1 Corinthians

2:6-16

1. Maintaining unity in the church, 1:1-4:21

vii] The hidden wisdom of God

In this passage Paul continues to expose the difference between divine and human wisdom. With respect to the gospel proclaimed by Paul and the other apostles, this "foolish" message is indeed wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this world. Paul teaches a divine wisdom which was revealed to the apostles by the Holy Spirit and can only be understood by a mature Christian. Paul begins by identifying the supernatural origin of the wisdom he proclaims (the gospel), v6b-10a; explains that the Spirit is the means by which this wisdom is revealed, v10b-13; notes that only spiritual persons can understand this wisdom, v14-16a; and that its content entails the mind of Christ, v16b.

In dealing with the Corinthian congregation, Paul seems to distinguish between secular/natural and spiritual members. He writes against a background of a church which contains a select group of those who think they are a spiritual elite. It is fairly clear that Paul regards some/many/most as unspiritual. Those who accept the teachings of their apostle are the spiritual ones, the others are worldly and are therefore unable to grasp the mind of Christ.

The temptation we face is to take time out to assess the spiritual standing of our fellow believers, but of course, if any testing is to be undertaken it should be of our own standing.

de "however" - but, and. Adversative. In v1-5 Paul spoke of his own weak preaching, which was foolishness in the eyes of the wise, "however", his message was anything but foolish.

sofian (a) "[we speak] a message of wisdom" - a wisdom. For Paul, there is the "wisdom" of this age, secular musings about life, not evil in itself, but certainly evil when it replaces the gospel. Then there is the "wisdom of God", the gospel, "God's wise plan of redeeming the world through a crucified messiah", Bruce - both the message and the actuality, the plan and the substance.

en + dat. "among" - in, on. Possibly "to the mature", ie. standing as a simple dative, MM III, but better local as NIV. "We do discuss wisdom with those who are mature", Moffatt.

toiV teleioiV (oV) "the mature" - fully grown, mature. adult. Paul is not promoting a two-stage Christianity, a spiritual and secular Christianity, the type of Christianity promoted by the Gnostics in the first century and radical pentecostals today. Paul's aim was not to promote a caste Christianity, but to move babies through growth into full maturity. "Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ." Col.1:28.

twn katargoumenwn (katargew) pres. pas. part. "[the rulers of this age] who are coming to nothing" - being brought to nothing, removed from power, put out of commission, dethroned, abolished. The participle is adjectival, limiting "rulers of this age". Those brought to nothing are possibly satanic forces, demonic powers, so Barrett, Fee, Conzelmann, Moffatt, Garland, ... See Thiselton for a full survey of options: i] Demonic powers; ii] Earthly political rulers, "political and social authorities", Fitzmyer, so Naylor; iii] Angelic custodians of the nations; iv] Sociopolitical powers in a structural collectivity that transcends given human individuals, so Thiselton.

alla "no" - but. Adversative. "We do not speak the wisdom of this age ....... but rather the secret wisdom of God."

en musthriw (on) "[we speak of God's] secret [wisdom]" - [we speak God's wisdom] in a mystery. We can note two things about this wisdom in a mystery (note, the "mystery" is not a mysterious truth or a truth difficult to understand, but a secret once hidden which is now revealed): i] It is revealed that we may obtain an eternal glory. This eternal glory is the majesty and splendor of the living God which is ours in Christ. It is the character of God which we now share through the indwelling Spirit, 2Cor.1:22, 5:5, Eph.1:14, but in particular the likeness we will share at the resurrection; ii] It concerns Christ crucified. 1:18, 24, 30. The mystery is the revealed wisdom of God, namely the gospel concerning of the "unsearchable riches of Christ" found in Christ's death and resurrection. It is the good news of God's gracious kindness in accepting us as his eternal friends through faith in Christ. In simple terms it is justification, or as Paul often calls it "my gospel."

thn apokekrummenhn (apokruptw) perf. pas. part. "that has been hidden" - having been hidden. The participle is adjectival limiting "mystery".

prowrisen (proorizw) aor. "destined" - predetermined. "Which God set his mind to do", TH, "which God decreed", RSV, NRSV.

