1 Corinthians 2

My wife was at the wheel of our car as we drove to Chicago, and I was in the copilot’s seat reading the page proofs of another author’s book that a publisher had asked me to review. Occasionally I would utter a grunt, and then a groan, and finally I shook my head and said, “Oh, no! I can’t believe it!”

“I take it you don’t like the book,” she said. “Something wrong with it?”

“You bet there is!” I replied. “Just about everything is wrong with it, because this man does not know what the message of the gospel really is!”

There was a time, however, when that author had been faithful to the gospel. But over the years, he had begun to take a philosophical (and, I fear, political) approach to the gospel. The result was a hybrid message that was no gospel at all.

It is worth noting that when Paul ministered in Corinth, he obeyed our Lord’s commission and preached the gospel. There is a beautiful parallel between Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 18:1–11.

Christ’s Commission Paul’s Ministry (Matt. 28:18–20) (Acts 18:1–11) “Go ye therefore” Paul came to Corinth

(v. 19) (v. 1) “make disciples” [teach] many heard and believed (v. 19) (v. 8) “baptizing them” (v. 19) and were baptized (v. 8) “teaching them” (v. 20) for a year and six months he taught the Word (v. 11) “Lo, I am with you” “For I am with thee”

(v. 20) (v. 10)

What had happened at Corinth is happening in churches today: men are mixing philosophy (man’s wisdom) with God’s revealed message, and this is causing confusion and division. Different preachers have their own “interpretation” to God’s message, and some even invent their own vocabulary!

Paul explained the three fundamentals of the gospel message and urged his readers to return to these fundamentals.

The church at Corinth was rapidly losing its testimony in the city. Not only did the unsaved know about the immorality in the assembly, but they were also aware of the lawsuits involving members of the church. Not only were there sins of the flesh, but also sins of the spirit (2 Cor. 7:1).

The Greeks in general, and the Athenians in particular, were known for their involvement in the courts. The Greek playwright Aristophanes has one of his characters look at a map and ask where Greece is located. When it is pointed out to him, he replies that there must be some mistake—because he cannot see any lawsuits going on! However, the United States is rapidly getting a similar reputation: over two hundred thousand civil suits were filed in the federal courts in one recent twelve-month period. Nearly one million lawyers (their number is increasing) are handling them. In one year, more than twelve million suits were filed in the state courts.

Paul detected three tragedies in this situation. First, the believers were presenting a poor testimony to the lost. Even the unbelieving Jews dealt with their civil cases in their own synagogue courts. To take the problems of Christians and discuss them before the “unjust” and “unbelievers” was to weaken the testimony of the gospel.

Second, the congregation had failed to live up to its full position in Christ. Since the saints will one day participate in the judgment of the world and even of fallen angels, they ought to be able to settle their differences here on earth. The Corinthians boasted of their great spiritual gifts. Why, then, did they not use them in solving their problems?

Bible students are not agreed on the meaning of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 6:4. Some think he is using a bit of sarcasm: “You are better off asking the weakest member of your church to settle the matter, than to go before the most qualified unsaved judge!” Others take the phrase “who are least esteemed in [or ‘by’] the church” to refer to the pagan judges. Or it may be that Paul is saying that God can use even the least member of the church to discern His will. The result is still the same: It is wrong for Christians to take their civil suits to court.

Sometimes there are “friendly suits” that are required by law to settle certain issues. That is not what Paul was referring to. It seems that the church members were at each other’s throats, trying to get their way in the courts. I am happy to see that there is a trend in our churches today for Christian lawyers to act as arbitrators in civil cases, and help to settle these matters out of court.

There was a third tragedy: the members suing each other had already lost. Even if some of them won their cases, they had incurred a far greater loss in their disobedience to the Word of God. “Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you” (1 Cor. 6:7) can be translated, “It is already a complete defeat for you.” Paul was certainly referring to our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 5:39–42. Better to lose money or possessions than to lose a brother and lose your testimony as well.

