#1666 1 Corinthians 2 Part 1 Know Nothing But

 

And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

6 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 being abolished. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory, 8 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. 9 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.” 1 Corinthians 2: 1-9 LSB

1 Corinthians 2: 1-9

V. 1 I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom - He did not come as one of the great orators of the time. He was not a Greek philosopher, did not follow the rules of debate. Now don't be confused, this wasn't because this just wasn't his style; Paul did engage with the intellectuals on Mars Hill, and he was a student of Gamaliel, a Jewish philosopher/teacher. He was well studied in the law and the prophets as a Pharisee, but that doesn't save anyone.

…6by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1: 6-7

…5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. 7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.… Proverbs 3: 5-7

Vs. 2-3 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified - Paul's message was the simple gospel, not drawing men to himself, but bringing them to Christ. He was determined not to get in the way of the message. 

ii. In taking this approach, Paul understood he didn’t cater to what his audience wanted. “Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and thin thinking” (Barclay). He already knew the Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:22), but he does not seem to care. He will preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

iii. If a preacher is not careful, he will get in the way of the gospel instead of being a servant of the gospel. They can obscure Jesus by their preaching, either in the presentation or the message. Like the little girl, who when a smaller man was guest speaking could finally see the stained glass window of Jesus behind the pulpit said, “Where’s the man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?” - Enduring Word

15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. 17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”… Romans 1: 15-17

Vs. 4-5 So that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men - We are easily moved by titles and degrees, and people will often say, "if the good doctor says this then it is true, if the intellectual elite believe this, then so should we." Well, intellectuals are human and prone to error based upon their preference, based upon fitting in, and also greed. In our own time we have seen that those with a high IQ can fail to answer the simplest questions, like, "what is a woman?' or, 'should we chemically castrate children because they are confused?" The people who turn our children into lab rats have titles like doctor and Psychiatrist, but the computer inside their head is operating on a corrupted program. So Paul is sticking to the simple truth, and all those new to Christ, those hearing for the first time or babes in the faith, need that simple milk of the gospel. The aged and wise review the gospel every day, for how precious and rich are the depths of that which once seemed so foolish. This preaching of Christ relies on the power of God to save, not on the cleverness of the speaker. The true gospel turns many away, but it saves everyone God intended for it to save. Men, in their wisdom, always try to change the gospel to make it more appealing, but those gospels have no power. You are bringing men to trust in you rather than in Christ. 

…7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.… 2 Timothy 1: 7-9

Vs. 6-7 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature - Corinth was plagued with spiritual immaturity, relying upon worldly wisdoms, seeking the sign gifts as a display for the ego, and quarreling over words. There is worldly wisdom that creeps into the church often, and people base their discernment upon how it makes them feel, rather than how it holds up to God's word. If you want to hear from God, which His children would, then you read and study His word. Here is wisdom that goes to different depths every day. This is where you grow and mature, and this is where you learn how and what to pray for. God's word and the desire to obey Him, to trust Him, will take you to heights unimaginable. The glory, riches and depths of God are never ending. 

…14I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well. 16Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.… Philippians 3: 14-16

11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! 13For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.… Hebrews 5: 11-13

Vs. 8-9 Things which eye has not seen - Some will apply this strictly to the future marvels of heaven, something that men can definitely not wrap their heads around, but through the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to see things here that we could never have known of ourselves. The things, "God predestined before the ages to our glory", the salvation that was once more veiled in the signs of temple and the sacrifices. Everything, the great mysteries of the Seed of the woman, which describes the virgin birth back in Genesis, the Passover, which tells of Christ's work upon the cross on our behalf, all the OT prophecies have been, are being and will be revealed to us in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. 

i. “These words have been applied to the state of glory in a future world; but certainly they belong to the present state, and express merely the wondrous light, life, and liberty which the Gospel communicates to them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires.” (Clarke)

ii. Paul is communicating much the same message as Ephesians 3:1-7, where he writes about the mystery of the church, and how the church in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 3:5)

iii. Before the life and ministry of Jesus, God’s people had a vague understanding of the glory of His work and what it would do for His people. But they really did not and could not fully understand it ahead of time. - E Word

…3When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence. 4From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. 5You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?… Isaiah 64: 3-5

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles... 2 Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.…

…4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.…

…7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power. 8Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.… Ephesians 3: 1-9