1 Corinthians 2
Lipscomb1 Corinthians 2:1
And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.—Paul was not a man of commanding appearance or an eloquent speaker, further than the importance of his message and his anxiety to save gave him eloquence. He refers to these when he says that his opponents will say, “His letters, they say, are weighty and strong; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” (2 Corinthians 10:10). God chose a man of this character to bear his testimony to the Gentiles that the salvation might be of God and not of human wisdom, learning, or eloquence.
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.—This embraced his mission to the world, his teaching, his sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection, with all the teaching he gave to the world and sealed with his blood. No appeals of eloquence, no working upon the sympathies by death scenes other than that of Jesus. No human philosophy, but simply love of God to lost men, and the provisions made through Christ Jesus for salvation from sin, would Paul make. Of certain characters the Lord has said, “Their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them.” (Isaiah 29:13). These he would not accept. The fear of Jehovah must rest upon the fear and love of God.
The gospel is God’s wisdom for the salvation of the world. That is, the gospel according to God’s wisdom was the best thing to save man from his sins, and it was God’s power vested to save.
1 Corinthians 2:3
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear,—[The weakness of which he here speaks was not bodily weakness; for although elsewhere he speaks of himself as weak in body (2 Corinthians 10:10), and as suffering under bodily infirmity (Galatians 4:14), yet here the whole context shows that he refers to his state of mind.] His deportment was that of a man humble and distrustful of his powers, and with a fear lest his work should be vain.
and in much trembling.—[It was not the gospel he had to preach that made him tremble; he was not ashamed of that (Romans 1:16), neither was it fear of personal danger; but he was keenly sensitive of the weakness of his situation; he feared a failure similar to that in Athens; and trembling at the thought of the infinite importance of his work—that the salvation of so many men and women was dependent on so feeble an instrumentality.]
And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom,—His speech and preaching were without the persuasiveness of eloquence and worldly wisdom, but rested upon God, declared by the presence of his Spirit working miracles.
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:—The truth was revealed by the Spirit, and confirmed by the miracles performed and gifts imparted to them. Paul relied upon these to carry convictions to their hearts that what he taught was from God. The matter contained in the Gospels, the revelations made, are above human wisdom, and their adaptedness to the needs of the soul shows an origin from God.
1 Corinthians 2:5
that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.—These testimonies that God gave to the word spoken by Paul were relied on that their faith might not rest on the reasonings of man, but on the power of God, manifested by his Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:6
We speak wisdom, however, among them that are full-grown:—Paul had been disavowing that he had spoken after the wisdom of the world; and now avows that what he had spoken was according to the wisdom of the full grown—those filled with the wisdom of God. [The full grown are those who have advanced beyond the position of beginners in the Christian life into the higher sphere of thorough and comprehensive insight into its duties, privileges, and blessings. While admitting their knowledge (1 Corinthians 1:5), he appeals to their contentions (1 Corinthians 3:1), in proof that they were still babes in Christ, and therefore not prepared for solid food which is “for full-grown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). Jesus himself teaches the principle of adaptation to the various stages in the Christian life, when he said to his sorrowing disciples: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12).]
yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world,—In this he keeps before them that what the world calls wisdom is foolishness with God and his servants.
who are coming to naught;—They must fall and their wisdom perish.
1 Corinthians 2:7
but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory:—The gospel is God’s wisdom for the salvation of man. It was provided before the world was —before man was created, it is generally interpreted—to bring man to glory. A mystery was not something that could not be explained or understood, but something unrevealed and unknown. The gospel before it was revealed in Christ was the mystery.
1 Corinthians 2:8
which none of the rulers of this world hath known:—The reference is to the Jewish and Roman rulers who engaged in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was the world in its princes who rejected the Savior.
for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:—Had they known and understood this mystery, they would not have committed the awful deed.
1 Corinthians 2:9
but as it is written,—This was done in fulfillment of the prophecy.
Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.—The things spoken of in this passage that eye had not seen nor ear heard were the great blessings of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Before he came no human being by human wisdom ever had any conception of what these blessings would be; but they are now revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the New Testament. Hence they are no longer mysteries, but matters of plain revelation.
1 Corinthians 2:10
But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit:—The Spirit who dwelt with and knew the mind of God came to the apostles, dwelt in them, and revealed God’s will to them.
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.—The Spirit of God knew the deep, unrevealed things of God, and made them known to the apostles; and they, through their writings, have made them known to us.
1 Corinthians 2:11
For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him?—No man knows the thing’s that are in man save the spirit dwelling in him which pervades his whole being and knows all the secrets and purposes of his heart, soul, and body.
even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.—The Spirit of God alone knows the mind and purposes of God and searches its deep things, just as none but the spirit of man which is in him knows the things of man.
