Lesson 5 – 1 Corinthians Chapter 2:1-10
In chapter 1, we got a pretty good picture as to what Paul was facing by writing to the Corinthian church. Paul had received destressing news from Chole’s people, that things were amiss among the Corinthian believers. Paul found that there were divisions or factions developing within the church, and that this was the result of the people focusing more on the church leaders rather than keeping their main focus on God.
A very good take away from this is, mankind has the capacity to disappoint us, and often times will, whereas, God will never let us down. In our lifetime there may be hard times of testing that we have to deal with, but God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)
We also learned from Paul that when it comes to knowledge and wisdom, man always falls short when compared to God and His ways. “The world,” left to its own thoughts, desires and wisdom will never discover God’s salvation, because it is seen by the world as nothing but “foolishness” to them. When it comes to spreading the good news “God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.” (vs.27)
As we keep going in 1 Corinthians, chapter 2 will continue with Paul’s discussion of the gospel and the wisdom of men.
The sad reality was, there were people in Corinthian church who admired the philosophies of men, figuring that the church would be much better off by using man’s wisdom and philosophy to win converts rather than the simple and despised message of the cross.
When a church is man-driven instead of being Spirit driven, it’s doomed to drift off in the wrong direction.
1 Cor. 2:1:
“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.”
One of the saddest things to see in the Christian world is when a pastor starts out wonderfully, and then over time, he changes his tune by taking on a philosophical, or perhaps in these days, a “woke” approach to the gospel. Let’s be clear, Paul would never do that.
While Paul was in Corinth it says in Acts 18:9-11:
“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.” (NLT)
When Paul entered Corinth, he wrote, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God…
Paul spent a year and a half faithfully preaching the true word of the gospel, and nothing but the truth. Paul didn’t express himself as some high-minded philosopher, but as a faithful witness of Jesus Christ.
Proclaiming to you the testimony of God… the testimony of God is just being a witness of God… proclaiming God’s truth.
If you find yourself in a courtroom as a witness, you can only express just what you have seen or heard and nothing else. When Paul spoke, it wasn’t from his own human understanding or reasoning, it was that which Jesus had revealed to him. Remember, all of his letters were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Looking at the primary mission, the only responsibility of ministry is to always exhibit the truth of God. In light of this, we get a warning from Paul in 1 Tim. 4:1-2:
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,”
In the last days, satan and his minions will shift things into high gear, along with man’s corrupt wisdom and philosophies.
1 Cor. 2:2:
“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
Paul didn’t have a worldly agenda, he had a Jesus agenda! Like I’ve said before, if you cut Paul, he would bleed nothing but Jesus.
In the past, Paul was zealous to kill the Christians; that was before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Now he was zealous to proclaim nothing but Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. All the preaching Paul did pointed to Jesus as the absolute divine Savior of the world.
Acts 20:25-27:
“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”
Bible commentary says, “The preaching of the cross was so dominant in the early church that many Jews and Gentiles accused the Christians of worshiping a dead man. To help a person understand the gospel, Paul would go to any length to explain and clarify the cross, but he would not say one word to modify or contradict it.”
1 Cor. 2:3:
“I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,”
Looking at the word weakness here, it’s not descriptive, making Paul out to be a wimp, but we should look at this weakness in a totally spiritual way.
2 Cor. 12:9-10:
“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What was good for Paul is also good for us, in that we don’t try to do things under our own strength and power, but through the Spirit.
Zechariah 4:6:
“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
Then in John 15:5:
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
When it comes to being a witness for Christ, if you don’t ask Jesus to join you when you’re telling someone about Him, you’re probably going to fail. Our God-given work is guaranteed to be successful, not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives. Christian, relax… God is with you!
In fear and in much trembling…
From the world’s perspective, this would portray someone being scared, so scared that they’re shaking in their boots. As you probably know, fear and trembling has to do with going before God with the utmost respect. It is more like reverence and awe instead of abject terror, which leads us to having a total dependence upon God.
Therefore, we could say there is a worldly terror “outside” of Christ, and then there is a spiritual kind of trembling being “with” Christ.
1 John 4:18:
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” (ESV)
From Lauren Daigle:
“I will tremble at no other name
My heart’s surrendered to no other reign
I will bow at no other throne
Rest my heart at no other home
Let these hands lift no other crown
Let these knees fall on no other ground
Draw these eyes from the gold that won’t shine
You turn this life from water to wine.”
