1 Corinthians — Chapter 2
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1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
7But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But 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.
10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12Now 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.
13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6We speak wisdom, however, among them that are fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nought:
7but we speak God`s wisdom in a mystery, [even] the [wisdom] that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory:
8which none of the rulers of this world hath known: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:
9but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And [which] entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him.
10But unto us God revealed [them] through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.
12But 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 of God.
13Which things also we speak, not in words which man`s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual [words].
14Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged.
15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man.
16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God.
2For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling.
4My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God.
6Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing.
7Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory.
8None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
10God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
11For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God.
13And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.
14The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one.
16For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.
1When I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5that your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
6We 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.
7But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds for our glory,
8which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.
9But 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.”
10But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11For 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.
12But 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.
13Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.
14Now 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.
15But 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.
Summary
Paul declares he came not with eloquent wisdom but with the demonstration of the Spirit's power, revealing God's hidden wisdom that no eye has seen — discerned only through the Spirit who searches the deep things of God.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines Paul's deliberate weakness, the Spirit's revelation, the natural vs. spiritual man, and the mind of Christ.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" on v.2 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 644) "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. That was Paul's entire curriculum. Not philosophy, not politics, not self-help — Christ crucified. If you have that, you have everything. If you lack that, you have nothing." Sermon: "The Mind of Christ" on v.16 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1377) "We have the mind of Christ — not that we think perfectly, not that we know everything — but that we have access to His perspective through the Spirit. The natural man cannot understand spiritual things; but you can. The Spirit has given you Christ's mind."
Videos
The Bible Project — 1 Corinthians Overview
Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)
Reflection
- 1. Paul came "in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (v.3). Even the greatest apostle felt inadequate. God's power works through human weakness. Where do you feel weak? That may be exactly where God wants to demonstrate His power.
- 2. "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (v.5). What is your faith resting on — a persuasive speaker, a compelling argument, or the power of God? If the speaker fails, does your faith fail?
- 3. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God" (v.14). Unbelievers cannot understand spiritual truth — it's not a matter of intelligence but of spiritual capacity. How does this affect how you share the Gospel? You need the Spirit's work, not just better arguments.
- 4. "We have the mind of Christ" (v.16). Through the Spirit, you can think about life, relationships, decisions, and problems from Christ's perspective. Are you accessing the mind of Christ through Scripture and prayer, or are you relying on worldly wisdom?
- 5. Paul "determined not to know anything... save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (v.2). Is Christ crucified the center of your faith and your message? Or have other things — politics, self-improvement, moralism — displaced the cross?
- 6. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard" (v.9) — God's plan exceeds human imagination. How does knowing that God's plan for you is beyond what you can imagine affect your trust in Him?
- 7. The Spirit "searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (v.10). The Spirit knows God's depths and reveals them to you. How much are you depending on the Spirit to illuminate Scripture when you read?
- 8. There is a "wisdom among them that are perfect" (v.6) — mature believers can receive deeper truth. Are you growing in maturity, or are you still on milk (chapter 3)? What would growth look like?
- 9. The rulers "would not have crucified the Lord of glory" if they had known God's wisdom (v.8). Ignorance led to the cross — but God used their ignorance for salvation. How does God use even human evil for His purposes?