1 Corinthians Chapter 2
Real Wisdom from God
A. Paul’s Reliance on God’s Wisdom
1. (1 Corinthians 2:1–4) How Paul preached to the Corinthians.
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
Paul’s arrival in Corinth is described in Acts 18, where he came into this great and immoral city and met Aquila and Priscilla, a godly couple who were tentmakers like himself. He ministered in Corinth for more than a year and a half, supporting himself by tent making and faithfully preaching Christ. When Paul declares, “I did not come with excellence of speech,” he makes clear that he did not enter Corinth as a philosopher or a salesman, but as a witness testifying of God. Though Paul had the ability to reason and debate persuasively, he chose not to rely upon rhetoric or worldly wisdom. Instead, he determined to put his entire emphasis on “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” This deliberate decision shows Paul acting not as a salesman who seeks to win customers, but as an ambassador faithfully delivering the message of his King.
This approach was countercultural in Corinth. The city was filled with philosophers and orators, who prized eloquence, rhetorical flourishes, and intellectual posturing. But Paul knew that the Jews seek after a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, yet he resolved to preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:22). He did not cater to their cultural appetites, but presented the simple and powerful truth of the cross. Paul understood that if a preacher is not careful, he can obscure Christ by his method of presentation. The preacher must serve the gospel, not overshadow it. Like the little girl who, when a shorter guest preacher stood in the pulpit and she could finally see the stained-glass window of Jesus behind him, said, “Where is the man who usually stands there so we cannot see Jesus?” So it is with preaching: the focus must be Christ, not the preacher.
When Paul states, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” he does not mean that he abandoned all other knowledge. Rather, he made the crucified Christ the singular focus of his message and ministry while among them. Everything else was secondary compared to the centrality of the cross.
Paul continues, “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.” This shows he was not brimming with self-confidence. His weakness may have been physical, possibly due to illness or persecution, or it may have been the weight of responsibility he felt for such a strategic mission field. Whatever the precise cause, his condition made him humble and dependent upon the Lord. As G. Campbell Morgan remarked, “So great was his sense of weakness and fear, and so profound his lack of trust in himself that he quaked, he trembled. Those are the secrets of strength in all preaching.” Paul’s limitations prevented him from relying on himself and opened the way for God’s strength to be displayed.
When Paul says, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom,” he is not condemning preaching itself, nor even the use of persuasion, for his sermon before Agrippa in Acts 26 is a masterpiece of persuasion. What Paul is rejecting is reliance on human technique, emotional manipulation, or rhetorical cleverness to bring about spiritual results. As Spurgeon wisely said, “It is ours to speak the truth boldly, and in every case we shall be a sweet savor unto God; but to temporize in the hope of making converts is to do evil that good may come, and this is never to be thought of for an instant.”
Instead, Paul declared that his preaching was “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” He knew that the preacher’s duty is to faithfully preach the Word, but it is the Spirit’s work to demonstrate its power. On a human level, Paul’s preaching may not have impressed the Corinthians, but on a spiritual level it carried divine authority. His very weakness provided the most convincing demonstration of the Spirit’s power, for as the Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
2. (1 Corinthians 2:5) The reason for reliance on the Spirit instead of human wisdom.
“That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
The purpose behind Paul’s refusal to rely on rhetoric or human wisdom was so that the Corinthians’ faith would rest on God’s power, not man’s cleverness. Faith that is built on human wisdom, persuasive techniques, or entertaining methods may produce outward response, but it cannot produce genuine spiritual transformation. If someone’s faith rests upon the charisma or arguments of a preacher, that same faith can easily be undermined by another preacher who argues more persuasively in the opposite direction. As Missler noted, “Faith that depends upon clever reasoning can be demolished by a more acute argument. Faith produced by the power of God can never be overthrown”
This principle is vital for the church in every generation. If people are lured into the church by worldly methods—be it through entertainment, gimmicks, or personality cults—then they have been drawn to the method, not to Christ. “What you draw them with is what you draw them to.” Therefore, Paul grounded his hearers’ faith not in himself, nor in his words, but in the power of God.
B. Paul Preaches Real Wisdom, Not the Wisdom of Men
1. (1 Corinthians 2:6–8) God’s wisdom is not recognized by this age.