Over the years of my own ministry, I have seen the sad results of churches and church members trying to solve personal problems in court. Nobody really wins—except the devil! The Corinthians who were going to court were disgracing the name of the Lord and the church just as much as the man who was guilty of incest, and they needed to be disciplined.

I recall a ministerial student who phoned me to tell me he was going to sue his school. Apparently the administration would not allow him to do something he felt was very necessary to his education. I advised him to cool off, talk to his faculty counselor, and get the idea out of his mind. He took my advice and in so doing not only avoided a bad testimony, but grew spiritually through the experience.

Paul reminded the Corinthians of his approach (vv. 1–2). The opening words, “And I,” can be translated “Accordingly,” on the basis of 1 Corinthians 1:31—the glory of God. Paul had not come to Corinth to glorify himself or to start a religious “fan club.” He had come to glorify God.

The itinerant philosophers and teachers depended on their wisdom and eloquence to gain followers. The city of Corinth was filled with such “spellbinders.” Paul did not depend on eloquent speech or clever arguments; he simply declared God’s Word in the power of the Spirit. He was an ambassador, not a “Christian salesman.”

Had he used spectacular speech and philosophy, Paul would have exalted himself and hidden the very Christ he came to proclaim! God had sent him to preach the gospel “not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect” (1 Cor. 1:17).

A certain church had a beautiful stained-glass window just behind the pulpit. It depicted Jesus Christ on the cross. One Sunday there was a guest minister who was much smaller than the regular pastor. A little girl listened to the guest for a time, then turned to her mother and asked, “Where is the man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?”

Too many preachers of the Word so magnify themselves and their gifts that they fail to reveal the glory of Jesus Christ. Paul gloried in the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14) and made it the center of his message.

Then Paul reminded the Corinthians of his attitude (vv. 3–4). Though he was an apostle, Paul came to them as a humble servant. He did not depend on himself; he became nothing that Christ might be everything. In later years, Paul brought this up again and contrasted himself to the false teachers who had invaded Corinth (2 Cor. 10:1–12). Paul had learned that when he was weak, then God made him strong.

Paul depended on the power of the Holy Spirit. It was not his experience or ability that gave his ministry its power; it was the work of the Spirit of God. His preaching was a “demonstration,” not a “performance.” The word translated “demonstration” means “legal proof presented in court.” The Holy Spirit used Paul’s preaching to change lives, and that was all the proof Paul needed that his message was from God. Wicked sinners were transformed by the power of God (1 Cor. 6:9–11)!

However, we must note that Paul is not telling ministers deliberately to preach poorly, or to avoid using the gifts God gave them. Men like Charles Spurgeon and George Whitefield were gifted orators whose words carried power, but they did not depend on their natural talents. They trusted the Spirit of God to work in the hearts of their hearers, and He did. Those who minister the Word must prepare and use every gift God has given them—but they must not put their confidence in themselves (see 2 Cor. 3:5).

Finally, Paul reminded them of his aim (v. 5). He wanted them to trust in God and not in the messenger God sent. Had he depended on human wisdom and presented the plan of salvation as a philosophical system, then the Corinthians would have put their trust in an explanation. Because Paul declared the Word of God in the power of God, his converts put their faith in a demonstration: they experienced God at work in their own lives.

Years ago, a wise Christian said to me, “When you are leading people to Christ, never tell them that they are saved because they have done this or that. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to witness to people that they are saved. Unless He is at work, there can be no salvation.” Wise counsel, indeed!

I recall a fine professional man who faithfully attended a church I pastored—a man who was unsaved, but not antagonistic to the gospel. Many of us prayed for him as he continued to listen to the Word. One day a Christian friend of his decided to win him to Christ, or else! He spent several hours presenting argument after argument, and finally the man “prayed the sinner’s prayer.” Then he stopped attending church! Why? Because he had been talked into something that was not real, and he knew he could not follow through. Later on, he did trust Christ and, through the Spirit, have the assurance of salvation. Up to that point, if anybody asked him if he were saved, he would reply, “Sure—Tom told me I was saved!” What a difference when the Spirit gives the assurance!

