Spiritual Wisdom

1 Corinthians 2 HCSB

1 When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. 2 For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit, 5 so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power. 6 However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: What eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind— God prepared this for those who love Him. 10 Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. 14 But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. 15 The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. 16 For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2

1 corinthians 2

Another appeal to unity, spiritual wisdom.

2:6-10a theme of wisdom and acceptance by believers and rejection by unbelievers. 10b -16 contrasted those who have spirit vs those who don’t.

Mature/Spiritual are those who have accepted the crucified Christ as savior, and the Immature/Natural person are those that reject Him.

Foundation/basis v 1-5

Paul’s work of evangelism was done through a powerful demonstration of the Spirit not wisdom or persuasive words, so their faith would be based on Gods power not words.

Colossians 1:21–23 The Message

21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

Many Evangelists focus on reaching ppl through worldly wisdom, rationalize existence of God, reasons to believe etc, this was not the way Jesus did it or His disciples.

Why didn’t Paul use persuasive words or arguments?

Does the reason we believe matter? How we get there, does that affect the quality of our faith?

Mystery V 6-9

God’s wisdom is hidden, not discoverable, must be given.

7

Galilean disciples vs scholarly Sanhedrin rulers (Caiaphas, Pilot, also spiritual )

don’t prepare what you will say, so that God can work, “He will give you words and a wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

Example: -36 eyes to see ears to hear

fear of lord beginning of wisdom

(; ; ; )

Revelation/how v10-16

10-12 logical argument

1 Only a persons own spirit or mind knows their own thoughts, unless they choose to disclose them to someone else.

2 Christians have God’s Spirit in them, Christians access Gods wisdom to the extent the Spirit graciously reveals it.

How God imparts spiritual wisdom

:

Joel

God granted repentance resulting in life

Why are the gifts of the Spirit important? What is their purpose?

Takeaway:

Source of wisdom? Spirit

Lord’s Prayer in

and -8