which caused the Jews to stumble and the Greeks to call foolishness, would be his main topic, for there is no other doctrine without this foundation, the "Chief Corner Stone" Jesus Christ the Righteous One. Today the main concern of the modern preacher is the size of the congregation and the size of the collection plate. We have a bunch of lazy popinjays [strutting arrogance] making sure they keep up their appeal by preaching sermons that please the itching ears.
Verse 3, "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling."
LGT "And I in weakness and in fear and in much trembling came to you."
Paul did fear, and he did tremble, and this was such as human nature is. He did not let his fears rule him, and he did overcome them by the Word of God: the Lord spoke to him 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" (Acts 18:9, 10). "For if Paul feared not, what endurance or what self-restraint was there in bearing the dangers? I, for my part, on this account admire him; because being in fear, and not simply in fear, but even in trembling, at his perils, he so ran as ever to keep his crown" (Chrysostom).
Verse 4, "And my speech and my preaching was not enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power."
LGT "And my word and my preaching [was] not in persuasive human words of wisdom, but in demonstration of [the] Spirit and of power."
And my word and my preaching: all the doctrines Paul taught were directly from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Was not in persuasive human words of wisdom: Paul did not attempt to convince men with his own intellect, but through the Word of God. If the Word of God cannot convince men they need Christ, how in the world do we, sniveling creatures that we are, expect we can come up with human words of wisdom that can convince men. All we need do is teach the Word as it is, and let the truth, by the convincing power of the Holy Spirit do the work. But in demonstration of the Spirit and power: Paul knew this all too well when he wrote to the Hebrews: "For The Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
Verse 5, "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
LGT "In order that your faith might not stand in wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
In order that your faith might not stand in wisdom of men: God's Word is the only word that can be depended upon. Philosophies change, and men's view of science is continually changing; this is so very clear from the panic some of the liberals are in over global warming; there is no clear cut proof that global warming even exist, yet, it has the liberals clinging to Gore like monkeys on a stick. The only place our faith can fend off all the darts of this world's anti-Christ's, is in God. But in the power of God: the power of God confounds human wisdom. God's power will never sustain us if we are not completely convinced the Bible is the Word of God.
The Revelation by God's Spirit
Verse 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."
LGT "But we speak wisdom among the perfect ones: but wisdom, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing."
But we speak: Paul uses the exclusive we meaning himself and the other teachers such as Peter and Apollos. Wisdom among the perfect ones: this wisdom is contrasted to the wisdom of the world; this wisdom Paul is speaking of is the wisdom of being able to put into every day experience the doctrines of the Word of God; this wisdom is eternal. The perfect ones in this context can only mean the believer, who stands perfect before God the moment one receives Christ as Savior. God's wisdom is faith in Christ, but to the world it is foolishness. But wisdom not of this age: the wisdom of the Greeks, which is in reality foolishness compared to the wisdom Paul and his like were teaching. Who are coming to nought: the wisdom of the world amounts to nothing, that is, it is for the present only, but in the light of eternity it is just vanity.
Verse 7, "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto glory."
LGT "But we speak wisdom of God in a mystery. The hidden [wisdom], which God predetermined, before the ages for our glory."
But we speak wisdom of God in a mystery: God's mystery is "incomprehensible to unassisted human reason." The unbeliever cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them. Again, the Word of God must be believed to be comprehended. The mysteries of the cross of Christ were designed for the believer only. Even in the Old Testament the cross was prefigured in the animal sacrifice, and was only partially understood by the ones who had faith. The age of grace is the mystery age; but the cross of Christ is hidden [or veiled] from the ones who will not believe. Again, I cannot explain unbelief, but I have written much about true "easy believism," that is, faith only in Christ only. It is because of this wisdom of God in a mystery, the fact that Christ died for all men's sin, that causes the Jew to stumble and the Greek to scoff as foolish. The hidden wisdom, which God predetermined: God predetermined this wonderful plan of Salvation in eternity past, and it is a perfect plan that will go on throughout eternity. God could not create a plan that was not perfect. Before the ages for our glory: "One design of that plan was to raise the redeemed to 'glory, and honor, and immortality.' It should greatly increase our gratitude to God, that it was a subject of eternal design; that He always cherished this purpose; and that He has loved us with such love, and sought our happiness and salvation with such intensity, that in order to accomplish it, He was willing to give his own Son to die on a cross" (Barnes).
Verse 8, "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord."
LGT "Which not one of the rulers of this age has known: for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory."