For the heart that has been surrendered to Christ, there’s nothing to be afraid of; you are surrounded by the grace and kindness of our Lord.
Paul was fearful and trembling only in the sense of being deeply anxious that the gospel would not take hold in the lives of the Corinthian believers. And let’s be clear, when there is a genuine conversion of the heart, God’s salvation is immediately secured. Many of the Scriptures instruct us as believers to always keep moving forward in Christ, and we do this by continually staying on Christ’s narrow path. Obedience to this comes through the reading and studying of God’s Word, while communing with the Lord God Almighty. Remember, it is Jesus’ prayer that we become “one” with Him.
1 Cor. 2:4:
“And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,”
Paul says, Persuasive words of wisdom… in other words, rather than believers relying on clever rhetoric, Paul was giving a message based solely on only what Jesus taught him, again, all through the Holy Spirit.
Gal. 1:11-12:
“For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The gospel was not invented by men, nor transmitted to Paul by any human being. The message Paul preached and taught wasn’t a human invention nor a human tradition, but it was given to him directly by God through a revelation of Jesus Christ. The only words of wisdom Paul gave were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…
We can take comfort in the fact that Paul’s preaching was a demonstration and not a performance. It is false teachers who would be prone to giving a performance, because they are powered by their flesh and not the Spirit. Paul didn’t need laser lights and fog machines to get his message across, he had Holy Spirit power coursing through his veins.
Paul recognized that it was the Spirit’s work that truly impacted hearts and transformed lives. It is the Holy Spirit who strengthens believers, by allowing Christ to dwell richly in their hearts through faith. It’s this empowering presence of the Spirit that unites us with Jesus Christ. So, Paul’s reliance on the Spirit’s power was far more potent than any flashy stage effects!
The dangerous reality is, when pastors start injecting impressive and persuasive language, along with calculated theatrics and techniques to get their message across, it robs the gospel of its power. The end result is disastrous, leaving people still in their sins and without a Savior.
Some have said that the great preacher Jonathan Edwards read his sermons so that he wouldn’t be guilty of using human persuasive techniques to gain a response. He wanted only the message to bring the results. I guess I’m kinda like a Jonathan Edwards in that sense.
Charles Spurgeon said: “The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls, nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, till we should exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the Word of God to give it the power to convert the soul.”
1 Cor. 2:5:
“So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
What a profound statement from Paul! The moment we turn to the wisdom of men is when the bottom can slip out from beneath us.
Worldly wisdom teaches warped views on what beauty, success, marriage, parenting, sexuality, and morality are. If followed, this wisdom always leads to evil and disorder.
James 3:17:
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom are virtual opposites and have opposite fruits.
In the information age in which we find ourselves, there are academically trained professionals for everything under the sun, and we are pressured into listening to these so called “experts.” With all their scientific jargon, sophisticated arguments, and educational titles behind their names, we occasionally feel we must listen to the wisdom of the world. Sadly, we sometimes seek to validate the Bible with worldly evidence, rather than to interpret the evidence of these so-called experts through God’s wisdom in the Bible.
Eph. 4:14 [If we remain in God’s Word]:
“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” (NLT)
Faith was induced, our verse says, by a demonstration of the Spirit’s power and had in no way come from man’s wisdom. Having faith in God means interpreting everything through His Word, not interpreting His Word through the wisdom of the world… that will just get us in trouble.
John MacArthur says, “If the Corinthians had come to have faith in the wisdom of men, even in Paul’s wisdom, they might have changed intellectually, but they would not have been changed spiritually.” It was important that the Corinthian believers fully understood that their faith only comes from God and not from man.
1 Cor. 2:6:
“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;”
“Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.” (NLT)
We have a bit of a paradox here, Paul was not this great orator from God, and yet he was. If anyone was around Paul, they would know immediately that he wasn’t your “average Joe.” Paul spoke for God in that he was an apostle of God. He brought the saving message of the gospel, and at times he performed miracles. People would be naturally drawn to him, and that’s exactly what happened in Corinth.
