1 Coríntios 2
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon - This is the one thing needful for us to know. All our reading and studies will be in vain if we are ignorant of Christ and his atoning blood. If Paul the preacher determined to know nothing but this, we may be sure it is above all things important. Krell on Him crucified - That same choice confronts every Christian messenger. It’s so easy to be sidetracked by good and worthwhile things. We can preach about social issues, the political debates of our day, the crisis in the Middle East, or the decline of the family. We can tackle Bible prophecy or we can major on predestination or the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There is a place for all those things, but that place is never at the center. For Paul the choice was clear: “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He started there and that became the center of his preaching. Once the center was in place, every other truth could be arranged around it. But Jesus must be in the middle of all things and all things must be properly related to Him. As William Barclay said “Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and thin thinking." Paul avoided the "veneer" of falsehoods to focus on the veracity of the Cross. Paul was unswayed and unperturbed by the fact that "Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom." (1 Cor 1:22+) The only sign Paul sought to proclaim was the sign of Jonah the prophet (which foreshadowed the resurrection) (Mt 12:39-40+). Crucified (4717)(stauroo from stauros = cross, in turn from histemi = to stand) means literally to nail or fasten to a cross and so to crucify -- literal death by nailing to and hanging from a cross (a stake). In Galatians 5:24+ Paul used stauroo in a metaphorical sense to refer to crucifixion of the flesh (as a result of the literal crucifixion). Used in 46x in 42v - Matt. 20:19; Matt. 23:34; Matt. 26:2; Matt. 27:22; Matt. 27:23; Matt. 27:26; Matt. 27:31; Matt. 27:35; Matt. 27:38; Matt. 28:5; Mk. 15:13; Mk. 15:14; Mk. 15:15; Mk. 15:20; Mk. 15:24; Mk. 15:25; Mk. 15:27; Mk. 16:6; Lk. 23:21; Lk. 23:23; Lk. 23:33; Lk. 24:7; Lk. 24:20; Jn. 19:6; Jn. 19:10; Jn. 19:15; Jn. 19:16; Jn. 19:18; Jn. 19:20; Jn. 19:23; Jn. 19:41; Acts 2:36; Acts 4:10; 1 Co. 1:13; 1 Co. 1:23; 1 Co. 2:2; 1 Co. 2:8; 2 Co. 13:4; Gal. 3:1; Gal. 5:24; Gal. 6:14; Rev. 11:8 Robert Murray McCheyne was a minister in Scotland in the last century. He was only thirty years old when he died, but he made an enormous spiritual impact on Scotland that still continues. He said, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likenesses to Jesus... A man cannot be a faithful minister until he preaches Christ for Christ’s sake, until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ.” Jesus Christ and Him crucified (Author unknown) Jesus Christ and Him crucified, is the way in which God . . . displays His perfections, unfolds His purposes, maintains His rights, confounds His foes, and secures His glory in the salvation of His people. Jesus Christ and Him crucified, is the only way in which . . . death is destroyed, sin is conquered, righteousness is established, rebels are reconciled, saints are sanctified, and Heaven is opened! Charles Spurgeon A sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep! "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2 The best sermons are the sermons which are most full of Christ. A sermon without Christ it is a horrible thing! It is . . . an empty well; a cloud without rain; a tree twice dead, plucked by the roots. It is abominable to give men stones for bread, and scorpions for eggs—and yet they do so who preach not Jesus. A sermon without Christ! As well talk of a loaf of bread without any flour in it. How can it feed the soul? Men die and perish because Christ is not there, and yet His glorious gospel is the easiest thing to preach, and the sweetest thing to preach—there is most variety in it, there is more attractiveness in it than in all the world besides! The sermon which does not lead to Christ, or of which Jesus Christ is not the top and the bottom—is a sort of sermon that will make the devils in Hell laugh, and the angels of God weep! The mark of true Gospel preaching is where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where salvation is all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus. ILLUSTRATION - 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?” (Guzik) (Here's another version - A certain church had a beautiful stained-glass window just behind the pulpit. It depicted Jesus Christ on the cross. One Sunday there was a guest minister who was much smaller than the regular pastor. A little girl listened to the guest for a time, then turned to her mother and asked, “Where is the man who usually stands there so we can't see Jesus?”" ILLUSTRATION - Take me to the Cross - Billy Graham tells the story of a police officer on night duty in a city in northern England. As he walked the streets, he heard a quivering sob. Shining his flashlight into the darkness, he saw a little boy in the shadows sitting on a doorstep with tears running down his cheeks. The child said, “I’m lost. Please take me home.” “I’ll be glad to take you home. Where do you live?” the officer replied. But the little boy was so tired and so scared that he couldn’t remember his address. The policeman began naming street after street, trying to help the boy remember where he lived. He named the