The gospel is still God’s power to change men’s lives (Rom. 1:16). Effectiveness in evangelism does not depend on our arguments or persuasive gimmicks, but on the power of the Spirit of God at work in our lives and through the Word that we share.

Salvation was purchased by the Son, but it was planned by the Father. Those who talk about “the simple gospel” are both right and wrong. Yes, the message of the gospel is simple enough for an illiterate pagan to understand, believe, and be saved. But it is also so profound that the most brilliant theologian cannot fathom its depths.

There is a “wisdom of God” in the gospel that challenges the keenest intellect. However, this wisdom is not for the masses of lost sinners, nor is it for the immature believers. It is for the mature believers who are growing in their understanding of the Word of God. (The word perfect in 1 Cor. 2: means “mature.” See 1 Cor. 3:1–4.) Perhaps here Paul was answering those in the church who were promoting Apollos, who was an eloquent and profound preacher (Acts 18:24–28).

Let’s notice the characteristics of this wisdom.

This wisdom comes from God, not man (v. 7). This wisdom tells the mature saint about the vast eternal plan that God has for His people and His creation. The wisest of the “princes of this world [age]” could not invent or discover this marvelous wisdom that Paul shared from God.

This wisdom has been hidden (v. 7). That is why it is called a mystery, for in the New Testament, a mystery is a “sacred secret,” a truth hidden in past ages but now revealed to the people of God. It was Paul whom God used in a special way to share the various “mysteries” that are related to the gospel (see Eph. 3); but note the repetition of the pronoun “we.” Paul did not leave out the other apostles.

This wisdom involves God’s ordination (v. 7). 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. Though all of this boggles our minds, we must accept the Bible truth of divine election and predestination. Even the death of Jesus Christ was ordained of God (Acts 2:22–23; 1 Peter 1:18–20), though men were held responsible for the wicked deed. One of the secrets of an effective prayer life is to lay hold of God’s purposes by faith (Acts 4:23–31).

This wisdom results in the glory of God’s people (v. 7). One of the greatest expositions of this “plan of the ages” is in Ephesians 1. Three times in that passage, Paul explained that all of this is done for God’s glory (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). It is a staggering thought that we shall one day share in the very glory of God (see John 17:22–24; Rom. 8:28–30)!

This wisdom is hidden from the unsaved world (v. 8). Who are “the princes of this world [age]” that Paul mentions? Certainly the men who were in charge of government when Jesus was on earth did not know who He was (Acts 3:17; 4:25–28). When Jesus on the cross prayed, “Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), He was echoing this truth. Their ignorance did not excuse their sin, of course, because every evidence had been given by the Lord and they should have believed.

But there is another possibility. Paul may have been referring to the spiritual and demonic rulers of this present age (Rom. 8:38; Col. 2:15; Eph. 6:12ff.). This would make more sense in 1 Corinthians 2:6, for certainly Pilate, Herod, and the other rulers were not recognized for any special wisdom. The wisdom of this age has its origin in the rulers of this age, of which Satan is the prince (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Of course, the spiritual rulers would have to work in and through the human rulers. So perhaps we must not press the distinction (John 13:2, 27).

But 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. 3:10).

Satan thought that Calvary was God’s great defeat; but it turned out to be God’s greatest victory and Satan’s defeat (Col. 2:15)! From the time of our Lord’s birth into this world, Satan had tried to kill Him, because Satan did not fully understand the vast results of Christ’s death and resurrection. Had the demonic rulers known, they would not have “engineered” the death of Christ. (Of course, all of this was part of God’s eternal plan. It was God who was in control, not Satan.)

Finally, this wisdom applies to the believer’s life today (v. 9). This verse is often used at funerals and applied to heaven, but the basic application is to the Christian’s life today. The next verse makes it clear that God is revealing these things to us here and now.