The Jews should have known that Christ was their Messiah, but they rejected Him because of their deliberate ignorance, I say deliberate, because some of the Jews did believe. Now if the ones who refused to believe had received Christ, they never would have crucified Him. What a mystery the Cross of Christ is to the world; but to us who have repented, that is, changed our minds concerning Christ and Christ Crucified, it is our everlasting glory. The Cross will ever remain a mystery to the ones who refuse to believe.
Verse 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."
LGT "But just as it has been written [and stands written], things which saw not, and ear heard not, and came not into heart of man, which God prepared for the ones who love Him."
But just as it has been written: this is not an exact quotation, but is believed by some that it is loosely translated, with the main idea in tact from the Septuagint of Isaiah 64:4:
"Things which saw not, and ear heard not:"
"From of old we have not heard,"
"Nor have eyes seen a God beside Thee,"
"And thy works which Thou wilt do,"
"For those who wait for mercy."
(Isaiah 64:4 - Septuagint)
And came not into the heart of man: the natural man cannot understand the things God has designed for the believer only; these spiritual things are not hidden from the unbeliever in order that he cannot find them, but it means that the unbeliever cannot find these things through natural scientific investigation. All spiritual truth comes from the Word of God, interpreted on the mind by the Holy Spirit. Which God has prepared for the ones who love Him: the believers have spiritual eyes and ears that see and hear Spiritual Truth which the unbeliever cannot see, not hear, in fact, they mock these things. The Gospel of Grace has bestowed on the believer not only the blessings of eternal salvation in Christ, but has also added the Divine Riches of His Grace [which are set out as things not obvious to sense, nor to be comprehended by reason - Matthew Poole] as the wisdom only the believer knows anything about; you see, positional truth is the very hope on which we stand in Christ Jesus our Lord. "And if on earth the gospel confers such blessings on its friends, how much higher and purer shall be the joys which it shall bestow in heaven" (Barnes).
Verse 10, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
LGT "But to us God revealed them through His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, and the depths of God."
But to us: Paul includes all believers. Revealed them through His Spirit: as noted above, the Word of God cannot be comprehended by natural means. The Word of God can only be spiritually discerned [1 Cor. 2:14] by means of the Holy Spirit's enlightening ministry. For the Spirit searches all things: The Holy Spirit searches means He reveals the character of God. And the depth of God: the Holy Spirit doesn't search the depths of God to discover, but to uncover to us these things which the natural man cannot by natural means discover. This is the reason Bible study is so important, because the Holy Spirit does not reveal these things apart from God's Word; this is because you cannot separate God from His Word.
Verse 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."
LGT "For who of men knows the mind of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? So also the things of God no one has known, except the Spirit of God."
For who of men knows the mind of man: all men have an incomplete knowledge of himself, nevertheless knowledge just the same. Every man knows others by self-judgment, that is, by examining the way they react in certain situations. Except the spirit of man which is in him: men know other men by how much they know of themselves; they watch how others react to a given situation, and they judge others by how they act in the same situation. An example of this is that when we take a fall, immediately we look around to see if anyone was looking, and we are embarrassed; then when we see another man fall, we are embarrassed for him, knowing that he is embarrassed. However, we can only know our own mind, and that only superficially, for we have on many masks, and until they are removed at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, we really don't even know ourselves. So that the things of God no one has known: no one can know by natural means the deep things of God. Except the Spirit of God: all believers have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and now we do know the mind of God, and this is what should rule our very existence. The things of God have not even entered the mind of man. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to know these things, but the Holy Spirit is perfectly qualified to communicate these things of God to us, by teaching us from the Word of God.
Verse, 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."
LGT "But we received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is from God, in order that we may know the things granted to us from God."
But we received not the spirit of this world: we Christians received not the spirit [character] of this world, which produced the worldly wisdom Paul described in verse six, the "principle of evil which animates the unregenerate". But the Spirit which is from God: the Holy Spirit in us produces God's nature in us.