shops and the hotels in the area but the little boy could give him no clue. Then he remembered that at the center of the town stood a church with a large white cross that towered high above the rest of the city. The policeman pointed to the cross and said, “Do you live anywhere near that place?” The little boy’s face immediately brightened up. He said, “Yes, sir. Take me to the cross and I can find my way home.” That is the mission of the church. We are to point people to the cross, and the cross will lead them safely home to God. This is our message to the world today, and it is God’s message to you. The cross is God’s provision for your sin. If you go to the cross, you will find your way home to God. Many people are lost and confused and the cross of Christ beckons you to come, repent of your sin and receive Christ. Come to the cross and you will find your way home to God.The church stands today with an utterly unique message that is given to us and to no on else. In a world of hurting people, to those who are angry and to those who are in despair, to those who have lost their way, to every man and woman, to every boy and girl, the church of Jesus Christ says to everyone who will listen, “Go to the cross and the cross will lead you home.” May we never be ashamed of the cross but preach it boldly as the only hope of the world. Amen. (Pritchard) James Smith, The glorious effects produced by it ("Paul's Determination" 1861) Most men have some favorite subject — and Paul had his. Many subjects were embraced in his ministry — but one fixed his eye, filled his heart, and occupied most of his attention. We may be sure, from the wisdom he generally displayed, and the abundance of grace that he possessed — that it was an important and worthy subject. It was "Christ crucified!" Therefore alluding to his first visit to Corinth, he said, "I determined to know nothing while I was with you — except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2. What a wondrous subject! What a wondrous Savior! Paul had seen glorious effects produced, by preaching it elsewhere. He knew that if this doctrine would not win them, and bring them back to God — nothing could. We have been preaching and writing about Christ crucified for many years. We have also seen the glorious effects produced by it. We have seen . . . the hardened — melted down into penitence and love; the miserable — made happy; the sorrowful — filled with comfort; the guilty — put in possession of pardon; the filthy — made pure and holy; the troubled — made calm and peaceful; and the cruel — made kind and gentle! What an honor God confers upon you, by sending a message to you at all, especially such a message. It is . . . a message of mercy — to miserable sinners; a message of grace — to unworthy sinners; a message of provision made — for very poor and needy sinners; a message of comfort — for desponding sinners; a message to alarm — for careless sinners; a message to solemnly warn — for obstinate sinners; an invitation to backsliders to return — that they may once more be happy and holy; a message of encouragement, direction, and winning love — to those who believe in Jesus. Still My Determination - 1 Corinthians 2:2 - From the days of St. Luke, some of history’s greatest preachers have originally trained as medical doctors. One of my favorites was Martyn Lloyd-Jones, born and reared in Wales, who moved to London in 1914 at age fourteen. He enrolled at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital as a medical student, graduating in 1921. But as he treated people’s physical needs, he became increasingly aware of their spiritual ones, and he felt a nagging call to the ministry of preaching. 1 Corinthians 2:2 burned in his heart: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In 1927, he began pastoring in his native Wales. His first sermon was from 1 Corinthians 2:2. Ten years later, he moved to London’s great Westminster Chapel as assistant to G. Campbell Morgan. When Morgan retired in 1943, Lloyd-Jones stepped into the pulpit where, for 30 years, he preached “Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” dissecting and dividing the Scripture with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. On February 6, 1977, he returned to his former church in Wales for the fiftieth anniversary of his ministry. After announcing his text, 1 Corinthians 2:2, he said: I have a number of reasons for calling your attention tonight to this particular statement. One of them—and I think you will forgive me for it—is that it was actually the text I preached on, on the first Sunday night I ever visited this church. I call attention to it not merely for that reason, but rather because it is still my determination. … My dear friends, in the midst of life we are in death. This is not theory; this is personal; this is practical. How are you living? Are you satisfied? How do you face the future? Are you alarmed? Terrified? What will you have when the end comes? You will have nothing, unless you have Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When Lloyd-Jones died four years later, these words were engraved on his tombstone: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (Robert
