1 Corinthians 2 ~ 1 Corinthians 2

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1 A nd when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

Christian brothers, when I came to you, I did not preach the secrets of God with big sounding words or make it sound as if I were so wise.

2 F or I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

I made up my mind that while I was with you I would speak of nothing except Jesus Christ and of His death on the cross.

3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

When I was with you, I was weak. I was afraid and I shook.

4 a nd my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

What I had to say when I preached was not in big sounding words of man’s wisdom. But it was given in the power of the Holy Spirit.

5 s o that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

In this way, you do not have faith in Christ because of the wisdom of men. You have faith in Christ because of the power of God. True Wisdom Comes from God

6 Y et 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;

We speak wisdom to full-grown Christians. This wisdom is not from this world or from the leaders of today. They die and their wisdom dies with them.

7 b ut we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;

What we preach is God’s wisdom. It was a secret until now. God planned for us to have this honor before the world began.

8 t he 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;

None of the world leaders understood this wisdom. If they had, they would not have put Christ up on a cross to die. He is the Lord of shining-greatness.

9 b ut 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.”

The Holy Writings say, “No eye has ever seen or no ear has ever heard or no mind has ever thought of the wonderful things God has made ready for those who love Him.”

10 F or to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

God has shown these things to us through His Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who looks into all things, even the secrets of God, and shows them to us.

11 F or 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.

Who can know the things about a man, except a man’s own spirit that is in him? It is the same with God. Who can understand Him except the Holy Spirit?

12 N ow 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,

We have not received the spirit of the world. God has given us His Holy Spirit that we may know about the things given to us by Him.

13 w hich things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

We speak about these things also. We do not use words of man’s wisdom. We use words given to us by the Holy Spirit. We use these words to tell what the Holy Spirit wants to say to those who put their trust in Him.

14 B ut 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.

But the person who is not a Christian does not understand these words from the Holy Spirit. He thinks they are foolish. He cannot understand them because he does not have the Holy Spirit to help him understand.

15 B ut he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

The full-grown Christian understands all things, and yet he is not understood.

16 F or who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him ? But we have the mind of Christ.

For who has the thoughts of the Lord? Who can tell Him what to do? But we have the thoughts of Christ.