Calvin notes on this phrase:
"It is a passage that is most abundantly clear, for refuting that diabolical doctrine of the Sophists [the pinheaded Roman Catholic clergy] as to a constant hesitancy on the part of believers. For they require all believers to be in doubt, whether they are in the grace of God or not [Calvin obviously is referring to being in fellowship], and allow of no assurance of salvation, but what hangs on moral or probable conjecture. In this, however, they overthrow faith in two respects: for first they would have us be in doubt, whether we are in a state of grace [fellowship], and then afterwards a second occasion of doubt - as to final perseverance. Here, however, the Apostle declares in general terms, that the elect have the Spirit given them, by whose testimony they are assured that they have been adopted to the hope of eternal salvation, Undoubtedly, if they would maintain their doctrine, they must of necessity either take away the Spirit of God from the elect, or make even the Spirit Himself subject to uncertainty. Both of these things are openly at variance with Paul's doctrine. Hence we may know the nature of faith to be this, that conscience has from the Holy Spirit a sure testimony of the good-will of God towards it, so that, resting upon this, it does not hesitate to invoke God as a Father. Thus Paul lifts up our faith above the world, that it may look down with lofty disdain upon all the pride of the flesh; for otherwise it will be always timid and wavering, because we see how boldly human ingenuity exalts itself, the haughtiness [arrogance] of which requires to be trodden under foot by the sons of God through means of an opposing haughtiness of heroical magnanimity."
In order that we may know the things granted to us from God: that we may know positively that all the Divine Riches of His Grace are freely given to all believers, and the only reason we can be assured of these things is because they have been given and interpreted to us by His Holy Spirit. As I have stressed before how important it is for all of us to keep studying these Riches of Grace in order that our joy might be full.
Verse 13, "Which things we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
LGT "Which also we speak, not in words taught of human wisdom, but in [those] taught of [the] Spirit, communicating by spiritual [means] spiritual things."
Which also we speak: these doctrines "we" teach, Paul and the other spirit filled teachers and apostles. Not in words taught of human wisdom: not as the philosophers and sophists teach, for they cannot transcend human reasoning, which can only produce human good, which at the Bema Seat will be burned as wood, hay, and stubble. But in those taught of the Spirit: The Holy Spirit must be the One to communicate divine wisdom or it can never be taught; Paul and the other apostles and spirit filled teachers depended one hundred percent on the leading of the Spirit. Communicating by spiritual means spiritual things: "Undoubtedly Paul employs the word purposely for the utterance of the revelation which he understood. That is to say, there is revelation (1Co 2:10), illumination (1Co 2:12), and inspiration (1Co 2:13). Paul claims therefore the help of the Holy Spirit for the reception of the revelation, for the understanding of it, for the expression of it" (Robertson).
Verse 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."
LGT "But [the] natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him: and he cannot know [them], because they are discerned spiritually."
This verse defines the natural mind of the unbeliever, compared to the spiritual mind of the believer, as no other Scripture; that is, because I fully understand why the unbeliever cannot understand the Word of God, because he uses human rationale, and that is not the way the Word of God can be understood. Christ said we must worship God in Spirit and in truth. I say I understand why I am regarded as foolish to the unbeliever, my puzzlement comes from not being able to understand why anyone would reject so free salvation, without any strings attached; I guess I will learn someday in eternity. If the Apostle Paul relied completely on the Holy Spirit to teach him spiritual things, how much more we need to depend on Him? The unbeliever posses a spirit, but it remains dead until the Holy Spirit quickens it, that is, brings it to life; until this time they have no choice but to remain in their natural soulish [psuchikos] state of mind, which cannot comprehend anything beyond self-gratification, both mental and physical.
Verse 15, "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."
LGT "But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, but he by no one is discerned."
But the one who is spiritual discerns all things: that is all things spiritual; the unbeliever with all his natural wisdom cannot even begin to discern the spiritual things, because in the light of his human wisdom, all things spiritual are nonsense. The intellectual who relies on his human wisdom as the Gnostics of old did can only receive from us pity. All believers are spiritual, yet all do not live that way; in order to live spiritually we must be in fellowship with the Father, and we all know by now what it takes to remain in fellowship; if not, we will be studying the process again and again, so don't despair. But he by no one is discerned: the unbeliever cannot understand the believer, so it is futile for the two to argue any point; the only message we have for the unbeliever is, Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
Verse 16, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
LGT "For who did know [the] mind of [the] Lord? Who shall instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."
For who did know the mind of the Lord: what natural man understands divine wisdom? The natural man could study the Bible exhaustively, but still will come up short of the glory of God. Who shall instruct Him: all truth comes from God, and a mere creature cannot tell God anything; all of God's wisdom comes under the header of nonsense to the unbeliever. But we have the mind of Christ: Christ has not only imputed to us His perfect righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), but he has also given us His Holy Spirit, in order that we may discern spiritual truth. Paul is referring to all believers universally receiving the mind of Christ, and not with an exclusive "we" meaning He and the other apostles and teachers, as some I have read believe. It is quite revealing to watch the newscasts and listen to the so-called wise men of our age; they call Christians radical, because they cannot discern spiritual things. These wise men posture before the world, but they are fools before Almighty God.
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