I Corinthians 2:6-16: "The Wisdom and Spirit of God"
Paul continues his discussion regarding the contrast between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of this world. Paul's desire is to get the Corinthians to see how foolish it is to pay attention to and follow after man's so-called wisdom when they have the have received the very wisdom of God when they believed in Christ. Paul begins this section, "Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature". The "yet" in this verse serves as a contrast to the previously mentioned wisdom of man. The word "mature" in this verse does not so much refer to older and advanced believers, but rather, to believers in general. MacArthur writes, "Those who are mature are those who are redeemed and are completely trusting in Jesus Christ. The apostle is not saying that he speaks God's wisdom only when he is with believers who are advanced in the faith, but only when he is among believers who are truly in the faith - the saved". Therefore, Paul is saying that only when he is around other believers can he truly speak wisdom and be understood. He qualifies that the wisdom he is speaking of is, "not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory". Paul is trying to get his readers to understand what a wonderful privilege it is to know Christ, and to have the wisdom of God as a gift when we receive Christ. In doing this, he is hoping to show them how foolish it is of them to be arguing after earthly wisdom, when they have something so much better, that no other has who does not know Christ. This godly wisdom which Paul is referring to is not the temporary earthly knowledge that has accumulated over human history, but rather, the mysterious and hidden wisdom of the God of this universe which had set us apart and called us out before the foundation of the world. The "mystery" and "hidden" aspects of God's wisdom has to do with His withholding from the natural mind. MacArthur explains, "The natural man does not know and understand it, and considers it foolishness, because it is wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom. Mystery (musterion) does not refer to something strange and puzzling but to that which is held secret. God intentionally holds His wisdom a secret from natural man and his earthly wisdom (cf. Matt. 11:25; 13:10-13)". Therefore, instead of quarrelling over the wisdom of natural men, we should be privileged and honored to have been predestined to receive the very wisdom of God, which no natural man can ever receive.
Paul also wants to show his readers how they understand the mystery of God's wisdom that the "rulers of this age" had not understood. By accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, the Corinthian believers had insight and understanding into the very purpose of the Scriptures, something the "rulers of this age" did not have wisdom in. "For", Paul explains, "if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory". Paul is saying, that the man you have accepted as Lord and Savior, by the illumination of the Spirit and the reception of God's wisdom, natural man has rejected and crucified Him. Therefore, do not put your trust and wisdom in natural man, for if they had the insight you had, they would not have crucified Him.
Paul then quotes Isa. 64:4 and 65:17, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not hear, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him". MacArthur writes, "Paul is not referring to the wonders of heaven, but to the wisdom God has prepared for believers. His point is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of men cannot know or comprehend His wisdom. It is prepared only for those who love Him". Again, Paul is showing his readers the exclusivity and privilege of the knowledge they have received and should seek after. If they truly understood it, they would not bother with the foolishness of earthly wisdom.
Paul then moves to explain how it is that believers have received this wonderful wisdom. "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God". Again, MacArthur explains, "The Holy Spirit is the Trinity's agent of transmission and communication. The first step of His transmission of God's truth is revelation. As a member of the Godhead, the Spirit know the mind of God perfectly. God has used angels for many amazing and wonderful services to man. But He did not entrust the revelation of the New Covenant to an angel. The truths of His Word God revealed through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture". This is good rich theology. Paul is explaining that in no way can we as human's come to the divine truth on our own. It involves supernatural intervention. This intervention is the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of God truly understands God. How can we, as incredibly inferior beings, be able to understand the God of this universe? Paul helps explain this using an earthly example. "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him?" He is asking the rhetorical question of who understands you better than you? The answer is of course no one. Therefore, the only way man can be expected to know God is through His own Spirit. Paul affirms this, "Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God". MacArthur writes, "only God's own Spirit can know Him intimately. And, wonder of wonders, it is the Spirit of God, the One who intimately knows the depths of God and the thoughts of God, whom God has sent to reveal His own wisdom to those who believe--to us".
We are all given this wisdom through inspiration. Paul explains this in verses 12 and 13, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God". To help understand who Paul is referring to, MacArthur writes, "The "we's" and "us" of verses 12-13 (as in vv. 6-7, 10) do not refer to Christians in general but to Paul himself. God's Word is for all believers, but was revealed only to the apostles and the other writers of Scripture. Only those men properly can be said to have been inspired". Therefore, Paul is explaining that he and the other writer's of Scripture did so through the Holy Spirit. They received all that they needed, through the Spirit of God, to explain the thoughts of God to man. The purpose of this is that we might, "know the things freely given to us by God". MacArthur continues, "The Spirit used words that the human writers knew and used, but He selected them and arranged them in precisely the order that He wanted. The Bible, therefore, not only is God's Word but God's Word". Paul is setting up the infallibility and inspiration of the Scriptures. We must hold firmly to our belief in the authority and power of Scripture and take it for what it says it is: The Word's of God.
In the last few verses of this section, Paul further explains the supernatural privilege we have in understanding the Scriptures. "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised". Here, the Corinthian's are getting a better insight into the author of their faith and the gratefulness they should feel towards God because of their ability to understand the Scriptures. Here Paul shows that apart from divine intervention and the illumination of the Spirit, natural man could never understand nor accept the Scriptures. MacArthur explains, "The natural man cannot know or understand the things of the Spirit of God because they can only be spiritually appraised. Spiritual is in opposition to natural, and thus refers to the inner capacity of the redeemed to grasp God's truth. God's Word is spiritually evaluated, spiritually discerned, spiritually understood- and the natural man is spiritually dead. I believe Paul's point in explaining all this was for two main reasons. One, Paul wanted them to truly see the exclusivity of understanding the Scriptures. He wanted them to understand that what they had was special and no natural man could attain to this. Therefore establishing the superiority of spiritual wisdom over natural wisdom. Second, I think Paul wanted them to truly understand that all they had received, wisdom, understanding, and most importantly salvation came through God and God alone. If they understood that all they had spiritually was completely owed to Christ and His work in their lives, they would have no room for bickering and arguing.
