1 Cotinthians 2:10

Introduction

We left our study in 1 Corinthians in the first half of 1 Corinthians 2:10 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” The “them” are the “things that God has “prepared for them that love Him” (v.9). There are three points of emphasis in the introduction: What are “the things that God has prepared.” what does it mean to “love Him,” and what is Paul’s point?

The things that God has prepared are not eternal things. To be certain, God has revealed unto us by His Spirit through His word blessings that will be realized in glory. However, Paul’s emphases is not a future glory but present benefits the Spirit of God reveals “for them that love Him.” The Holy Spirit has magnified before our eyes the beauties and benefits associated with the cross. Beauties and benefits that most of the world cannot appreciate.

In 1707, Isaac Watts wrote at the time a controversial hymn to commemorate communion, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. His hymn describes the beauties associated with the cross.

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

The beauties of the cross are: acknowledging the one who died on the cross was “the Prince of glory,” seeing your richest gain comes from the cross, your greatest boast is in the cross, knowing the blood that flowed down from the cross was where sorrow and love met, and how amazing love that comes from the cross demands our all!

What does it mean to “love Him?” Those that love Him are people who love the testimony of God (v.1), which is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (v.2), is where the “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” are (v.4), and is called “the wisdom of God” (v.7).

The foundation of Christianity is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” If you remove “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” from the theological pillars of Christianity, then Christianity is no different than any other religion. A good barometer that authenticates a person’s salvation is do they love “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The Spirit does not reveal the wonderful things that God has prepared for those who just believe on Him (In a 21st context and not a 1st century context) .

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:1–2 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” With eternity hanging in the balance, the doctrine the matters the most is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” It does matter how much a person loves other doctrines if they fail to love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is Paul’s point? The church in Corinth yearned for the wisdom of men instead of the wisdom of God. The wisdom of men had influenced the way they taught and evangelized. The goal of teaching God’s word and evangelizing is not to gain acceptance or grow crowds but for people to love God. If we want people to love “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” then we must reject the wisdom of men and embrace the wisdom of God in our teaching and preaching. Why? The Holy Spirit of God works through the wisdom of God in bringing about affectional change towards God in the lives of people.

The reason we love the “testimony of God” is the work of the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit effectually and miraculously works through the wisdom of God in affeCting change in the heart of a spiritually dead person. Therefore, embrace the wisdom of God in teaching and evangelizing in order that the Holy Spirit will reveal the beauties of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” A binding cooperative relationship exists between the wisdom of God and the effectual working of the Holy Spirit. This means that I do not have to master the art of an invitation, which is worldly wisdom because the sermon itself is an invitation. And, we do not have to ask the community their expectation on church, which is worldly wisdom because a culturally and socially sensitive church experience does not cause people to love “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Paul further solidifies this relationship between the wisdom of God and the Spirit of God in the remaining verses in 1 Corinthians 2 with the first word in the second half of 1 Corinthians 2:10 “for.” 1 Corinthians 2:10 “…for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” “For” is a term that explains what Paul just wrote regarding the Holy Spirit working through the wisdom of God.

The theme to this morning’s sermon is why we must lean on the wisdom of God in teaching and evangelizing and not the wisdom of men. The answer is we need the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of God knows God

1 Corinthians 2:10–11 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 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 must reject worldly wisdom if we want people to know the true God. There are many religious affiliations that incorporate the wisdom of men in their teaching, preaching, evangelizing and worship at the expense of removing the Holy Spirit from the premises and consequently, causing people to embrace a different God than then God of the Bible.

From A to Z our worship experience needs to be in the wisdom of God. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to magnify God. The Holy Spirit reveals the benefits and beauties of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In v.10-11, Paul gives two truths why the Spirit of God is able to reveal the benefits and beauty of the Gospel story:

The Holy Spirit knows the deep things of God. 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.” The word “search” means to investigate and examine. The idea is the Holy Spirit brings to the surface the deep things of God becasue He knows “the deep things of God.” As Paul Gardner noted: “The Spirit bridges…the distance between human beings and the depths of God.” We cannot know “the deep things of God without the Holy Spirit.” This explains why Paul wrote in 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:” Arguably, the greatest preacher besides Jesus Christ needed the Holy Spirit’s power to reveal the truth of his sermons to the Corinthians.

Chrysostom, who lived in the 4th century wrote: “If the Spirit, who knows then secret things of God had not revealed them to us, there is no way we could have ever known them. The word ‘search’ does not imply that the Spirit was ignorant but refers rather to accurate, detailed knowledge.” Instead of leaning on the wisdom of men to get the desired response from the congregation, we need to lean on the Spirit of God for revelation of God. Ray Stedman wrote: “The hidden wisdom of God is revealed by His Spirit and by understanding His word. The Holy Spirit is the greatest resource ever given to humankind, and the Word of God is the greatest body of knowledge ever set before humankind. The deep things of God are not found in the world system…the deep things of God can only be revealed by God Himself.”