1 Corinthians 2:12
But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God;—The apostles had received the spirit not of the world, but the Spirit that dwelt with and knew the mind of God.
that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God.—The Spirit of God was given to the apostles, that they might know the mind or will of God, and the things that are freely given to them in Christ Jesus. That is, the Spirit which had dwelt with and in God, and so knew his whole mind, was transferred to the apostles and revealed to them the things of God. The Spirit revealed to them the mind, will, and purposes of God with all the blessings freely given to men in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 2:13
Which things also we speak,—The things they received of the Spirit they spoke to the world. This is the way others learned of these truths.
not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth,—They spoke them not in the words suggested by the wisdom of the world.
but which the Spirit teacheth;—The salvation of man was wholly of and from God. Man’s wisdom was not permitted to furnish words through which the mind of God was spoken. [The Spirit taught these things in words, and thus revealed them to the apostles who spoke them in the same words. So the Spirit guided them into the truth revealed (John 16:13).]
combining spiritual things with spiritual words.—They spake spiritual ideas in the terms or words of the Spirit. The Spirit chose words suitable to the spiritual truths made known.
1 Corinthians 2:14
Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:—Man by his natural faculties, without revelation, could not learn the will of God; but in order that he might know it, the Spirit of God, who knows the things of God, was transferred to the apostles and made known to them God’s will, and they revealed it to the people. The natural man, then, is the man who has never heard the will of God, for he has no means of knowing till those who received the revelation make it known to him. Having once been revealed by the Spirit of God, it was committed to writing under the guidance of the Spirit, so that man may come to it and learn it. It means about the same as “seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21).
for they are foolishness unto him;—The manifestations are without meaning to him.
and he cannot know them,—This does not mean that men to whom the revelation is declared by those possessing the Spirit cannot understand and obey it. It was revealed to the inspired men that they might teach it to others that they might understand and know the way of salvation.
because they are spiritually judged.—This endowment of the Spirit enabled the endowed to judge or discriminate whether things revealed were of God or not. Without this they could not.
1 Corinthians 2:15
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,—He that is endowed with the Spirit discerns and discriminates what is of God, and teaches all things God reveals.
and he himself is judged of no man.—Those not endowed with the presence of the divine Spirit are not capable of discriminating and determining whether the things taught by the inspired men are of God or not. An inspired man alone could judge of the fidelity of inspired men in teaching the will of God. This refers to the original revelations. Men now test all teaching by the truths delivered by the inspired men. They instruct us to “believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1).
1 Corinthians 2:16
For who hath known the mind of the Lord,—Who, save those endowed with the Spirit of God, know the mind of the Lord? Those having the Spirit of God know his mind. The Spirit revealed it to them.
that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.—This does not seem to make sense nor to harmonize with the context. How could knowing the mind of God enable one to instruct God or Jesus? Adam Clarke translates it: “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should teach it?” The nous, the Greek for mind, is masculine gender, and auton, translated him, is masculine, but might agree with it. This would give a clearer idea, but I believe the trouble is in the word translated to instruct. It is translated to instruct or teach only in this one place.
The word occurs in the following passages: “But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ” (Acts 9:22); “Concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:10); “From whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth” (Ephesians 4:16); “That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love” (Colossians 2:2); “From whom all the body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, increaseth with the increase of God” (Colossians 2:19). In these passages it means to understand or know so as to be joined together with him.
In the passage before us, it means, “Who of you uninspired hath known the mind of God, so as to be joined together with him? But we inspired men so understand him that we are united in him in teaching his will, we are laborers together with God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The whole trend and meaning of the chapter is that none could know or teach the will of God by human wisdom. They were dependent upon the revelation made by God’s spirit through the apostles for a knowledge of his will, and only through receiving this could any become co-workers with him in saving men. This does not refer to the work of preaching what has been revealed.
Adam Clarke gives these judicious thoughts: “This chapter might be considered a good model for a Christian to regulate his conduct by, or his public ministry; because it points out the mode of preaching used by Paul and the apostles in general. This great apostle came not to the people with excellency of speech, and of wisdom, when he declared unto them the counsel of God. They know little, either of the spirit of Paul, or the design of the gospel, who make the chief excellence of their preaching to consist in the eloquence of language, or depth of human reasoning. That may be their testimony, but it is not God’s. The enticing words of man’s wisdom are seldom accompanied by the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit. One justly remarks that ‘the foolishness of preaching has its wisdom, loftiness, and eloquence; but it consists in the sublimity of its truths, the depths of its mysteries, and the ardor of the Spirit of God.’ In this respect Paul may be said to have preached wisdom among those who are perfect,” or inspired.