This verse is a quotation (with adaptation) from Isaiah 64:4. The immediate context relates it to Israel in captivity, awaiting God’s deliverance. The nation had sinned and had been sent to Babylon for chastening. They cried out to God that He would come down to deliver them, and He did answer their prayer after seventy years of their exile. God had plans for His people, and they did not have to be afraid (Jer. 29:11).

Paul applied this principle to the church. Our future is secure in Jesus Christ no matter what our circumstances may be. In fact, God’s plans for His own are so wonderful that our minds cannot begin to conceive of them or comprehend them! God has ordained this for our glory (1 Cor. 2:7). It is glory all the way from earth to heaven!

For those who love God, every day is a good day (Rom. 8:28). It may not look like a good day, or feel like it; but when God is working His plan, we can be sure of the best. It is when we fail to trust Him or obey Him, when our love for Him grows cold, that life takes on a somber hue. If we walk in God’s wisdom, we will enjoy His blessings.

We have considered two fundamental truths of the gospel: this message centers in the death of Christ, and it is part of the Father’s vast eternal plan. The believers at Corinth had forgotten the cost of their salvation; they had gotten their eyes off of the cross. They were also involved in minor matters—“baby toys”—because they had lost the wonder of the greatness of God’s plan for them. They needed to return to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and this would be Paul’s next point.

The Gospel Is Revealed by the Spirit through the

Our salvation involves all three Persons in the Godhead (Eph. 1:3–14; 1 Peter 1:2). You cannot be saved apart from the Father’s electing grace, the Son’s loving sacrifice, and the Spirit’s ministry of conviction and regeneration. It is not enough to say, “I believe in God.” What God? Unless it is “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:3), there can be no salvation.

This trinitarian aspect of our salvation helps us to understand better some of the mysteries of our salvation. Many people get confused (or frightened) when they hear about election and predestination. As far as the Father is concerned, I was saved when He chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4); but I knew nothing about that the night I was saved! It was a hidden part of God’s wonderful eternal plan.

As far as God the Son is concerned, I was saved when He died for me on the cross. He died for the sins of the whole world, yet the whole world is not saved. This is where the Spirit comes in: as far as the Spirit is concerned, I was saved in May 1945 at a Youth for Christ rally where I heard Billy Graham (then a young evangelist) preach the gospel. It was then that the Holy Spirit applied the Word to my heart, I believed, and God saved me.

Paul pointed out four important ministries of the Holy Spirit of God.

The Spirit indwells believers (v. 12). The very moment you trusted Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God entered your body and made it His temple (1 Cor. 6:19–20). He baptized you (identified you) into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). He sealed you (Eph. 1:13–14) and will remain with you (John 14:16). He is God’s gift to you.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). We have not received the “spirit of the world” because we have been called out of this world and no longer belong to it (John 17:14, 16). We are no longer under the authority of Satan and his world system.

Nor have we received a “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom. 8:15). The Holy Spirit ministers to us and makes the Father real to us. This ties in with 2 Timothy 1:7—“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound [disciplined] mind.” We have a wealth of spiritual resources because the Spirit lives within us!

The Spirit searches (vv. 10–11). I cannot know what is going on within your personality, but your human spirit within you knows. Neither can I know “the deep things of God” unless somehow I can enter into God’s personality. I cannot do that—but by His Spirit, God has entered into my personality. Through the Holy Spirit, each believer becomes a sharer of the very life of God.

The Holy Spirit knows “the deep things of God” and reveals them to us. First Corinthians 2: makes it clear that “the deep things of God” is another description of “the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). God wants us to know today all the blessings of His grace that He has planned for us.

The Spirit teaches (v. 13). Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach us (John 14:26) and guide us into truth (John 16:13). But we must note carefully the sequence here: the Spirit taught Paul from the Word, and Paul then taught the believers. The truth of God is found in the Word of God. And it is very important to note that these spiritual truths are given in specific words. In the Bible, we have much more than inspired thoughts; we have inspired words. “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me” (John 17:8).