The Holy Spirit knows God because He is God. 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.” The word “for” means that Paul is explaining in more detail why the Holy Spirit is essential in God revealing Himself to us. In v.11, Paul follows a principle know as “like is known only by like.” The only person who has the capacity to know God is God.

In v.11 Paul provides an illustration to make his point. The only person who knows precisely what is going on the in the mind of a person is that person. People can guess by experience or history what another person may be thinking but know one knows with 100% confidence what another person is thinking. Similarly, no one can know God’s mind except God. Humanity cannot even propose or guess what may be going on in God’s mind, like we can other people, because we have no experience or history on being God. Therefore, the only person who knows God is God. The Holy Spirit is God. He is one of the three people that make up the Godhead: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. John writes in 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Jesus said of the Holy Spirit in John 16:14, “He (The Holy Spirit) shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” We can read the four Gospels everyday and memorize all the words of Jesus, but without the Holy Spirit illuminating the Gospels in a manner that brings life and eternal meaning, we are in no better shape then if we had not read them.

Paul’s point is clear and unmistakable: stop using wisdom of men techniques to draw people to God. Instead, rely on the Holy Spirit. Spend your time studying and executing “the wisdom of God” so that the Holy Spirit’s work bring praise and glory to “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Our Passion must be for people to know the things that are freely given

1 Corinthians 2:12–13 “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. 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.”

The spirit of this world cannot and does not reveal God. It is likely that “the spirit of the world” is the same as “the wisdom of of this world” in 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.” Paul speaks of the same thing in two different ways. Therefore, though Satan is the spirit of darkness, “the spirit of this world” does not speak of a being, but a system. A system that is “entrenched, resolute anti-God philosophy which permeates the entire world system. John aptly describes the spirit of the world writing in 1 John 2:16 , “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” The system of darkness has objectives:

To keep our focus off of the true God. “The spirit of this world” is not against religion but is against “the wisdom of God.” Religion elevates man’s ability but “the wisdom of God” elevates God’s ability. The spirit of this world wants to prevent people from seeing an elevated God. Therefore, the messaging blinds people from the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Every organization or assembly that does not faithfully declare “the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ” is led by “the god of this world” with a purpose to blind people from “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

To keep our focus on material things. Jesus said that John 4:24 that “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” The Holy Spirit’s teaching is spiritual things. The theme of God’s word is not health, wealth, power or long life. The theme of God’s word is how a person who is dead spiritually in their trespasses and sins can be made alive by the working of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”). The theme of the Bible is not material things because material things are temporary.

Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” James wrote in James 4:13–14, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” The spirit of this world wants to prevent the Holy Spirit from comparing “spiritual things with spiritual.” This means as Richard Pratt wrote that ”No mere earthly wisdom brought the Corinthians to the gospel of Christ.”

The Spirit of God brought people to the gospel of Christ. The Corinthian believers had the Spirit of God, who knows all there is to know about God, to include the deep things of God and has revealed them so “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Before moving forward, I want to mention there are two opinions regarding who “us” are. Some believe the “us” represents the Apostles of Jesus Christ, and others assert that “us” represents all the saints. Though I can see why some think the “us” are the apostles, especially if you view v.13 as inspiration to what God had freely given, I believe the reference is the saints. My reasoning is the context of “us” appears to be his audience and him. Additionally, the church was divided over speakers that included apostles and non-apostles. Finally, not all the New Testament was written by Apostles. Therefore, I will preach this in view of saints being the application.

The word “know” speaks of knowledge gained by instruction or perception. The Holy Spirit reveals truth about God so that we can intuitively know certain information to be true; particularly, “things that are freely given to us of God.” Ray Pritchard wrote: “The Holy Spirit enables us to understand the message of the gospel. That’s verse 12. Note the phrase, ‘what God has freely given us.’ That refers to all that Jesus Christ accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection from the dead.” His accomplishments have been freely given to us.

The phrase “freely given” means favor or kindness. It is not that we deserved to receive the accomplishments of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” but by God’s favor and kindness we have been given these eternal accomplishments. The greatest of these accomplishments is the forgiveness of sins. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Christians are supremely happy and joyful over this amazing grace truth becasue do not deserve God’s goodness. I know this has been a recurring phrase in the sermon but understand Paul’s point: God granted you favor through the preaching of the wisdom of God and the effectual working of the Holy Spirit; therefore, why are you embracing the wisdom of man, which is also called the spirit of this world that has no efficacy in revealing God.

Sometime back, I read a poem that highlights Paul’s point:

Give me the insight, Lord, As I hear Your Word today, So I will truly understand Your message and Your way.

God’s word plus the Holy Spirit is all that a person needs to see God!