“However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Paul makes it clear that although he rejected the Corinthian appetite for human philosophy, his message was not void of wisdom. Instead, he declares, “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature.” This wisdom is not shallow, nor is it based on worldly reasoning. It is a heavenly wisdom sealed off to unbelievers but revealed to those who are in Christ. The wisdom Paul proclaims is the wisdom of God, a hidden wisdom ordained before the foundation of the world, designed for the glory of believers.
When Paul speaks of the “mature,” he means those who are spiritually developed in Christ. Throughout his writings, Paul uses this term for believers who have grown beyond spiritual infancy. For example, in Ephesians 4:13 he writes, “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In Philippians 3:15 he states, “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.” By contrast, the immature believer lacks discernment, like a child who puts anything into his mouth, unable to distinguish what is good from what is harmful. Paul’s wisdom, then, is not hidden from believers but is hidden from the world and from those unwilling to grow spiritually.
Paul adds that this wisdom is “not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” The rulers of this age, whether human authorities or spiritual powers, failed to comprehend God’s wisdom. Historically, interpreters have debated whether Paul meant earthly rulers such as Pilate, Herod, and the Sanhedrin, or demonic forces working behind the scenes. On the surface, it seems evident that Paul referred to human rulers, because they were the ones directly responsible for inciting the crucifixion of Christ, not realizing what they were doing (see Acts 3:17). As Leon Morris observed, Paul regularly attributes power to demonic forces, but he rarely ascribes ignorance to them.
Nevertheless, one could argue that the demonic powers also shared in this ignorance. Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” If Satan and his hosts had understood that the cross would be their undoing and the very means by which Christ would disarm and defeat them, they would never have stirred up human rulers to crucify the Lord of glory. In either case—whether speaking of men or demons—Paul assures us that the rulers of this age are “coming to nothing.” Their power is temporary, their wisdom futile, and their reign destined to collapse.
Why, then, did the rulers of this age fail to recognize God’s wisdom? Paul explains: it was “the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.” God’s wisdom was veiled in a divine mystery, a sacred secret not accessible through natural reasoning but only through divine revelation. The gospel, the plan of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ, was in the eternal counsel of God before time began (see Ephesians 1:4, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”). This wisdom was inaccessible to the world’s rulers because it required the illumination of the Spirit.
Paul climaxes with the profound title, “the Lord of glory.” Some commentators see this as the loftiest title Paul ever gave to Christ. It is a direct acknowledgment of His deity. The phrase “Lord of glory” echoes passages like Psalm 24:8, “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” By applying this title to Jesus, Paul identifies Him as God Himself, the eternal Son and Second Person of the Trinity. It would have been inconceivable for Paul to bestow such a title upon any created being. The rulers of this age, blinded in their supposed wisdom, crucified the very Lord of glory, and in so doing, fulfilled God’s hidden plan of redemption.
2. (1 Corinthians 2:9–11) God’s Wisdom is Known Only by the Holy Spirit
**“But as it is written:
‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man 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 the Spirit of God.”**
Paul begins by citing the words of Isaiah, saying, “As it is written.” Strictly speaking, this is not a direct quotation but a paraphrase of Isaiah 64:4, which declares, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” Paul applies the thought of Isaiah, emphasizing that God’s wisdom and plan are beyond the natural discovery of man. Charles Hodge rightly observed, “‘As it is written’ is not, in this case, the form of quotation, but is rather equivalent to saying, ‘To use the language of Scripture.’”
When Paul says, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him,” he is not speaking primarily of heaven, as is often supposed. While it is true that heaven’s glory is far beyond our comprehension, Paul’s context here is not the eternal state but the revelation of God’s wisdom through the gospel in the present age. He makes this clear in verse 10: “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” Therefore, these things are not hidden future blessings awaiting us in heaven, but truths already revealed to the believer by the Spirit of God. As Adam Clarke explained, “These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but certainly they belong to the present state, and express merely the wondrous light, life, and liberty which the Gospel communicates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires.”
This mystery, hidden in ages past, is now unveiled in Christ. Paul communicates the same truth in Ephesians 3:5, “Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.” Before Christ came, God’s people had shadows and anticipations of His redemptive work, but the fullness of His plan—the inclusion of Jew and Gentile in one body, the indwelling Spirit, and the riches of grace—was not yet understood. Only now, through the Spirit, is this wisdom made known.
