God has spoken: Do you hear Him? I Corinthians 2:6-16

The Way, The Truth, and The Life

(or, “God has spoken, do you hear Him?)

I Corinthians 2:6-16

Introduction: Do you prefer driving with a map or GPS, or just exploring? I’ve grown accustomed these last few years to having the GPS plugged in all the time, even if I know exactly where I am going. The assurance that I am on course, the correction when I stray, the reminder of where I am at and how much further there is to go, there is something comforting about it all.  Even the annoying “RECALCULATING” when I make a wrong turn isn’t so bad anymore.  The Corinthians had begun to stray off course, they were perhaps not rejecting the theology Paul had taught them, but they were arbitrarily deciding how it should be applied in their lives and in their church. Maybe that is what it means to you, but this is what I think… Have you heard that? Have you said it? Paul is going to emphasize the reality of God’s Positioning System, God’s GPS, that is, His presence in the person of the Holy Spirit working in the church, and in the life of the believer. We have been given a “God-breathed guidebook,” the Bible, and we have the Guide and Author himself to lead us through it.

Remember the Context: Paul is concerned about the reports he has heard of divisions in the church in Corinth, divisions that arose because of allegiance to different human leaders and a faulty confidence in human wisdom. After urging the Corinthians not to allow divisions by wrongly aligning themselves with certain human leaders, after contrasting the wisdom of the world with its love of philosophy and rhetoric over against the wisdom of God and the message of the cross, after reminding the Corinthians of his own ministry among them, not in impressive speech or argumentation but with the attitude of a humble servant, setting forth the plain message of the Gospel, Paul now argues that true wisdom, God’s wisdom, cannot be appreciated or understood by everyone, yet it can and should be understood by those who are “mature,” ideally by every true believer in Jesus Christ.

The Big idea: God’s plan is immeasurably beyond what humans would imagine, and he has revealed his plan by the Spirit through the word. Let us read the Bible for what it really is: the revelation of the King and Creator of the universe!

I. God has revealed a plan that is wiser than we could imagine (6-10a). There is a “wisdom” that comes from God, and offers greater hope than we can comprehend.

⁶ Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;  ⁷ but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;  ⁸ the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;  ⁹ but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."  ¹⁰ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit… (I Cor 2:6-10a).

        “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature […en tois teleiois…]…” The old KJV translates “those who are mature” as “those who are perfect.” The word can have that sense, but it is not the usual New Testament usage. It’s much more commonly used to refer to something being “complete” or “mature.” In the Greek context of Corinth it was also a term used to refer to someone who had been initiated into a group.   It may be that is the idea that Paul has in mind here, appropriating their language to make his point more emphatically. He is saying that there is a kind of wisdom, God’s wisdom, that he speaks among the true insiders, the brethren, the Christ followers. 

     “…a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away…” The source of the wisdom spoken to believers is not this age, or the rulers of this age. They are “…passing away…” A present passive participle, they are being nullified, being abolished. The sense seems to be they are dying, on their way to perdition, and they don’t even know it.  Paul is contrasting true wisdom, God’s wisdom, with the “philosophy” of men.  The wisdom of this age, like the rulers of this age, is passing away. The wisdom of God, however, abides forever. That wisdom centers on Jesus, the Word who was made flesh. It focuses on calling men to believe who He is, and calling them to trust in what He has done. Paul has just said, “I determined to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

     “…a secret, hidden wisdom which God decreed from before the ages…” God’s wisdom, his plan, is not something he has worked out as he went along. Think about it: He is the Lord of history, all of history from the time of creation has been under the sovereign reign of God.  God has ordained, or decreed, His wisdom, His plan, from before the ages, i.e. from before the foundation of the earth.  It was a “mystery,” hidden in times past, but revealed, progressively through history, by God, reaching its pinnacle in the Cross and Resurrection.   Paul made a similar point in Ephesians 1:3-10,

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,  ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love  ⁵ he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,  ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight  ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ  ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

As the writer to the Hebrews says, “In different times and in different ways God spoke in times past to the fathers through the prophets, in these last days He has spoken in [the] Son…” God’s revelation of himself and of His redemptive plan for humanity reached its pinnacle in Christ.

      “…to our glory…” Does the wonder of that strike you? That God had a plan from eternity past, and, if you know Him, it included you. You have been predestined for redemption, for forgiveness, for adoption, the recipient of the riches of His grace, not because of who we are or what we’ve done, all because of Jesus. Paul makes the same connection in Romans 8 when he says,

²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Rom 8:29-30).

He who has begun a good work in us will bring it to completion, we will be gloried because of Him!

      Notice what he says, none of the rulers of this age understood what God was doing, if they had, they would not have crucified the “Lord of Glory.”  Who are the rulers of this age? Men? Yes, that is the point, but we understand it was not only men.  Elsewhere Paul says that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…” (2 Cor 4:4). I don’t think Satan himself understood what God was doing in the Cross. The human rulers certainly didn’t. It was expedient for Caiaphas and for Pilate. It was a way to maintain the status quo and keep peace with Rome for the religious rulers.  The amazing thing is that even their unbelief was turned around by God and used for His glory. They rejected Jesus, nailing Him to the Cross by the hands of godless men, but all of that in accordance with the predetermined purpose and foreknowledge of God (see Acts 2:21-23). God spared not the Son, but delivered Him up for us all… The rulers of this age didn’t know what they were doing. Remember the prayer of Jesus as He was being crucified? “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That is grace, love beyond measure.

     “…eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered man’s heart…” The wisdom of God, His eternal plan, is more that humans could imagine. There are a lot of man-made ideas about life and death and eternity. No one could have come up with a plan like God’s plan.  Even people that profess to believe will sometimes say, “My God would never do that!” Wait a minute, who says He wouldn’t? Are you sure about that? What has God said about himself, and us, in His word?  Instead of reacting from our gut, from what “seems right,” let’s diligently search the Scripture. That is the final arbiter of truth.  He has spoken, and He has revealed absolute truth in His word about who He is and about what He expects of us. And now through the foolishness of the message preached He saves those who believe. That is truly amazing grace!

     “But God has revealed them to us by the Spirit…” (10a). Men did not and could not come up with the plan that God has revealed. From a human perspective it is unimaginable and unthinkable. BUT, the things that God has done and planned for our benefit, have been revealed to us by the Spirit. The God who is has spoken. He has revealed himself. And He is good. What’s more, He has shown us His love in the Son. God’s plan is immeasurable beyond what humans would imagine, and he has revealed his plan by the Spirit through the word.

II. God has revealed his wisdom through revelation by the Spirit (10b-16).

…for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  ¹¹ For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,  ¹³ which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  ¹⁴ 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.  ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.  ¹⁶ For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ (I Cor 10b-16).

·          Only God (the Spirit) understands the depths of God’s wisdom. 10b-11 makes an analogy. As no one knows what is in another person’s heart, only the Spirit understands to depths of God. Sometimes couples get in trouble here: rather than listening to what someone says, we think we know what our spouse is thinking! No always!  "I didn't say that!" "Well, you were thinking it!" Enough said. Or not.

·          We (who know Him) have received the Spirit! Because God, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we who know Him can understand the things “freely given us by God.”  Through the Spirit we can understand what God has revealed. “Freely given” is related to the word for “grace,” undeserved favor. God was not compelled to speak to humans, to enter our story, to reveal himself and to show the way to reconciliation. But He did!

·          The context is talking about revelation, v.13 get’s more specific it seems and speaks of the process of inspiration. “Which things we also speak…” Notice that God did not only inspire “ideas” but “words.” Note the language Paul uses, “…not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” Elsewhere he says,

“…from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  ¹⁷ that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

And Paul is not the only apostle who wrote about this process of revelation through the inspiration of Scripture. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” All these texts emphasize the work of the Spirit in the process of inspiring the words written by the human writers of the Bible. It is God’s Word to us, the Word of the Designer, Creator, and King.

2:14-16 presents one of those doctrines that challenge our thinking and stretch us.  Theologians refer to this as “the total inability” or “total depravity” of the unregenerate or “natural” man.  God’s revelation is unintelligible to the “natural person.” The language is very strong here: He does not receive them because to him they are foolishness to him, i.e., moronic, nonsensical. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. This is not saying that it is difficult for them to “get” spiritual things or that they are a little slow to undertand. They simply do not have the capacity to receive them and understand them because they do not have the Spirit. Period. Deaf, dead, and blind.

God will guide us to think His thoughts after Him… ¹⁵ But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.  ¹⁶ For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ (I Cor 2:15-16). He is our teacher, He will guide us in our understanding of His truth.

What is God saying to me in this passage?  Driving aimlessly around our beautiful mid-coast area might not be a bad thing once in awhile, but we don’t want to be aimless in our walk with God.  He has given us a map, a GPS to guide us, and God’s plan is immeasurably beyond what humans would imagine. He has revealed his plan by the Spirit through the word. Let us read the Bible for what it really is: the revelation of the King and Creator of the universe!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

1. Are you reading these words, and feeling an uneasiness in your heart, uncertain if you have truly been hearing His voice in the Word? That uneasiness may well be the conviction of the Holy Spirit, prodding your heart, by his kindness leading you toward repentance and faith.  You are not saved by saying you believe, or by praying to believe, you are saved by believing: recognizing that He is who He claimed to be, and trusting that He did what He came to do: that is, He died for your sins, in your place, and He defeated death in the resurrection. Praying a simple prayer is an expression of faith that can seal that miracle in your heart: Even if it starts with a hesitant, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” You might pray something like, “Lord, I know I am a sinner and deserve judgment, I believe that Jesus is Lord, that He died in my place on the Cross, and I put my hope for forgiveness and eternity in Him.” A prayer like that is an expression of faith, of trust in Him. The promise of Scripture is that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!

2. Believer, do you believe this Book to be the revealed Word of God? Do you long for the “pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby? Start, now, reading, daily, systematically, with an open heart. It’s here that you meet Him and hear his voice and learn what He expects you to do. You learn of His love, and of His grace. I have several resources to help guide you as you read through the Bible, but it really only takes a choice on your part to pick it up, daily, and read it.

3. Be reminded that we are on a mission. God has us in this world to be his witnesses. That means looking for ways to share the Word of Truth with people in our sphere of influence.    We need to encourage one another, we need to point others to Him. In reach and outreach. Both are part of our calling as his disciples.  Think about that,   AMEN.