Paul’s job here was to teach them in such a way as to have them take their eyes off him, and put them on Christ alone. There was a wisdom taught by the Spirit which Paul wanted his readers to fully grasp. And some did understand this…
Among those who are mature… these were the ones who were saved and fully trusting in Jesus. In other words, Paul is not saying that he speaks God’s wisdom only when he is with believers who have come a long way in their faith, but only when he is among believers who are truly in the faith… the ones who are saved. Remember, being saved is always a matter of the heart. A true follower of Jesus is the only one who understands that salvation is wisdom from above.
Hebrews 6:1:
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” (ESV)
God’s wisdom… the truth about Him and His message for mankind, is a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age.
The word “age” means it’s pointing to a period of time, a historic age. Paul wasn’t just talking about the age in which he was living in, but of all periods of history.
Who are passing away… What is passing away? All human wisdom is passing away… it’s empty, fruitless, and it comes to nothing… only godly wisdom can be relied upon.
1 Cor. 2:7:
“But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;”
The word mystery is intriguing to us, it has a way of getting our attention. In this context, it doesn’t refer to something strange or puzzling, but to that which is held secret.
There was a TV show called, “I’ve Got A Secret,” which ran from 1952 to 1967. On the show, they had a panel of celebrities who tried to determine a contestant’s secret: something that was unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or humorous about that person.
One thing we can say in relation to this show is that God’s mystery is truly amazing. To be sure, God intentionally holds His wisdom a secret from natural man and man’s earthly wisdom.
Matthew 11:25:
“At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”
But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery…
We can’t overlook one little word here, the word “we.” By Paul saying “But we” he’s including all the other apostles. Paul is never about just himself, he knows and teaches “the body of Christ.”
Eph. 3:1-5 :
“When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles… assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending His grace to you Gentiles. As I briefly wrote earlier, God Himself revealed His mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by His Spirit He has revealed it to His holy apostles and prophets.” (NLT)
The Bible tells us that the mystery of God is Jesus Christ:
Col. 2:1-3:
“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Paul uses the phrase, “the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery…
• And the answer is, survey says… Jesus Christ!
A “mystery” in the New Testament is something that had at one time been hidden, but is now revealed to God’s people.
Mark 4:11:
“And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,”
For those outside of Christ, the mystery of God is hidden. When you belong to Jesus, you have the inside track, nothing is held back from you. How do we know this? Because He has given us the Holy Spirit, the Helper who leads us into all truth.
Which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
Before time began, our heavenly Father determined to give us His saving wisdom that would lead ultimately to our completed salvation. In its fullest sense, the “mystery of God” is God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. We would never have been able to comprehend the way to eternal life without the coming of Jesus, along with His death and resurrection.
1 Cor. 2:8:
“The wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;”
The King James calls the rulers “the princes of this world.” These are the mucky-mucks who were in charge of the government when Jesus walked the earth, not having a clue as to who Jesus was. In their ignorance they tortured and crucified Jesus.
None of the rulers of this age has understood…
An interesting way to view this is in the spiritual sense, meaning that these lost leaders were influenced by satan.
One commentary says, “If this interpretation is true, then it opens up a challenging area of consideration. The satanic forces, including satan himself, did not understand God’s great eternal plan! They could understand from the Old Testament Scriptures that the Son of God would be born and die, but they could not grasp the full significance of the cross because these truths were hidden by God. In fact, it is now, through the church, that these truths are being revealed to the principalities and powers.”
Eph. 3:9-10:
“I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (NLT)
Satan thought that Calvary was God’s great defeat; when in fact, it was God’s greatest victory and satan’s extreme defeat.
Can I get an Amen?
For if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…
These godless rulers, in their ignorance of God, and their willingness to remain in their ignorance, crucified the Son of God. Before we start throwing stones at these ignorant rulers, we can see that we’re not much different from them, including Paul.
1 Tim. 1:13:
“Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;”
God used the ignorance of these evil, depraved, and sinful rulers for His plans and His purposes alone.
What would have happened if Christ never died on the cross? His pain led to God’s glory, and when everything is said and done, to our glory as well. You don’t really know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have. In the world’s eyes, Jesus was anything but glorious; but in the Father’s eyes He is the very Lord of glory.