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon put it "It is ours to speak the truth boldly, and in every case we shall be a sweet savour unto God; but to temporise in the hope of making converts is to do evil that good may come, and this is never to be thought of for an instant.” Message...words (3056) see above on logos Preaching (2782)(kerugma where –ma means the result of <> from kerusso = to proclaim or announce in public) means not so much the act but the content or the result of preaching, that which is cried by the herald (kerux - an officer sent by a king or other high official to proclaim a message or announce good news) or public crier. TDNT adds that kerugma "has a twofold sense like the word proclamation, signifying both the result of proclamation (what is proclaimed) and the actual proclaiming. In other words, it denotes both the act and the content. In many cases it is hard to say where the emphasis falls." (TDNT) In the NT kerugma is always used of the public proclamation of God’s Word, which brings men to saving faith, builds them up in divine truth, and strengthens them for godly living. Kerugma is used only 8x in NT most by Paul - Mt. 12:41; Lk. 11:32; Ro 16:25; 1 Co. 1:21; 1 Co. 2:4; 1 Co. 15:14; 2 Tim. 4:17; Tit. 1:3 Persuasive (only here in NT)(3981)(peithos from peitho = to persuade or convince) is an adjective which clearly means "persuasive," but not necessarily with the negative overtones suggested by the word "enticing." The word Peitho was also the name of a Greek goddess, "Persuasion." Some of the Early Church fathers (Origen, Eusebius) thought that Paul here intended a reference to this goddess (but that is highly unlikely given the context -- as an aside there is some good material in the Early Church Fathers but just because they were closer to the time of the writing of the NT does not automatically mean their interpretations are more accurate and in my experience because many of the "fathers" began to interpret allegorically they are often less accurate than interpretations that adhere to literal interpretation. Wisdom (4678) see above on sophia But - Term of contrast. Note the change of direction (so to speak) from not in persuasive words of wisdom to demonstration of the Spirit and power. In demonstration (proof) of the Spirit and of power (dunamis) - (Wuest) = "were dependent for their efficacy upon a demonstration of the Spirit and of power." Amplified has "hey were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them]" This verse summarizes why Paul was successful in spreading the Gospel throughout the entire Roman Empire! Paul's preaching was a “demonstration,” a divine proof, not a personal “performance.” (What about your preaching dear pastor?) Paul depended on the Spirit for any "success" he would experience. Demonstration is apodeixis a legal term meaning "legal proof demonstrated in court" and thus signifies that the testimony or proof is irrefutable. Indeed, the Gospel may sound ridiculous to the unsaved mind, but it is irrefutable and divinely powerful! We need to forget about trying to impress the world, attract the world (cf "seeker friendly"), or be acceptable to the world. We must continually yield our lives to the Spirit, being filled with Him and His power (Eph 5:18+, Acts 1:8+).. KEY WORD IN CHAPTER 2 = Spirit, spiritual (7x to Holy Spirit) - 1 Cor 2:4 1 Cor 2:10 1 Cor 2:11 1 Cor 2:12 1 Cor 2:13 1 Cor 2:14 1 Cor 2:15 So here is the preacher's perfect pattern - the Spirit energized preacher preaches the powerful Word (the Gospel the power of God for salvation - Ro 1:16+) and the Spirit supernaturally demonstrates (proves irrefutably) the Word to the person's heart and mind like He did to Lydia in Acts 16:14+ Luke recording "A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul." We speak the Word of the Cross and the sword of the Spirit "circumcises" their heart. If people are impressed by what you say, they are unlikely to be impressed by Jesus. -- Ray Pritchard Pritchard - We need the unction of the Holy Spirit that will take our feeble human words and fill them with supernatural power (ED: TRUE, BUT REMEMBER WHEN WE SPEAK THE GOSPEL, THAT WORD IS INTRINSICALLY POWERFUL! Ro 1:16+). When that happens, lives will be radically changed. Mattoon - As people were saved and their lives were changed, it proved that Paul's preaching was empowered by the Holy Spirit. God can use a quiet man or a powerful orator like George Whitefield to reach people for Christ when these men are yielded and dependent upon the Holy Spirit to work in people's hearts. ILLUSTRATION - D. L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody." Let me ask, "Does the Holy Spirit have a monopoly on you? Are you under His control?" Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, "How can I get the air out of this glass?" One man shouted, "Suck it out with a pump!" Moody replied, "That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass." After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. "There," he said, "all the air is now removed." He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by "sucking out a sin here and there," but by being filled with the Holy Spirit. (Mattoon) Krell - Note the striking contrast—the wisdom of men versus the power of God. If you build on one, you cannot have the other. Paul’s concern throughout this passage is self-reliance. It’s not that he doesn’t want us to preach to the best of our ability—he most certainly does! He just doesn’t want us to rely on our own gifts and strength. ILLUSTRATION In the late 90’s a British company developed a product called “Spray-On Mud” so city dwellers can give their expensive 4x4 vehicles the appearance of having been