Verses 1-5. Paul’s manner in coming amongst this worldly-wise people to declare God’s testimony unto them, was marked by dependence upon God. He avoided using excellency of speech, or of wisdom, and told out the gospel in simple language. It was the story of One who came from God; One whom the world had crucified as a common criminal; and who was to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the learned Greeks foolishness. To those who believed the story, it was the power of God unto salvation. He discerned that the only right way was not to know anything among them save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As one truly dependent upon God he was with, them in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, receiving from God the wisdom and strength he needed, that his speech and his preaching should not be in persuasive words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
The character of the world is plainly seen—a world that could heap upon the head of the Son of God such reproach, shame, ignominy, and death. It tells out man’s enmity to God, and sinful opposition to all that is good, in their treatment of that blessed One. What has man’s pride to boast of before God?
Verses 6-8. But there was another kind of wisdom that the apostle could speak of to those who had the opened ear, the understanding heart—these had believed to the salvation of their souls, and more than! that—saw Christ, the man, risen from the dead, and their place in Him: these are the “perfect” or “full-grown” ones.
It was not the wisdom of this world, nor of its rulers, who in the end come to naught, that he spoke of to them. It was the wisdom of God in a mystery—that hidden wisdom which God had ordained before the world, unto our glory—the secret counsel of God now made known by the Spirit. Had the rulers of this world known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.
Verse 9. But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” And that is all the length that even a prophet, before the death of Christ, could see; but now that the Holy Spirit has come, and abides in God’s people, we have it said, “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” This is not speaking of the great things of future glory, but of what is our portion in Christ now, in contra-distinction to those who lived before Christ died and rose again. Nor does it notice here the failure of some to take in the full truth of their standing in Christ.
Verse 10. “The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
Verse 11. “The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
Verse 12. “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.”
Then in verse 13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; communicating spiritual things by spiritual means.” This is the real sense of this last part. “The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” But the spiritual man discerneth all things, yet he is discerned of no man. The power of the Spirit in the new life enables him to discern what is true and righteous, and gives him new motives and behavior beyond the understanding of one who is not spiritual.
Verse 16. This quotation from Isaiah 40:1313Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? (Isaiah 40:13), found also in Romans 11:3434For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (Romans 11:34), but quoted there with a different object, is here used in contrast with Christianity. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” The apostle answers. “But we have the mind of Christ,” that is, we have the capacity to take in what the Spirit teaches, and so have the thoughts of Christ which the Spirit communicated.
No cleverness of the natural mind can ever grasp the things of God. How blessed the portion of the believer. He has the Spirit dwelling in him. He receives the truth of God. He has the mind of Christ.