 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Wisdom from the Spirit 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”-- 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. Meditation The Spirit of God uses the gospel of Jesus Christ to accomplish the work of God. The grace of God invites Christians to know the wisdom and power of God that we may more fully live for the glory of God. Paul came to Corinth in weakness, with only the simple message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul describes His words as absent of worldly wisdom but dripping in demonstration of the Spirit’s power, that faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1-5). The Spirit uses gospel proclamation to demonstrate God’s power (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Through the Holy Spirit, God gives us all we need to understand His word and walk in His authority. The body of the believer is the temple of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christians know God’s wisdom (6-9), understanding the words of God through the Spirit of God (10-13). Christians are spiritual, armed with super-natural discernment through the mind of Christ (14-16). The Spirit of God helps us “understand freely” the things given to us by God. Like Paul, we will discover the sufficiency of God’s grace and the power of God when we celebrate our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). The demonstration of the Spirit revealing God’s power comes through the simple gospel message: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Through the Spirit of God, the gospel of God is the power of God for all who believe (Romans 1:16-17). Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading regarding the contrast of Paul’s weakness and God’s power through His Spirit? -Do you walk by the Spirit, trusting Him to reveal to you the deep things of God and your heart? Why or why not? -How can you turn from perceived personal power to celebrate your weaknesses and limitations by embracing the sufficiency of God’s grace and the power of the gospel through His Spirit? Be specific. Key Verse 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. Comments are closed.
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