To drive home his point, Paul finishes with, "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ". MacArthur helps explain this, "What natural man thinks God's thoughts? None. Unbelievers frequently want to correct believers, to argue about the truths we believe and follow. But when they contradict scriptural teaching, they are not arguing with us but with God, whose thoughts they do not understand. They trying to instruct Him. What folly". However, because we have the mind of Christ as we receive the Spirit at the moment of our faith, we can understand and live out the truth which has been given to us exclusively through divine intervention.
Paul also wants to show his readers how they understand the mystery of God's wisdom that the "rulers of this age" had not understood. By accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, the Corinthian believers had insight and understanding into the very purpose of the Scriptures, something the "rulers of this age" did not have wisdom in. "For", Paul explains, "if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory". Paul is saying, that the man you have accepted as Lord and Savior, by the illumination of the Spirit and the reception of God's wisdom, natural man has rejected and crucified Him. Therefore, do not put your trust and wisdom in natural man, for if they had the insight you had, they would not have crucified Him.
Paul then quotes Isa. 64:4 and 65:17, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not hear, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him". MacArthur writes, "Paul is not referring to the wonders of heaven, but to the wisdom God has prepared for believers. His point is that the natural eyes, ears, and hearts of men cannot know or comprehend His wisdom. It is prepared only for those who love Him". Again, Paul is showing his readers the exclusivity and privilege of the knowledge they have received and should seek after. If they truly understood it, they would not bother with the foolishness of earthly wisdom.
Paul then moves to explain how it is that believers have received this wonderful wisdom. "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God". Again, MacArthur explains, "The Holy Spirit is the Trinity's agent of transmission and communication. The first step of His transmission of God's truth is revelation. As a member of the Godhead, the Spirit know the mind of God perfectly. God has used angels for many amazing and wonderful services to man. But He did not entrust the revelation of the New Covenant to an angel. The truths of His Word God revealed through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture". This is good rich theology. Paul is explaining that in no way can we as human's come to the divine truth on our own. It involves supernatural intervention. This intervention is the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of God truly understands God. How can we, as incredibly inferior beings, be able to understand the God of this universe? Paul helps explain this using an earthly example. "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him?" He is asking the rhetorical question of who understands you better than you? The answer is of course no one. Therefore, the only way man can be expected to know God is through His own Spirit. Paul affirms this, "Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God". MacArthur writes, "only God's own Spirit can know Him intimately. And, wonder of wonders, it is the Spirit of God, the One who intimately knows the depths of God and the thoughts of God, whom God has sent to reveal His own wisdom to those who believe--to us".
We are all given this wisdom through inspiration. Paul explains this in verses 12 and 13, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God". To help understand who Paul is referring to, MacArthur writes, "The "we's" and "us" of verses 12-13 (as in vv. 6-7, 10) do not refer to Christians in general but to Paul himself. God's Word is for all believers, but was revealed only to the apostles and the other writers of Scripture. Only those men properly can be said to have been inspired". Therefore, Paul is explaining that he and the other writer's of Scripture did so through the Holy Spirit. They received all that they needed, through the Spirit of God, to explain the thoughts of God to man. The purpose of this is that we might, "know the things freely given to us by God". MacArthur continues, "The Spirit used words that the human writers knew and used, but He selected them and arranged them in precisely the order that He wanted. The Bible, therefore, not only is God's Word but God's Word". Paul is setting up the infallibility and inspiration of the Scriptures. We must hold firmly to our belief in the authority and power of Scripture and take it for what it says it is: The Word's of God.
In the last few verses of this section, Paul further explains the supernatural privilege we have in understanding the Scriptures. "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised". Here, the Corinthian's are getting a better insight into the author of their faith and the gratefulness they should feel towards God because of their ability to understand the Scriptures. Here Paul shows that apart from divine intervention and the illumination of the Spirit, natural man could never understand nor accept the Scriptures. MacArthur explains, "The natural man cannot know or understand the things of the Spirit of God because they can only be spiritually appraised. Spiritual is in opposition to natural, and thus refers to the inner capacity of the redeemed to grasp God's truth. God's Word is spiritually evaluated, spiritually discerned, spiritually understood- and the natural man is spiritually dead. I believe Paul's point in explaining all this was for two main reasons. One, Paul wanted them to truly see the exclusivity of understanding the Scriptures. He wanted them to understand that what they had was special and no natural man could attain to this. Therefore establishing the superiority of spiritual wisdom over natural wisdom. Second, I think Paul wanted them to truly understand that all they had received, wisdom, understanding, and most importantly salvation came through God and God alone. If they understood that all they had spiritually was completely owed to Christ and His work in their lives, they would have no room for bickering and arguing.
To drive home his point, Paul finishes with, "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ". MacArthur helps explain this, "What natural man thinks God's thoughts? None. Unbelievers frequently want to correct believers, to argue about the truths we believe and follow. But when they contradict scriptural teaching, they are not arguing with us but with God, whose thoughts they do not understand. They trying to instruct Him. What folly". However, because we have the mind of Christ as we receive the Spirit at the moment of our faith, we can understand and live out the truth which has been given to us exclusively through divine intervention.
posted by amesfam | 8:31 AM
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