Paul emphasizes that this revelation comes “through His Spirit.” Human wisdom and investigation can never arrive at the things of God. Just as no man can fully know another person’s inner thoughts except that person’s own spirit, so it is with God. Paul reasons, “For what man 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 the Spirit of God.” This reflects the philosophical axiom familiar in Greek thought: like is known only by like. Just as we cannot truly know the inner thoughts of another creature—whether a dog or another human—unless they choose to reveal them, so also we cannot know the mind of God unless He Himself makes it known. And this is precisely what He has done through His Spirit.
Paul adds, “Yes, the deep things of God.” The Corinthians, in their pride, thought Paul’s emphasis on the cross was elementary, little more than basic instruction. But Paul insists that the gospel of Christ crucified and risen is not simplistic—it penetrates into the very depths of God’s wisdom. As Missler noted, the Spirit “searches” the unfathomable realities of God and makes them known to believers. These are not shallow truths, but the profound mysteries of God’s eternal plan, hidden in past ages but revealed now in Christ.
3. (1 Corinthians 2:12–13) How We Can Receive This Wisdom
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
Paul now explains how the wisdom of God is communicated to believers. He says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God.” This contrast shows that the believer is not guided by the same principle that governs the world system, which lies in the power of the evil one (Ephesians 2:2; 1 John 5:19). Instead, Christians have received the Spirit of God Himself, who indwells every true believer from the moment of salvation. This indwelling Spirit enables us to grasp spiritual realities that would otherwise remain hidden. The purpose is clearly stated: “that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
This statement is rich in grace theology. The blessings of salvation are not earned, achieved, or discovered by man, but are freely given by God and made known through the Spirit. This does not mean that every believer possesses equal depth of understanding, nor does it mean that we can comprehend all divine mysteries. It does mean that every believer has access to the essential truths of the gospel. What human philosophy regards as foolishness is, in fact, the Spirit’s revelation of God’s wisdom, accessible to the simplest believer who trusts Christ.
Paul continues, “These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches.” The apostle emphasizes that even the words used to convey the message of God’s wisdom are Spirit-directed. The inspiration of Scripture ensures that the truths of God were not clothed in merely human reasoning, but in Spirit-taught language. Paul concludes, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” This phrase can mean that spiritual truths are expressed in Spirit-given words, or that spiritual realities are explained to those who are spiritual. As Adam Clarke suggested, the sense may be “explaining spiritual things to spiritual persons.” Either way, Paul is clear: the message and the medium both come from the Spirit, not from the wisdom of man.
4. (1 Corinthians 2:14–16) The Natural Man and the Spiritual Man
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”
Paul now draws a sharp distinction between the “natural man” and the “spiritual man.” He writes, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.” The Greek word for natural is psuchikos, which refers to the life of the soul, the life inherited from Adam, apart from regeneration. It describes the man who lives as if this material world were all that exists, without reference to the Spirit of God. This is the default condition of every person at birth: unregenerate, unsaved, and spiritually blind.
There is nothing inherently sinful in natural life itself, for God created us with physical needs such as eating, sleeping, and working. Yet when a man lives only on this level, without the Spirit, he remains cut off from spiritual realities. To him, spiritual things are “foolishness.” Why should he invest time in prayer, study of Scripture, or eternal matters when he could be pursuing money, pleasure, or power? Not only does the natural man reject spiritual truths, Paul says “nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” This means that apart from the Spirit’s work of regeneration, he is as incapable of perceiving God’s truth as a corpse is of perceiving the material world.
Paul then contrasts this with the spiritual man: “But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.” The spiritual man, indwelt and taught by the Spirit, is able to discern and evaluate all things rightly. This does not mean the spiritual man is above all criticism—indeed, Paul himself criticizes the Corinthians throughout this letter. Rather, it means that the natural man is not qualified to pass judgment on the spiritual man. Without the Spirit, the unbeliever lacks the ability to evaluate spiritual truth accurately.
Paul concludes with a quotation from Isaiah 40:13: “Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has taught Him?” He applies this to Christ, saying, “But we have the mind of Christ.” This is a stunning statement of both Christ’s deity and the believer’s privilege. To have the mind of Christ is to share in His wisdom and perspective through the indwelling Spirit. It does not mean that believers are omniscient, but that by the Spirit, we are enabled to think God’s thoughts after Him, to see the world through Christ’s truth, and to live under His lordship. This is the very opposite of the Corinthian pursuit of worldly wisdom, for the true wisdom of God is found only in Christ, the Lord of glory.
