Free Bible Commentary
“1 Corinthians 2:10-16”
Categories: 1 Corinthians“For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 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.”
---End of Scripture reading---
You really never know what is going on inside another person’s mind unless they tell you what they are thinking. That is the implication that Paul is making when he says that no one can know “the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him” (verse 11). A person’s thoughts are his own internal possessions unless he decides to make them known to other people.
In the same way, no one can possibly know the thoughts or mind of God unless He chooses to express His will by purposeful revelation. Paul’s point is simply that God has chosen to reveal His will so that the people He created can know about Him, learn His desires for them, obey Him and draw close to Him. And God has chosen to declare His special revelation for mankind, directly through the Holy Spirit and directly to the Apostles of Jesus Christ (John 16:12-15).
This is what set the Apostle’s teaching apart from all the doctrines and philosophies of all other human beings. They spoke and wrote under the direct guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and with all the authority of Almighty God. Paul said that he and the other Apostles “have received…the Spirit who is from God,” so that they could “know the things freely given” to them by God (verse 12). Then they, in turn, freely “taught” this inspired revelation to the world by spoken and written “words” (verse 13).
Direct revelation from the Holy Spirit was specifically promised to the Apostles by Jesus (John chapters 14-16), and they received this unique promise of power and authority (Acts 1:8) on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter 2. But, even though God no longer reveals His will to people directly and personally, we still have access to freely receive “the things of the Spirit of God” (verse 14) even today.
God recorded and preserves His will to us through the messages spoken and written by the men He inspired all those centuries ago. When we read and study our Bibles, and listen to truthful sermons and lessons from faithful preachers and teachers of God’s word, we can learn all the “thoughts of God” that He wants us to know. He guided the Apostles into “all the truth” (John 16:13), and they relayed this inspired truth through the written word, which has been preserved in the New Testament (2 Peter 1:3).
And listen…we can completely trust our Bibles when we read them (although some “versions” are actually “perversions”). Every spiritual “thought” and “word” recorded in its pages has been inspired by God (verse 13). Both the language and the content comprise God’s “verbal inspiration”. He has held nothing back from us but has “freely given” us all things necessary for salvation; “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
But, reader beware! “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God” (verse 14). The “natural man” is really the opposite of the “spiritual” person (1 Corinthians 3:1). He or she is a person given over to natural urges and impulses, influenced by human motives and emotions, and directed by purely human reasoning. In fact, the natural person “cannot understand them.” But it’s not that God won’t allow that person to understand. It’s just that God’s spiritual riches are “spiritually appraised” and therefore “foolishness” to such a fleshly-minded person.
Thank you all for your interest in all things spiritual, and your willingness to learn and receive “the mind of Christ” (verse 16)!
Please Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 for tomorrow.
Blessings!
- Louie Taylor
