1 C hristian 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.

As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;

2 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.

For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.

3 W hen I was with you, I was weak. I was afraid and I shook.

And I was in ( passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling '> after I had come] among you.

4 W hat 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.

And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the Spirit and power '> a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],

5 I n 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

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.

6 W e 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.

Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.

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

But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden and now revealed to us by God— which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification.

8 N one 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.

None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.

9 T he 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.”

But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him '> who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].

10 G od 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.

Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God '> divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].

11 W ho 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?

For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 W e 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.

Now we have not received the spirit the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts bestowed on us by God.

13 W e 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.

And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language.

14 B ut 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.

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

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

But the spiritual man tries all things '> examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one.

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

For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.