Each of our four children has a different vocation. We have a pastor, a nurse, an electronics designer, and a secretary in a commercial real estate firm. Each of the children had to learn a specialized vocabulary in order to succeed. The only one I really understand is the pastor.

The successful Christian learns the vocabulary of the Spirit and makes use of it. He knows the meaning of justification, sanctification, adoption, propitiation, election, inspiration, and so forth. In understanding God’s vocabulary, we come to understand God’s Word and God’s will for our lives. If the engineering student can grasp the technical terms of chemistry, physics, or electronics, why should it be difficult for Christians, taught by the Spirit, to grasp the vocabulary of Christian truth?

Yet I hear church members say, “Don’t preach doctrine. Just give us heartwarming sermons that will encourage us!” Sermons based on what? If they are not based on doctrine, they will accomplish nothing! “But doctrine is so dull!” people complain. Not if it is presented the way the Bible presents it. Doctrine to me is exciting! What a thrill to be able to study the Bible and let the Spirit teach us “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10).

How does the Spirit teach the believer? He compares “spiritual things with spiritual.” He reminds us of what He has taught us (John 14:26), relates that truth to something new, and then leads us into new truth and new applications of old truth. What a joy it is to sit before the pages of the Bible and let the Spirit reveal God’s truth. The trouble is, many Christians are too busy for this kind of quiet meditation. What enrichment they are missing!

The Holy Spirit is like a householder who “bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt. 13:52). The new always comes out of the old and helps us better understand the old. God gives us new insights into old truths as we compare one part of Scripture with another. Jesus based His teaching on the Old Testament, yet people were amazed at what He taught because it was so fresh and exciting.

I suggest that you make time every day to read the Word and meditate on it. Follow a regular schedule in your reading, and give yourself time to pray, think, and meditate. Let the Spirit of God search the Word and teach you. The study and application of basic Bible doctrine can transform your life.

The Spirit matures the believer (vv. 14–16). The contrast here is between the saved person (called “spiritual” because he is indwelt by the Spirit) and the unsaved person (called “natural” because he does not have the Spirit within). In 1 Corinthians 3:1–4, Paul will introduce a third kind of person, the “carnal man.” He is the immature Christian, the one who lives on a childhood level because he will not feed on the Word and grow.

At one time, every Christian was “natural,” having only the things of nature. When we trusted the Savior, the Spirit came in and we moved into the plane of “spiritual”—able to live in the realm of the Spirit. Then we had to grow! The unsaved man cannot receive the things of the Spirit because he does not believe in them and cannot understand them. But as the Christian day by day receives the things of the Spirit, he grows and matures.

One of the marks of maturity is discernment—the ability to penetrate beneath the surface of life and see things as they really are. Unsaved people “walk by sight” and really see nothing. They are spiritually blind. The maturing Christian grows in his spiritual discernment and develops the ability (with the Spirit’s help) to understand more and more of the will and mind of God. The Corinthians lacked this discernment; they were spiritually ignorant.

To “have the mind of Christ” does not mean we are infallible and start playing God in the lives of other people. Nobody instructs God! (Paul quoted Isa. 40:13. Also see Rom. 11:33–36.) To “have the mind of Christ” means to look at life from the Savior’s point of view, having His values and desires in mind. It means to think God’s thoughts and not think as the world thinks.

The unsaved person does not understand the Christian; they live in two different worlds. But the Christian understands the unsaved person. First Corinthians 2: does not suggest that unsaved people cannot point out flaws in the believer’s life (they often do), but that the unsaved man really cannot penetrate into the full understanding of what the Christian’s life is all about. I like the New American Standard Bible’s translation: “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.” That “no man” includes other Christians as well. We must be very careful not to become spiritual dictators in the lives of God’s people (2 Cor. 1:24).

The Corinthian Christians were so wrapped up in the miraculous gifts of the Spirit that they were neglecting the basic ministries of the Spirit. And in their emphasis on the Spirit, they were also neglecting the Father and the Son.

Blessed are the balanced! And blessed are they who understand and share “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).