Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I (A)did not come as someone superior in [a]speaking ability or [b]wisdom, as I proclaimed to you (B)the [c]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I also was with you in (D)weakness and (E)fear, and in great trembling, 4 and my [d]message and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of [e]wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [f]rest on the [g]wisdom of mankind, but on (H)the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written:
“(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the human heart,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 [h](T)For to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the (W)spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have not received the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, (Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [i]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But [j]a (AA)natural person (AB)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (AC)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is (AD)spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is [k]discerned by no one. 16 For (AE)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But (AF)we have the mind of Christ.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 Lit speech
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 Or cleverness
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 One early ms mystery
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 Lit word
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 Or cleverness
- 1 Corinthians 2:5 Lit be
- 1 Corinthians 2:5 Or cleverness
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 One early ms But
- 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual things for spiritual people
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 Or an unspiritual
- 1 Corinthians 2:15 Or judged
Cross references
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 : 1 Cor 1:17; 2:4, 13
- 1 Corinthians 2:1 : 1 Cor 2:7
- 1 Corinthians 2:2 : 1 Cor 1:23; Gal 6:14
- 1 Corinthians 2:3 : 1 Cor 4:10; 2 Cor 11:30; 12:5, 9f; 13:9
- 1 Corinthians 2:3 : Is 19:16; 2 Cor 7:15; Eph 6:5
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 : 1 Cor 1:17; 2:1, 13
- 1 Corinthians 2:4 : Rom 15:19; 1 Cor 4:20
- 1 Corinthians 2:5 : 2 Cor 4:7; 6:7; 12:9
- 1 Corinthians 2:6 : Eph 4:13; Phil 3:15; Heb 5:14; 6:1
- 1 Corinthians 2:6 : Matt 13:22; 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 2:6 : Matt 13:22; 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 2:6 : 1 Cor 1:28
- 1 Corinthians 2:7 : Rom 11:25; 16:25f; 1 Cor 2:1
- 1 Corinthians 2:7 : Rom 8:29f
- 1 Corinthians 2:7 : Heb 1:2; 11:3
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 : 1 Cor 1:26; 2:6
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 : Matt 13:22; 1 Cor 1:20
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 : Acts 7:2; James 2:1
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 : Is 64:4; 65:17
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 : Matt 11:25; 13:11; 16:17; Gal 1:12; Eph 3:3, 5
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 : John 14:26
- 1 Corinthians 2:10 : Rom 11:33ff
- 1 Corinthians 2:11 : Prov 20:27
- 1 Corinthians 2:12 : Rom 8:15
- 1 Corinthians 2:12 : 1 Cor 1:27
- 1 Corinthians 2:13 : 1 Cor 1:17; 2:1, 4
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 : 1 Cor 15:44, 46; James 3:15; Jude 19 mg
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 : John 14:17
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 : 1 Cor 1:18
- 1 Corinthians 2:15 : 1 Cor 3:1; 14:37; Gal 6:1
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 : Is 40:13; Rom 11:34
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 : John 15:15