Author Tim Keller writes;
“It fits to glorify God – it not only fits reality, because God is infinitely and supremely praiseworthy, but it fits us as nothing else does. All the beauty we have looked for in art or faces or places – and all the love we have looked for in the arms of other people – is only fully present in God Himself. And so in every action by which we treat Him as glorious as He is, whether through prayer, singing, trusting, obeying, or hoping, we are at once giving God His due and fulfilling our own design.”
To understand the wisdom of God, is the beginning of salvation. The rulers at this time didn’t have a clue about salvation, so in their ignorance they crucified Jesus. Even though satan was behind the scenes pushing his agenda, through the cross the glory of God was still shining brightly.
1 Cor. 2:9:
“But just as it is written: “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Paul is quoting from Isaiah 64:4:
“For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, Nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.”
At first glance, one would think Paul is talking about heaven in verse 9, but really, Paul’s point is that the natural eyes, ears, and the heart of mankind cannot know or possibly understand God’s wisdom. We can certainly see a reference to heaven in this verse, because none of our eyes or ears have experienced heaven yet.
All that God has prepared for those who love Him…
I believe Paul is saying that on this side of heaven, we as believers, see the things of God that the unsaved world just can’t see or comprehend. The reason being the Holy Spirit who dwells within every believer is revealing the big picture of eternity.
On the other hand, unbelievers don’t have the Holy Spirit to help them. “The world” in all its sophistication, intellect, and star gazing cannot observe God’s truth (no eye or ear), no matter how hard they try.
Unless a person is born-again, they will never be able to wrap their minds around the deep things of God… these are reserved only for God’s children. The wonder of salvation, the unimaginable peace, the hope of eternity living with God, all belong to the believer.
Our future is secure in Jesus Christ no matter what trials or tribulations we may have to endure. In fact, God’s plan for His children is so incredible and wonderful, that our own minds can’t even begin to fully take it all in.
Psalm 139:6:
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”
Isaiah 65:19:
“I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more.”
The Lord has wonderful plans for His children!
1 Cor. 2:10:
“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”
Pure and simple, the Spirit of God reveals to His people that which human eyes can’t see, nor human ears hear. The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God perfectly, because He is God. Yes, even believers have a hard time fully comprehending the Godhead. The Word of God comes through the Holy Spirit because He is the divine author of the Bible.
God used many men in putting the Scriptures together, but make no mistake, the “message” is entirely His.
John 14:26:
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God…
Who knows what God is doing? The Spirit of God knows, the third person of the Trinity, the same Spirit given to us.
Romans 8:26-27:
“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
It’s the Trinity that saves us. We cannot be saved apart from the Father’s electing grace, Jesus’ loving sacrifice, and the Spirit’s ministry of conviction and regeneration.
A person can’t just say “I believe in God” and leave it at that. We must ask, what God do they believe in? Unless someone believes in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit along with the finished work of Jesus Christ, there is no salvation. We are monotheistic, three personalities in one God… can I explain it? Not really… that’s a mystery that God might reveal in eternity.
The Spirit searches all things…
It is the Holy Spirit who comes along side and enlightens us to the truth of God’s plan to save us. There is a moment in every believer’s life where the switch is flipped, recognizing their need of salvation through Jesus Christ.
I believe it is the Holy Spirit who orchestrates daily happenings and events in our life that lead us to the foot of the cross. By the way, you will not find the word coincidence in the Bible.
Eph. 1:3:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”
Even the depths of God…
The depths of God refers to the riches, wisdom, knowledge, judgments, and the ways of God that are beyond human understanding. The Spirit of God “searches all things, even the deep things of God“.
We’ll close with this:
By means of the Holy Spirit, God is freely giving Himself through grace and kindness for our enjoyment, and for His own all-satisfying glory forever… that’s a deep revelation for us to think about.
Speaking of deep revelations:
From John Piper; “Then, in a way we cannot conceive, this infinitely happy, great, beautiful, valuable God… Father, Son and Holy Spirit… created the universe out of nothing.
He “calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Romans 4:17). Why did God do that? He did not need the universe in order to make up for some deficiency. He was not coerced by anything outside Himself. There was nothing outside Himself. The answer He gives is that He created the universe, with humans as the apex of the creation, for His glory.”
It is the Spirit of God who intimately knows the depths of God and the thoughts of God… whom God has sent to us to reveal His own wisdom to those who believe… that would be us!