We are the messengers of things freely given unto us of God. 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.” Spurgeon wrote: “As spiritual men receive the faith by a spiritual work, so they endeavor to spread it by spiritual means only. They reject the pride of learning and the pomp of oratory, and rely upon the Spirit and the truth.” Our message is not organic to us but God. We are declaring His message not ours. And He has determined the only way to proclaim His message it through His wisdom. The Holy Spirit teaches us by comparing (carries the idea of connecting) spiritual truth with spiritual truth. What is our message to family, co-workers and neighbors? Are we focused on politics or the economy or spiritual things? We have a mission to speak of the things that God has freely given to us in Christ Jesus. The hope of humanity is “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Salvation is a supernatural event

1 Corinthians 2:14–16 “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. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

The natural man - Paul constructs a contrast between those whom the Spirit of God has revealed the beauties and benefits of the cross and those He has not. The person who is saved is called spiritual in v.15 but the person who is unsaved is called natural in v.14.

The reason churches have moved to incorporate the wisdom of men in their teaching and evangelizing is 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.” “The natural man” is an unsaved person. All unsaved people are natural people. It does not matter where they come from or their upbringing.

In their natural state, they cannot and will not receive truth from the Spirit of God. In v.14, Paul gives two reasons. First, “(t)he implication (of the first part of v.14) is not that (the natural people)…are simply incapable of understanding the things of the Spirit, but that, because of their being ‘merely human’ (i.e. without the help of the Spirit of God), they reject that which comes from God.” The basis of their rejection on truth that comes from God is God’s word appears foolish to them. Natural people frames God’s word as “twisted and distorted.” Early last week, I was asked a question about how to share with another person God’s plan for chastising children. In other words, how to tell someone that sparing the rod spoils the child. I answered, if the person rejects God’s word as the final authority then it does not matter how you say promote a Bible issue, they will find it foolish.

The second reason they cannot and will not receive truth or the things from the Holy Spirit is they are incapable. In the second half of v.14, Paul writes that a natural person cannot know (the word for “know” speaks of intimacy or having a relationship with) truth because you need to be spiritual to discern truth. A natural man is spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins”). Ray Stedman writes: “The is why the natural man misunderstands the power and purpose of such God-given gifts as wealth and prosperity, human sexuality, love and marriage, children and life itself…the reason many people do not value human life as sacred is that the sanctity of life is a spiritually discerned truth.”

The Corinthians knowing the difficulties in reaching the natural man with the Gospel of Jesus appear to secularize the Gospel with “the wisdom of men” so that they could enjoy more success. 2000 years later, churches and Christian affiliations have not changed to tactic. Paul’s point is crystal clear the techniques and tactics of “the wisdom of men” cannot bring spiritual life to someone dead in their sins. Only the Holy Spirit can regenerate a lost person.

The spiritual man - 1 Corinthians 2:15–16 “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” The spiritual man is spiritual because “the testimony of God” was preached and the Holy Spirit revealed in a divinely marvellous and beautIful way the wonder and amazement of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” The Corinthians could discern the spiritual beauties and benefits of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” through the working of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit brought life through the truth Paul taught and preached. God partners with people to evangelize the world. The partnership is not because He has to but chooses to. If God wanted to, He could choose a donkey to strikingly and powerfully declare truth. Paul was faithful. He declared “the testimony of God” unto them. He spoke and preached “the testimony of God” in v.1, “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” in v.4. In v.6 and 7, he spoke wisdom unto them.

The point to see is they were spiritual because of “the wisdom of God” and the Power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, treat “the wisdom of men” as a death plague to stay away from. Perhaps we can paraphrase this idea by saying: “do not try to become the Holy Spirit or help God along the way in your presentation of the Gospel.”

The spiritual man can discern all truth because of “the wisdom of God” and the Holy Spirit. The best guides for moral clarity in our nation are converts of Jesus Christ. A spiritual person spends their life studying God’s dynamic word. Christians should know more about ethics and honesty than any other group of people. We are better equipped at diagnosing whether something is ethical or unethical. As Paul continues this point, He goes on to write that the spiritual and saved person is not judged by other men. The connection of “no man” in v.15 is the natural man in v.14. The lost person cannot judge the saved person from God’s word because they do not understand the beauties and benefits of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In addition, the natural man does not know the mind of God; therefore, how can they instruct, help, or assist God’s message by making truth sound more palatable to people’s spiritual taste buds?

The good news is we that are spiritual “have the mind of Christ.” The reason we have the mind of Christ is not because of an invitation, or worship style but the truth being proclaimed and the Holy Spirit energizing that truth in our hearts. Gordon Fee concludes: “Paul’s point…takes him back to the proceeding argument (1:17-2:5), that God’s ways are not our ways, and that the ‘wisdom’ by/with which they are currently enamored goes in all the wrong direction. Rather, to proclaim God’s ‘crucified Messiah’ is ‘the mind of Christ’ to which they must return or else miss out altogether on what God is now doing in the world through Christ and the Spirit.”

Conclusion

Paul’s conclusion is the Gospel of Jesus Christ is “the wisdom of God.” Do not taint the Gospel of Jesus Christ with “the wisdom of men.” Thomas Schreiner wrote that knowing God does not come about through human discovery but revelation by the Holy Spirit.