off-road for a day of hunting or fishing without ever leaving town. The mud is even filtered to remove stones and debris that might scratch the paint. This product sold very well. When it comes to preaching there are many who are more concerned with the outside than the inside. They wax eloquent and wipe fresh pastry speech all over the place. But this type of preaching has no place in our lives as followers of Jesus. Jesus was a carpenter. He was down and dirty! The Bible was written in Koine Greek, the language of the common man. God wants us to rely on His strength to preach Christ-exalting words. When we preach or share Christ our desire should not be that others say, “What a wonderful preacher!” Our desire is that they should say, “What a wonderful Savior!” Hodge - Positively, his preaching was with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. This may mean, “the demonstration of the powerful Spirit” or “the demonstration of the Spirit and of (miraculous) power,” referring to the double evidence of proof of the Gospel—namely, the internal influence of the Spirit and the external evidence of miracles. The word translated power often means miraculous power, but as this cannot be its meaning in the following verse, it is not probable that it was intended to have that sense here. The phrase probably means, “the demonstration of which the Spirit is the author and that is characterized by power,” so that the sense is, “the powerful demonstration of the Spirit.” Godet writes: "The word apodeixis indicates a clearness which is produced in the hearer's mind, as by the sudden lifting of a veil; a conviction mastering him with the sovereign force of moral evidence". Such conviction comes only from "the Spirit" who works on our hearts in "power." Lias comments: "The 'power' of which he speaks was not so much that of working miracles in the ordinary sense of the word, as of touching the heart. He is referring to that conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8), which the Spirit of God produces in the spirit of man, and of the power to produce a change of heart and life which is the leading characteristic of the Gospel" Thayer says demonstration refers to "a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating in me, and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them, 1 Cor. 2:4 (contextually opposed to proof by rhetorical arts and philosophic arguments -- the sense in which the Greek philosophers use the word." Hodge on demonstration - Paul relied, therefore, for success not on his skill in argument or persuasion, nor upon any of the resources of human wisdom, but on the testimony that the Spirit bore to the truth. The Holy Spirit demonstrates the Gospel to be true. Robertson and Plummer make this helpful observation: "Paul is not dealing with scientific certainty; but he claims that the certitude of religious truth to the believer in the Gospel is as complete and as 'objective'—equal in degree, though different in kind—as the certitude of scientific truth to the scientific mind." Those who experience the reality of Christ's presence within and the illumination of His Spirit can surely say a hearty "Amen" to this. Ralph Earle on demonstration - In view of the current use of the word "demonstration" in our country, it would seem that "proof" would be a better translation here. It is also clearer and simpler. Then too, "demonstration" in religious circles means something out-ward, whereas the "proof" of the Spirit's power here is an inward conviction of one's sin and of the truth of the gospel. Demonstration (only NT use)(585) (apodeixis from apodeiknumi = to show forth) literally meant showing forth or showing off (not in a negative sense), a setting forth and thus a "display" and then demonstration in the sense of conclusive proof. On meaning of this word was “legal proof presented in court.” Findlay says that apodeixis was "the technical term for a proof drawn from facts or documents, as opposed to theoretical reasoning; in common use with the Stoics in this sense" Power (1411)(dunamis from dunamai = to be able, to have power; derived from dúna– conveys meaning of “being able” of “capacity”) refers to power especially achieving power. It speaks of inherent power to accomplish supernatural feats and is often translated miracles in the NT. It describes inherent power residing in God, by virtue of His nature (e.g., see resurrection power 1 Cor 6:14+) and is supernatural power that overcomes resistance. Dunamis is the word generally used by Paul of divine energy to accomplish something supernaturally which cannot be accomplished naturally. Note that while dunamis gives us our English dynamite, that is not the best illustration of this power because dynamite explodes and destroys, while Gospel dunamis creates and enables a new life in Christ. In the present context it speaks of the Gospel's supernatural power to circumcise a heart and make a sinner a saint, a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17+). Dunamis is the inherent power residing in Christ and His Gospel by virtue of His nature and the intrinsic nature of the Gospel described in Ro 1:16+ (i.e., the "power of God" to save). Dunamis in letters to Corinth - 1 Co. 1:18; 1 Co. 1:24; 1 Co. 2:4; 1 Co. 2:5; 1 Co. 4:19; 1 Co. 4:20; 1 Co. 5:4; 1 Co. 6:14; 1 Co. 12:10; 1 Co. 12:28; 1 Co. 12:29; 1 Co. 14:11; 1 Co. 15:24; 1 Co. 15:43; 1 Co. 15:56; 2 Co. 1:8; 2 Co. 4:7; 2 Co. 6:7; 2 Co. 8:3; 2 Co. 12:9; 2 