eiV "for" - to, into. Probably expressing purpose here, as NIV; "for the purpose of sharing in God's glory."

doxan (a) "[our] glory" - glory [of us]. "The wonder and power of God's own life", TH.

pro + gen. "before [time began]" - before [the age]. "Long ago before time began", Barclay.

egnwken (ginwskw) perf. "understood" - has known. The perfect tense expressing past action with ongoing consequences. "None of the men who bear rule in this present age knew of that wisdom", Cassirer.

ei + ind. .... ouk a]n + aor. ind. "if ..... would not" - Forming a conditional clause, 2nd class, contrary to fact.

ton kurion thV doxhV "the Lord of glory" - The genitive is probably adjectival, genitive of quality, limiting "Lord", "glorious Lord; "the Lord who shares God's glory", TH, "the Lord to whom glory belongs", Thiselton, cf. 1 Enoch. Probably not an objective genitive, "the Lord who dispenses glory", Augustine

The text makes better sense if the central, but concluding statement, is placed at the beginning of the sentence; "God has prepared for those who love him what no eye has ever seen .....", Barclay. The quote possibly comes from common language found in "traditional Judaism", Davies. The point of the quote is to identify the origin of the wisdom proclaimed by Paul and its profound nature.

alla "however" - but. Adversative.

anebh (anabainw) aor. "[no mind] has conceived" - did not come up, enter [into the heart of man]. The Gk. expresses the idea of the mind coming to grips with an idea. "What no human mind has ever thought of", Barclay.

toiV agapwsin (agapaw) pres. part. "for those who love [him]" - to/for the ones loving. The participle functions as a substantive.

de "-" - but, and. Probably serving here as a connective, but it could be identifying a new development in the argument, namely that when it comes to the divine revelation of the mystery "man cannot find out the truth about God and his purposes; only the Spirit of God can make these things known", Barrett. If this next step in the argument doesn't begin here it certainly begins in v10b.

apekaluyen (apokaluptw) aor. "[God] has revealed" - "Divine revelation of certain supernatural secrets", BAGD.

hJmin dat. "to us" - The position in the Gk. is emphatic, linking "us" with "those who love him", v9. God has revealed his once hidden secrets to those who love him.

dia + gen. "by" - through, by means of. The mystery is revealed by God "through" the Spirit.

gar "for" - for. Here possibly explanatory, or serving to introduce the next point in the argument, namely "the key to understanding God's wisdom lies with the Spirit", Fee.

erauna/ (eraunaw) pres. "searches" - searches, examines. The Spirit "brings out the meaning of what is given (by God) in the gospel", Barrett.

ta baqh tou qeou "the deep things of God" - the depth of God. The genitive "of God" is adjectival, of quality, limiting "the deep things"; "the profound things of God", Fitzmyer.

anqrwpwn (oV) "[who] among men" - of men, of human persons. The genitive is adjectival, partitive. "It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us", TEV.

oiden (oida) perf. "knows" - has come to know.

ei mh "except" - except.

to en autw/ "within him" - [except the spirit of the human person] that is within him. Only the self-conscious self knows the self, and so it is with God, which is why only those who possess the Spirit of God have the capacity to understand the secret things of God.

ou{twV "in the same way" - thus, so. "Just so, no one knows God's mind except God's Spirit", Barclay.

to pneuma tou kosmou "the spirit of the world" - Better understood as, "the spirit of human wisdom"; "Christians are not shaped (should not be shaped) and molded into the values, behaviors, and motives of the secular society around us", Junkins.

to pneuma to ek tou qeou "[We have received] the Spirit who is from God". It is difficult to distinguish in the scriptures between a person and their power. We receive the Spirit as an intimate friend; he is the Spirit of Christ who is present with us, Rom.8:11. We also receive the gifts of the Spirit - his life giving work within ( regeneration, sanctification ), his empowering for ministry, etc. It is probably this last aspect of the Spirit's reception that concerns Paul here, ie. the gift is not the person of the Spirit, but the divine capacity to understand divine revelation, a spirit of perception. So "the spirit coming from God" rather than "the Spirit who comes from God."

