1 Corinthians 2

1 Corinthians Chapter 2
2:1-3 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,

- Paul was not proud in his presentation of the gospel - he understood the foolishness of the message of a crucified Christ. - He spoke to them in weakness, fear and trembling. Paul was scared to death when he went to Athens and Corinth by himself (his friends met up with him later). He had been ostrasized and run out of the last two towns. (Acts 17:5-10; 13-15)

2:4-5 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

- Demonstration of the Spirit and of power = People getting saved through the foolish message.- Don't base your faith on man's wisdom (I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, etc.) base it on God's power.

2:6-10 Yet 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; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the 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; but 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." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

- God's wisdom (foolishness to the world) is truly wisdom to thowe who are "mature" (capable of understanding).- We speak it as a "mystery" (a message divinely revealed). - The rulers of the world (supposedly wise) did not recognize the wisdom because they did not have the Spirit's understanding. Without the Spirit the message of the gospel seems foolish.- 2:10 "God revealed them through the Spirit" - "Them" = Jesus Christ and Him Crucified (v. 2), the wisdom of God that is revealed through the Spirit

2:11-16 For 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. Now 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, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But 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 he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

- In Rome someone who "had the Spirit" was a son of th eFather. Slaves were referred to as the ones who do not have the Spirit. People who are not saved (not sons of the Father) do not understand the mind of God.


The message of the gospel is foolish by worldly standards. Men think they are wise because they are proud but the true wisdom of God is foolishness to them. Only the ones who are willing to listen to the Spirit will truly understand God's wisdom. Don't feel ashamed when people call you stupid for preaching Christ crucified. You are a slave to God and He will deal with those who mistreat you for following His commands.