Co. 12:12; 2 Co. 13:4 Spurgeon Preaching from Pulpit ILLUSTRATION - The Prince of preachers C H Surgeon understood this vital need in his life. In the huge Metropolitan Tabernacle Spurgeon would sing the hymns down at floor level and then he would mount the 14 steps to the elevated pulpit and with every step he took he would utter “I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Spirit.” THOUGHT - Dear pastor, imitate Paul who imitated Jesus (1 Cor 11:1+). Rely on the Holy Spirit to empower your preaching. Preach the Word in the power of the Spirit. Related Resources: The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! Sermon I preached at ordination of a young preacher The miracle of belief 1 Cor. 2:4 Paul was a scholar and an orator of the first rank; he is not speaking out of abject humility, but saying that he would veil the power of God if, when he preached the gospel, he impressed people with his “excellency of speech.” Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the efficacy of Redemption, not by impressiveness of speech, not by wooing and winning, but by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of the Redemption comes through the preaching of the Gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher. The real fasting of the preacher is not from food, but rather from eloquence, from impressiveness and exquisite diction, from everything that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God—“as though God did beseech you by us.” He is there to present the Gospel of God, not human ideals. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get anywhere near Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the Gospel will end in making me a traitor to Jesus; I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work. “I, if I be lifted up …, will draw all men unto Me.” (Oswald Chambers) Not By Might Nor By Power — 1 Corinthians 2:4 If in preaching the Gospel you substitute your clear knowledge of the way of salvation for confidence in the power of the Gospel, you hinder people getting to Reality. You have to see that while you proclaim your knowledge of the way of salvation, you yourself are rooted and grounded in faith in God. Never rely on the clearness of your exposition, but as you give your exposition see that you are relying on the Holy Spirit. Rely on the certainty of God’s redemptive power, and He will create His own life in souls. When once you are rooted in Reality, nothing can shake you. If your faith is in experiences, any thing that happens is likely to upset that faith; but nothing can ever upset God or the almighty Reality of Redemption; base your faith on that, and you are as eternally secure as God. When once you get into personal contact with Jesus Christ, you will never be moved again. That is the meaning of sanctification. God puts His disapproval on human experience when we begin to adhere to the conception that sanctification is merely an experience, and forget that sanctification itself has to be sanctified (see John 17:19). I have deliberately to give my sanctified life to God for His service, so that He can use me as His hands and His feet. (Oswald Chambers) Spirit (4151)(pneuma from pneo = to breath). - Note this is only a summary of the vast amount of material available on Pneuma. Pneuma in NT - 380x in 345 verses and in the NAS is translated breath(3), Spirit(239), spirit(103), spirits(32), spiritual(1), wind(1), winds(1) Summary: a movement of air (a gentle blast 1a) of the wind, hence the wind itself 1b) breath of nostrils or mouth the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated 2a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides 2b) the soul a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting 3a) a life giving spirit 3b) a human soul that has left the body 3c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel 3c1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men 3c2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ of God 4a) God's power and agency distinguishable in thought from his essence in itself considered 4a1) manifest in the course of affairs 4a2) by its influence upon the souls productive in the theocratic body (the church) of all the higher spiritual gifts and blessings 4a3) the third person of the trinity, the God the Holy Spirit the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one 5a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc. Click for an in depth 20 PAGE discussion of PNEUMA in the New International Dictionary of the New Testament Gingrich - pneuma 1. blowing, breathing— a. wind Jn 3:8a; Heb 1:7.— b. the breathing out of air, breath 2 Th 2:8.— 2. breath, (life-)spirit, soul, that which gives life to the body Mt 27:50; Lk 8:55; 23:46; Jn 19:30; Acts 7:59; Jas 2:26; Heb 12:23; 1 Pet 3:19; Rev 11:11.— 3. spirit as part of the human personality— a. the immaterial part 1 Cor 5:3–5; 7:34; 2 Cor 7:1; Col 2:5; 1 Th 5:23; Heb 4:12.— b. the representative part of the inner life Mt 5:3; 26:41; Mk 2:8; 8:12; Lk 1:47; Jn 4:23; 11:33; 13:21; Ro 1:9; 2 Cor 2:13. One's very self Ro 8:16; Phil 4:23. c. spiritual state, state of mind, disposition 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; Eph 4:23; 1 Pt 3:4.— 4. a spirit as an independent being that cannot be perceived by the physical senses— a. as a description of God Jn 4:24a.— b. lesser good spirits or spirit-beings Ac 23:8f; Heb 1:14; 12:9; Rev 1:4; 5:6.—Ghost Lk 24:37, 39.