iJna + subj. "that [we may understand]" - that. Forming a purpose clasue, "in order that we may comprehend", or hypothetical result, "so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God", Fitzmyer".

carisqenta (carizomai) aor. pas. pat. "what [God] has freely give [us]" - having been freely given, favored. The participle is adjectival limiting "the things".

kai "-" - and. Here probably "also", expressing an additional thought.

a} "this" - these things. Referring to the secret things of God now revealed to the apostles through God's Spirit, v12b.

laloumen (lalew) pres. "we speak" - we speak. The "we" is presumably still Paul and his apostolic team, although some argue that we is now "spiritual man". "This spiritual mystery is what we communicate."

en logoiV (oV) "[not] in words" - in, by, with, words. Probably "using language", Moffatt, although "precepts / ideas / truths" might be closer to what Paul intends than just "words / language." The concepts communicated to the Corinthian believers by Paul and his apostolic team are not derived by rational thought, but have been revealed by God; "interpreting (explaining) spiritual realities in spiritual terms", Fitzmyer.

yucikoV anqrwpoV - "the man without the Spirit" - the natural man = "the man who lives on an entirely human level", Thiselton. Although we might like to think of these as unconverted people, it is clear Paul regards them, at least outwardly, as Christians. Yet what type of Christianity? a] It is possible he is speaking of "weeds" and "wheat", "sheep" and "goats". The unspiritual are pseudo-Christians who have made some sort of commitment to Christ, but are without substance. They bear the image of a disciple, but do not exhibit the fruits. They are unregenerate and are therefore, unable to discern spiritual things. b] Paul may be speaking about Christians of differing spiritual development. The "man without the Spirit" v14, may be the same person as the "worldly - mere infants in Christ", 3:1. They have the Spirit in the sense that they are regenerate, ie., the Spirit has entered into fellowship with them, baptized them at their conversion, but they are not yet mature in Christ. It would probably be right to say that they are not yet filled, in the sense of, not yet filled with the knowledge of Him. Clearly only those who are being filled with the Spirit (who are walking in the Spirit, who are open to the Spirit) can discern the things of the Spirit. The apostles are such people, especially as they are empowered for their special ministry of revelation.

gnwnai (ginwskw) aor. inf. "[he cannot] understand them" - [he is not able] to know. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "is [not] able." "Know" in the sense of "understand", as NIV.

oJti "because" - that. Here causal, as NIV.

anakrinetai (anakrinw) "discern" - they are judged, examined, discerned. The "judgements" of the spiritual person probably refer to their ability to sift everything, to discern truth. Such discernment cannot be critically assessed by the unspiritual person. "He cannot understand them because a man needs the Spirit rightly to evaluate them", Barclay.

de "-" - but, and. Here probably adversative; "the spiritual man, on the other hand, has the power to scrutinize everything and anything", Cassirer.

upo + gen. "[not] subject to" - [but he] by [no one is examined / judged]. Expressing agency. Simply making the point that an unspiritual person is not qualified to make an assessment about the worth, or otherwise, of a spiritual person's teaching.

gar "for" - for. Here expressing cause/reason. The quote comes from Isa.40:13 while gar serves to introduce it; "for as the scripture says ..."

egnw (ginwskw) - "[who] has known" - knew. "Who knows what the Lord is thinking?", TH.

sumbibasei (sumbibazw) fut. "he may instruct [him]" - [who] will instruct [him]? Paul arranges the two opening clauses of the quote as rhetorical questions expecting the answer "no one". "Who is able to give him advice?", TEV.

de "but" - but, and. Here adversative, but the contrast is with the unspiritual person; "but in contrast to those who lack the Spirit and do not know the mind of the Lord", Fee.

hJmeiV "we [have]" - we. Emphatic.

noun (ouV oV) "the mind [of Christ]" - mind [of Christ]. Barrett and others argue that "mind" and "S/spirit" are interchangeable here, but such a view is unnecessary since Paul is probably saying that "the mind of Christ" are "the thoughts of Christ as revealed by the Spirit", Fee.

1 Corinthians Introduction

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