1 When I came to you, brothers, I didn't come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith wouldn't stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6 We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown; yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, "Things which an eye didn't see, and an ear didn't hear, which didn't enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him." 10 But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God's Spirit. 12 But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. 14 Now the natural man doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one. 16 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind.
The design of this chapter is the same as the concluding part of 1-Corinthians 1:17-31, to show that the gospel does not depend for its success on human wisdom, or the philosophy of men. This position the apostle further confirms:
(1) 1-Corinthians 2:1-5, By a reference to his own example, as having been successful among them, and yet not endowed with the graces of elocution, or by a commanding address; yet.
(2) Lest it should be thought that the gospel was real folly, and should be contemned, he shows in the remainder of the chapter 1-Corinthians 2:6-16, that it contained true wisdom; that it was a profound scheme - rejected, indeed, by the people of the world, but seen to be wise by those who were made acquainted with its real nature and value, 1-Corinthians 2:5-16.
The first division of the chapter 1-Corinthians 2:1-5, is a continuation of the argument to show that the success of the gospel does not depend on human wisdom or philosophy. This he proves:
(1) By the fact that when he was among them, though his preaching was attended with success, yet he did not come with the attractions of human eloquence, 1-Corinthians 2:1.
(2) this was in accordance with his purpose, not designing to attempt anything like that, but having another object, 1-Corinthians 2:2.
(3) in fact he had not evinced that, but the contrary, 1-Corinthians 2:3-4.
(4) his design was that their conversion should not appear to have been made by human wisdom or eloquence, but to have been manifestly the work of God, 1-Corinthians 2:5.
The apostle makes an apology for his manner of preaching, 1-Corinthians 2:1. And gives the reason why he adopted that manner, 1-Corinthians 2:2-5. He shows that this preaching, notwithstanding it was not with excellence of human speech or wisdom, yet was the mysterious wisdom of God, which the princes of this world did not know, and which the Spirit of God alone could reveal, 1-Corinthians 2:6-10. It is the Spirit of God only that can reveal the things of God, 1-Corinthians 2:11. The apostles of Christ know the things of God by the Spirit of God, and teach them, not in the words of man's wisdom, but in the words of that Spirit, 1-Corinthians 2:12, 1-Corinthians 2:13. The natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit, 1-Corinthians 2:14. But the spiritual man can discern and teach them, because he has the mind of Christ, 1-Corinthians 2:15, 1-Corinthians 2:16.
INTRODUCTION TO 1 CORINTHIANS 2
The apostle, in this chapter, pursues the same argument as before, that the Gospel needed not the wisdom and art of men: this he illustrates by his own example; and then he extols the Gospel above all the wisdom of men; and observes how it comes to be made known to men, even by the Spirit of God: hence it follows, that it is to be taught in his words, and not in the words of men; and that it can be only known and judged of by the spiritual, and not by the natural man. He instances in himself, and in his own ministry, when at Corinth, where he preached the Gospel in a plain and simple manner, without using the ornaments of speech, and human wisdom, 1-Corinthians 2:1 his reason was, because he had determined with himself to preach not himself, but a crucified Christ, 1-Corinthians 2:2. His manner of behaviour is more largely declared, 1-Corinthians 2:3 that he was so far from being elated with his human literature, and priding himself with that, and making use of it in an ostentatious way, that he was attended with much weakness, fear, and trembling; and his discourses were not adorned with the flowers of rhetoric, but were delivered with the power, evidence, and demonstration of the Spirit, 1-Corinthians 2:4. And his end and view in this method of preaching were, that the faith of his hearers should not be ascribed to human wisdom, but to a divine power, 1-Corinthians 2:5 but lest the Gospel should be thought meanly and contemptibly of, because of the plain dress in which it appeared, the apostle affirms it to be the highest wisdom, as those who had the most perfect knowledge of it could attest; a wisdom superior to the wisdom of this world, or of its princes, since that comes to nothing, 1-Corinthians 2:6 the excellency of which he expresses by various epithets, as the wisdom of God, mysterious wisdom, hidden wisdom, ancient wisdom, ordained before the world began, for the glory of the saints, 1-Corinthians 2:7 a wisdom unknown to the princes of the world, who otherwise would not have been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, 1-Corinthians 2:8 and that this far exceeds the capacity of men, and could never have been found out by them, he proves, 1-Corinthians 2:9 by a testimony out of Isaiah 64:4 and then proceeds to show how it comes to be known by any of the sons of men, that it is by the revelation of the Spirit of God, 1-Corinthians 2:10 which is illustrated by the nature of the spirit of man within him, which only knows the things of a man; so in like manner only the Spirit of God knows the things of God, and can make them known to others, 1-Corinthians 2:11. And in this way he observes, that he and others became acquainted with these things; namely, by receiving not the spirit of the world, which at most could only have taught them the wisdom of the world, but the Spirit of God, whereby they knew their interest in the blessings of free grace, published in the Gospel, 1-Corinthians 2:12. And seeing the Gospel is made known by the Spirit of God, it should be delivered, not in the words of man's wisdom, but in the words of the Holy Spirit, as the apostle affirms he and other ministers did deliver it, returning to his former argument, 1-Corinthians 2:13. And also it follows from hence, that the things of the Gospel, which the Spirit reveals, cannot be known and received by the natural man, who has no discerning of them, and so no value for them, 1-Corinthians 2:14 and can only be discerned, judged, and approved of by spiritual men, 1-Corinthians 2:15 and who are not to be judged by natural and carnal men, because they have not the mind of Christ, and so cannot instruct them; but spiritual men have it, such as the apostle and others, 1-Corinthians 2:16.
(1-Corinthians 2:1-5) The plain manner in which the apostle preached Christ crucified.
(1-Corinthians 2:6-9) The wisdom contained in this doctrine.
(1-Corinthians 2:10-16) It cannot be duly known but by the Holy Spirit.
SUMMARY.--The One Theme of Preaching Christ Crucified. Not Eloquence or Human Wisdom, but the Power of the Spirit Needed. A Divine Wisdom in the Cross of Christ. This is a Mystery Revealed to the Converted; Unseen by the Unregenerate. The Things of the Kingdom Not Understood by the Worldly. These are Revealed to Those who Have the Spirit of God.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.