— c. evil spirits Mk 1:23, 26f; Lk 11:24, 26; Acts 5:16; 16:18; 19:15f; Rev 18:2.— 5. the Spirit as that which differentiates God from everything that is not God— a. the Spirit of God or Christ Mt 3:16; Lk 4:18; Acts 5:9; 16:7; Ro 8:9f; 1 Cor 2:11b, 12b, 14; Gal 4:6; Eph 3:16; 1 Pet 1:11.— b. (the Holy) Spirit Mt 3:11; 12:32; Mk 1:8, 10, 12; 3:29; Lk 2:26; 10:21; 12:10; Jn 1:32f; 3:34; 14:17; 16:13 ; Acts 1:8, 16; 8:15, 17, 19; 19:2; Ro 5:5; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; Eph 4:30; Col 1:8; 1 Th 1:6; Heb 10:15; 2 Pet 1:21.—Clearly with independent identity Mt 28:19; cf. 2 Cor 13:13.— c. of a spirit that is not from God 1 Cor 12:10; 2 Cor 11:4; 2 Th 2:2; 1 Jn 4:1–3. [pneumatology] Friberg - Analytical Lexicon - pneuma, (1) as derived from pne,w (blow), of the movement of air; (a) blowing, wind (probably Jn 3.8a and Heb 1.7); (b) breathing, breath (2Th 2.8; possibly Mt 27.50 in the sense "he breathed his last"); (2) as a condition and agent of life breath (of life), life spirit, soul (Lu 8.55; possibly Mt 27.50 in the sense "he dismissed his spirit"); (3) as the immaterial part of the human personality, spirit in contrast to the outward and visible aspects of sarx (flesh) and soma (body) (1Co 5.3; 2Co 7.1); (4) as the seat of the inner spiritual life of man, the capacity to know God, spirit (Acts 18.25; Ro 8.16b); (5) as a disposition or way of thinking spirit, attitude (Gal 6.1); (6) as an independent spiritual being, not perceivable by the physical senses; (a) of God himself spirit (Jn 4.24a); (b) as the third person of the Trinity, possessed by and proceeding from God or Christ (Holy) Spirit (Mt 3.11; Acts 16.7; 1Th 4.8; possibly Jn 3.8a); (c) as a demonic nonmaterial being, only evil in the NT spirit (Mt 8.16; Mk 1.23); (d) of an angel as a spirit-being (Heb 1.14; perhaps Heb 1.7); (e) as a bodiless human being ghost, specter, spirit (Luke 24.37, 39) Gilbrant - Classical Greek The Greek term pneuma is derived from the root pneu-, “breath, wind” (cf. pneō [4014], “to blow, breathe”). Pneuma originally meant “wind” or “breath” and continued to have these meanings into the New Testament (cf. John 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 11:11; 13:15; NIV, RSV). Because the breath of an individual was the sign of life, pneuma came to include the meaning of the “spirit” that gives life to the body (Dunn, “Spirit,” Colin Brown, 3:689). Greek philosophy appropriated the term for its metaphysical discussion and gave the term added dimensions. Aristotle thought pneuma was the force latent within every human being (in the embryo) that shaped the personality of the person. He regarded pneuma as the force the soul (psuchē [5425]) used to control the body (sōma [4835]). However, he looked at psuchē as a function (like the sharpness of a knife), but believed pneuma had substance (Kleinknecht, “pnuema,” Kittel, 6:336f.). Stoic philosophy replaced the former understanding of the soul with pneuma. It linked pneuma with nous (3426), “mind, understanding.” Stoics then devised schemes for defining pneuma in its various forms. They said that in its purest forms pneuma resembled logos (3030), “word,” and theos (2292B), “god” or “deity.” To them pneuma became the fifth “element,” the ultimate element along with earth, air, fire, and water (Dunn, “Spirit,” Colin Brown, 3:690). Such perceptions led Greek philosophers to consider pneuma as the source of “inspiration” (Kleinknecht, “pnuema,” Kittel, 6:343f.). They imagined “spirit” to be a sort of material substance that “filled” a person. It might be of either a divine or demonic nature. They also used pneuma to denote minor “deities” or demons in the supernatural realm as “spirits.” Septuagint Usage Throughout the Septuagint pneuma translates the Hebrew term rûach (about 270 out of about 380 times; rûach is translated by anemos [415], “wind,” on approximately 50 occasions). Three times pneuma translates the Hebrew nᵉshāmāh, “blowing of breath” or “breath.” Thus, both the Greek term pneuma and the Hebrew rûach demonstrate the same diversity in meaning. Old Testament Background The Old Testament uses rûach to denote “wind, breath,” or “spirit,” but has no indication that Greek dualism (the belief that the spirit of a person was distinct and imprisoned within the body) influenced its writers (Dunn, “Spirit,” Colin Brown, 3:690f.). Frequently there are numerous texts that might imply the spirit of a person is the principal indication of one’s personality. For example, Isaac and Rebecca were grieved in their spirits when Esau took Canaanite wives (Genesis 26:35); Pharaoh’s spirit was troubled by his dreams (41:8); Jacob’s “spirit” was revived (literally, “given life”) when he learned his son Joseph was alive (45:27); because of anguish or despondency of spirit the Israelites could not even listen to Moses (Exodus 6:9). Compare also Deuteronomy 2:30; 1 Kings 21:5; 1 Chronicles 5:26; 2 Chronicles 21:16. The Old Testament has a great deal to say about the “Spirit” (rûach) of God. In fact, the Spirit had an instrumental role in the history recorded in the Old Testament. By the Spirit men and women were equipped as skilled workers, judges, leaders, kings, prophets, and servants of the Lord. Miracles, the dividing of the Jordan River, as well as the interpretation of dreams are traced back to the action of the Spirit (2 Kings 2:9f. [LXX 4 Kings 2:9f.]; Genesis 41:38). Significantly, in the Old Testament the Spirit of God moved quickly and temporarily on many of