In 1 Corinthians 1 the Apostle has shown that Christ crucified entirely sets aside the flesh, leaving no room for man to glory in himself. In chapter 2 the Apostle applies the teaching of chapter 1 to himself and his manner of presenting the testimony of God. He refused the flesh in himself in order to be true to the cross, that there might be no hindrance to the work of the Spirit. In the first five verses the Apostle tells us how he preached the gospel to sinners. The latter part of the chapter tells us how he ministered the deep things of God to the saints.
Human Wisdom
When Paul came to Corinth, he made no appeal to the natural man by a display of human wisdom. He came to announce the testimony of God concerning Jesus Christ and Him crucified — the lowest and most degraded position in which a man can be found. Paul tells these intellectual Corinthians that in order for them to be saved, Christ must go to the cross. To give believers His place before God, He had to take their place before God. There is nothing dignified, heroic or noble about a cross. It is a place of shame, reproach, judgment and death. To tell a man that this is his true place before God makes nothing of all his wisdom and greatness and grandeur. The preaching of the cross makes nothing of all man’s pride. Moreover, Paul himself was among them in a condition that was humiliating to the pride of man. Conscious of his own weakness and the gravity of his message, he was among them in fear and much trembling. Furthermore, in the manner of his preaching he refused every fleshly method in order to leave room for God to work. He did not use eloquent language, which might have attracted to himself.
All this left room for the Spirit to work in mighty power, for if any believe in that which is so humiliating to man, then obviously it is not the wisdom of man that leads them to believe, but the power of the Spirit of God working with them. It is not only a question of the truth they believed, but of the way in which they received it. It was received not from a man, even though that man was an apostle, but from God. Among “perfect” believers — those who were full-grown, in contrast to “babes” (1 Cor. 3:11And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:1)) — Paul was able to speak of God’s wisdom. The Apostle then proceeds to give us some very definite instruction as to this wisdom, in order that we may not confuse it with the wisdom of man.
Seven Features of Wisdom
First, he tells us that it is not the wisdom of this age, for the intellectual giants of this world “come to naught,” in contrast to the believer who comes to “glory” (vs. 7). Those who shine in the glory of this world come to naught, while those who are naught in this world come to glory.
Second, this wisdom is “the wisdom of God.” If it were the wisdom of man, it could be acquired in the schools of men. Being God’s wisdom, it is outside the program of the schools and beyond the attainment of the human mind.
Third, it is God’s wisdom “in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom”; it cannot be discovered by the wit of man. Moreover, throughout the ages it has been “hidden,” and therefore it is not to be found in the Old Testament Scriptures.
Fourth, this wisdom, which throughout the ages has been hidden, was predetermined before the ages for our glory in the ages yet to come. If our calling makes manifest that believers are the weak and despised of the world, nonetheless they are predestined to glory. We may not be wise or mighty or noble in this world, but we are called to glory.
Fifth, of this wisdom the princes of this world knew nothing; they proved their ignorance by crucifying the Lord of glory. They wholly rejected the One who is the wisdom of God and by whom all the counsels of God are brought to pass. “The Lord of glory” speaks of a wider scene than this earth; it speaks of a universal dominion embracing every created thing and being, over which the crucified One is made Lord.
Sixth, this scene of glory, to which the wisdom of God has destined His people, lies outside the range of the natural man. The Apostle thus quotes the prophet Isaiah to show that God has secrets, into which man as such cannot enter. His eyes, ears and mind can discover wonderful things, but there are things which God has prepared for them that love Him that the natural man has neither seen nor heard, and which are beyond the range of the highest flights of his imagination.
Seventh, the fact that the wisdom of God lies outside the comprehension of the natural man does not imply that they cannot be known, for at once the Apostle says, “God hath revealed them.” If, however, God has revealed these things, it is “by His Spirit.” The Spirit alone is competent to reveal these things, for He searches all things — the deep things of God. We may seek to excuse our lack of spiritual energy by saying that these things are too deep for us, but let us remember that they are not too deep for the Spirit, for He “searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
Inspiration
Furthermore, the things which were made known to the apostles by the revelation of the Spirit have been passed on to us by the inspiration of the Spirit. In the communication of these things the Apostle is careful to shut out any possible error of man by saying that these things are not communicated “in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” This is the apostolic claim for verbal inspiration. The very words used are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things are communicated by spiritual means. The instruments were not made infallible, but were perfectly guided in their communications. This is inspiration.
Revelation
Thus we learn that the wisdom of God is made known by revelation and communicated to others by inspiration. Now we learn that the reception of the truth is also by the Spirit of God. The natural man cannot receive the things of God; they are foolishness to him; they can only be spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual (not simply he that has the Spirit) discerns all things. One must have the Spirit to be spiritual, but being spiritual implies a condition in which a man is under the control of the Spirit. The spiritual man can discern the motives that govern the world, though the world cannot discern the motives and principles that govern the spiritual man.
Natural – Spiritual – Carnal
In verse 14 the Apostle speaks of the natural man, in verse 15 of the spiritual man, and in chapter 3 of the carnal, or fleshly, man. The natural man is the unconverted man, without the Spirit; the carnal man is the believer, having the Spirit, but walking like the natural man; the spiritual man is the believer walking in the Spirit.
If the first chapter shuts out the flesh in its pride of birth and power and position, this chapter shuts out the mind of man, so that believers may be let into the privilege of having “the mind of Christ” through the Spirit.
The Spirit is the great theme of the chapter. If Paul brings the testimony of God to sinners, it is “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (vs. 4). If God has prepared great blessings for those who love Him, they are revealed unto the apostles by the Spirit (vs. 10). The things that are revealed by the Spirit are fully known to the Spirit (vss. 10-11). The things revealed and known to the apostles are, through them, communicated to others by the Spirit (vs. 13). The things communicated by the apostles are received by the Spirit (vs. 14), the result being that believers are, through the Spirit, instructed in the mind of Christ (vs. 16).
H. Smith (adapted)