1 Corinthians 2
2
Paul’s Approach to Ministry in Corinth
1 And I, when I#*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal came to you, brothers, did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony#Some manuscripts have “mystery” of God. 2For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3And I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling, 4and my speech and my preaching were not with the persuasiveness#Some manuscripts have “with persuasive words” of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, 5in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
The Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit
6Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but wisdom not of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing, 7but we speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery, which God predestined before the ages for our glory, 8which none of the rulers of this age knew. For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
and have not entered into the heart of man,
all that#Some manuscripts have “which” God has prepared for those who love him.”#A quotation from Isa 64:4
10For#Some manuscripts have “But to us God has revealed them” to us God has revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? Thus also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13things which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.#Or “in spiritual words” 14But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one. 16“For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?”#A quotation from Isa 40:13 But we have the mind of Christ.
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1 Corinthians 2
2
Paul’s Message of Wisdom
1When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,#2:1a Greek brothers. I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.#2:1b Greek God’s mystery; other manuscripts read God’s testimony. 2For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
6Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. 7No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God#2:7 Greek But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery.—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. 8But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. 9That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”#2:9 Isa 64:4.
10But#2:10 Some manuscripts read For. it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.#2:13 Or explaining spiritual truths in spiritual language, or explaining spiritual truths to spiritual people. 14But people who aren’t spiritual#2:14 Or who don’t have the Spirit; or who have only physical life. can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. 16For,
“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?”#2:16 Isa 40:13 (Greek version).
But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
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