1 Corinthians 2

Berean Standard Bible

Chapter summary

Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that when he first came to them proclaiming the testimony about God, he did not use eloquence, persuasive words, or human wisdom, but instead came in weakness, fear, and much trembling while resolving to know only Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He explains that his message relied on a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that their faith would rest on God rather than human wisdom. While he speaks a message of hidden and mysterious divine wisdom among the mature—a wisdom that the rulers of this age did not understand, leading them to crucify the Lord of glory—this wisdom has now been revealed by the Spirit. The Spirit searches the deep things of God, enabling believers to understand what God has freely given through words taught by the Spirit rather than human wisdom. Consequently, while the natural person does not accept these spiritual things and considers them foolishness, the spiritual person assesses all things and possesses the mind of Christ.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.

Words of Jesus in red

¹When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. ³I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. ⁴My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. ⁶Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began. ⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it. For if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” ¹⁰But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. ¹⁴The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment. ¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.