the men and women chosen to be instruments for carrying out God’s plan of salvation. Only a few, like David, had the Spirit dwelling in them continually (1 Samuel 16:13 [LXX 1 Kings 16:13]; Psalm 51:11 [LXX 50:11]; 2 Samuel 23:1,2 [LXX 2 Kings 23:1,2]). The prophets, however, testified of the new faith and obedience that the outpouring of the Spirit would bring in the future (Ezekiel 36:26f.; Isaiah 32:15f.; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Zechariah 12:10; Joel 2:28f.). They also saw the Spirit upon the Messiah, not only for the working of the miraculous but also to demonstrate wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2ff.). Joel indicates the Spirit coming after the Teacher of righteousness (Joel 2:23,28, NIV). (The Hebrew words behind the KJV phrase “the former rain moderately” [Joel 2:23] have been variously translated as “the early rain for your vindication” [NASB] or perhaps most accurately “teacher [Hebrew môreh] for righteousness” [Hebrew litsᵉdhāqāh].) Peter, under the inspiration of the Spirit, identified the “afterward” of Joel to mean “in the last days” (Acts 2:17), by which he meant the last age before the coming (millennial) age. Joel’s prophecy uses a form of the Hebrew verb which indicates the outpourings would be repeated until the time of judgment at the end of this age. Peter further saw that this meant times of refreshing can be ours throughout this age until Jesus comes again (Acts 3:19). Ezekiel saw the Spirit as the key to life in the new age as well as to the full restoration of Israel to the Holy Land (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26f.; 37:14). New Testament Usage Like rûach in the Old Testament, pneuma in the New Testament sometimes simply denotes the “wind” (John 3:8; Hebrews 1:7, NIV) or “breath” (2 Thessalonians 2:8, NIV; Revelation 11:11; 13:5, NIV). It may also be used of “spirits” or “demons” at times (Matthew 8:16; Luke 4:33; 1 Peter 3:19), or even angels (Hebrews 1:14). Pneuma has often been at the center of the controversy surrounding the dichotomous (body-spirit) and trichotomous (body-soul-spirit) views of man. Those who support a bipartite view of man point to the language of such passages as 1 Corinthians 7:34 and 2 Corinthians 7:1. This is said to be further supported by references to the physical and spiritual effects of salvation and one’s dedication to God (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 7:1). Others however, see texts such as 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (cf. Luke 1:46,47; Hebrews 4:12) as supporting a tripartite view of man. Jesus as true man had a body (John 2:21; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 10:5,10), a soul (Matthew 26:38; John 12:27), and a spirit (Mark 2:8; 8:12; John 11:33; 13:21). Many consider this threefold breakdown to include the soul as the seat of man’s self-consciousness, while the spirit is the part that can come into contact with the divine realm and with God himself. This contact takes place when a person is born again by the Spirit and the Word of God (Acts 10:44-46). The body then becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit who bears witness to the person’s spirit that he or she is truly a child of God (Romans 8:16). The spirit of the believer is also refreshed by fellowship with other believers (1 Corinthians 16:18; 2 Corinthians 7:13). A third perspective sees Scripture’s presentation of man as holistic. According to this, it must be remembered that the Hebrew-Christian perspective of man as seen in Scripture is one of a complex unity. Man is presented in Scripture as having multiple aspects: physical, psychological, rational, volitional, emotional, aesthetic, moral, social, etc. On the other hand man is seen as a whole that cannot be dissected into individual parts. Thus, man is aspective but not partitive (Stagg, Polarities of Man’s Existence, p.45). While we may see man in terms of feeling, will, or reason for the purpose of analysis, these cannot be viewed in isolation from the others. Neither can man’s diverse existence be captured in the simple categories of dichotomy or trichotomy (ibid.). In this view pneuma often characterizes the whole of man in his relationship with God much like sarx often characterizes the whole of man in his distance from God (ibid., p.57). The language of Scripture is diverse and its application is often inconsistent. This diversity concerning the nature of man requires that the reader carefully consider the context of each use of these terms. The Old and New Testaments alike have a great deal to say about the activity of the spirit of man: the spirit inquires of the Lord (Psalm 77:6), knows (1 Corinthians 2:11), prays (1 Corinthians 14:14), is troubled (Job 21:4), is stirred (Acts 17:16). Believers can serve God with their spirits (Romans 1:9); with their spirits they can rejoice in God (1 Corinthians 14:15). See also Isaiah 57:15; Daniel 7:15; Psalm 78:8. The New Testament has much to say about the Spirit in relation to God. He himself is spirit (John 4:24). God is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). From God alone proceeds the inspiration and revelation of the prophecies (Revelation 22:6). Christ, the second Adam, became a life-giving spirit; the first Adam was a living soul (1 Corinthians 15:45). As God’s Son, Christ participates in the life of the Father and has life in himself by His nature and as a source (John 1:1-4; 5:26). Christ even calls himself “the life” (John 11:25; 14:6). The life that is to be found in Christ is revealed in the Scriptures and becomes a reality to everyone believing in His name (1 John 5:11-13). The fact that Christ is a life-giving spirit (pneuma zōopoious) suggests that because of the fact the Father has given Him to have life in himself, Christ is able to make alive those who are dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1-5). The Spirit of Christ is therefore called the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2). The person that is “in Christ” is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Eternal life is Christ’s life within believers that flows as long as they maintain faith in Him, just as the branch never has life independently but must abide or remain in living contact with the vine (John 15:1-6). More than 250 New Testament occurrences of pneuma speak of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit” in the absolute sense occurs about 90 times and also refers to the Third Person of the Trinity. His nature is expressed in John 6:63 with the word “to make alive.” Here we see an allusion to the Old Testament’s presentation of the Spirit as the principle of life itself. The Spirit gives life to everything that is alive: men (Genesis 2:7; Ezekiel 37:4f.); the animal world (Genesis 6:17; 7:15,22; Ecclesiastes 3:19-21). Everyone and everything depends upon the renewing power of the Spirit for existence (Psalm 104:30 [LXX 103:30]; cf. Genesis 45:27; Numbers 27:16; Ezekiel 37:14). All of existence would slip back into a state of death if God were to withdraw His Spirit (Genesis 6:3; Psalm 104:29 [LXX 103:29]). The Spirit’s distinct personality is portrayed in the Bible in vivid terms. There is no question that He is the Third Person of the Godhead. God’s sending of the Spirit parallels the sending of the Son (Galatians 4:4,6). Jesus called the Spirit “another Comforter” whom the Father would send in Christ’s name (John 14:16,26). The word “another” (Greek allos [241]) means “another of the same kind.” He would do for us the same sort of thing Jesus did for His disciples. He teaches, reproves, guides, makes intercession, distributes gifts, makes responses, and glorifies Christ (John 14:26; 16:8,13,14; Acts 15:28; Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 12:11). To this it should be added that John, in order to emphasize the personality of the Holy Spirit, used at times a masculine pronoun to refer to the Holy Spirit, even though the Greek word pneuma is neuter. (The Complete Biblical Library) Pneuma in the KJV - Spirit 111, Holy Ghost 89, Spirit (of God) 13, Spirit (of the Lord) 5, (My) Spirit 3, Spirit (of truth) 3, Spirit (of Christ) 2, human (spirit) 49, (evil) spirit 47, spirit (general) 26, spirit 8, (Jesus' own) spirit 6, (Jesus' own) ghost 2, misc 21; 385 times Matt. 1:18; Matt. 1:20; Matt. 3:11; Matt. 3:16; Matt. 4:1; Matt. 5:3; Matt. 8:16; Matt. 10:1; Matt. 10:20; Matt. 12:18; Matt. 12:28; Matt. 12:31; Matt. 12:32; Matt. 12:43; Matt. 12:45; Matt. 22:43; Matt. 26:41; Matt. 27:50; Matt. 28:19; Mk. 1:8; Mk. 1:10; Mk. 1:12; Mk. 1:23; Mk. 1:26; Mk. 1:27; Mk. 2:8; Mk. 3:11; Mk. 3:29; Mk. 3:30; Mk. 5:2; Mk. 5:8; Mk. 5:13; Mk. 6:7; Mk. 7:25; Mk. 8:12; Mk. 9:17; Mk. 9:20; Mk. 9:25; Mk. 12:36; Mk. 13:11; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 1:15; Lk. 1:17; Lk. 1:35; Lk. 1:41; Lk. 1:47; Lk. 1:67; Lk. 1:80; Lk. 2:25; Lk. 2:26; Lk. 2:27; Lk. 3:16; Lk. 3:22; Lk. 4:1; Lk. 4:14; Lk. 4:18; Lk. 4:33; Lk. 4:36; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 7:21; Lk. 8:2; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 8:55; Lk. 9:39; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 9:55; Lk. 10:20; Lk. 10:21; Lk. 11:13; Lk. 11:24; Lk. 11:26; Lk. 12:10; Lk. 12:12; Lk. 13:11; Lk. 23:46; Lk. 24:37; Lk. 24:39; Jn. 1:32; Jn. 1:33; Jn. 3:5; Jn. 3:6; Jn. 3:8; Jn. 3:34; Jn. 4:23; Jn. 4:24; Jn. 6:63; Jn. 7:39; Jn. 11:33; Jn. 13:21; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:26; Jn. 15:26; Jn. 16:13; Jn. 19:30; Jn. 20:22; Acts 1:2; Acts 1:5; Acts 1:8; Acts 1:16; Acts 2:4; Acts 2:17; Acts 2:18; Acts 2:33; Acts 2:38; Acts 4:8; Acts 4:25; Acts 4:31; Acts 5:3; Acts 5:9; Acts 5:16; Acts 5:32; Acts 6:3; Acts 6:5; Acts 6:10; Acts 7:51; Acts 7:55; Acts 7:59; Acts 8:7; Acts 8:15; Acts 8:17; Acts 8:18; Acts 8:19; Acts 8:29; Acts 8:39; Acts 9:17; Acts 9:31; Acts 10:19; Acts 10:38; Acts 10:44; Acts 10:45; Acts 10:47; Acts 11:12; Acts 11:15; Acts 11:16; Acts 11:24; Acts 11:28; Acts 13:2; Acts 13:4; Acts 13:9; Acts 13:52; Acts 15:8; Acts 15:28; Acts 16:6; Acts 16:7; Acts 16:16; Acts 16:18; Acts 17:16; Acts 18:25; Acts 19:2; Acts 19:6; Acts 19:12; Acts 19:13; Acts 19:15; Acts 19:16; Acts 19:21; Acts 20:22; Acts 20:23; Acts 20:28; Acts 21:4; Acts 21:11; Acts 23:8; Acts 23:9; Acts 28:25; Rom. 1:4; Rom. 1:9; Rom. 2:29; Rom. 5:5; Rom. 7:6; Rom. 8:2; Rom. 8:4; Rom. 8:5; Rom. 8:6; Rom. 8:9; Rom. 8:10; Rom. 8:11; Rom. 8:13; Rom. 8:14; Rom. 8:15; Rom. 8:16; Rom. 8:23; Rom. 8:26; Rom. 8:27; Rom. 9:1; Rom. 11:8; Rom. 12:11; Rom. 14:17; Rom. 15:13; Rom. 15:16; Rom. 15:19; Rom. 15:30; 1 Co. 2:4; 1 Co. 2:10; 1 Co. 2:11; 1 Co. 2:12; 1 Co. 2:13; 1 Co. 2:14; 1 Co. 3:16; 1 Co. 4:21; 1 Co. 5:3; 1 Co. 5:4; 1 Co. 5:5; 1 Co. 6:11; 1 Co. 6:17; 1 Co. 6:19; 1 Co. 7:34; 1 Co. 7:40; 1 Co. 12:3; 1 Co. 12:4; 1 Co. 12:7; 1 Co. 12:8; 1 Co. 12:9; 1 Co. 12:10; 1 Co. 12:11; 1 Co. 12:13; 1 Co. 14:2; 1 Co. 14:12; 1 Co. 14:14; 1 Co. 14:15; 1 Co. 14:16; 1 Co. 14:32; 1 Co. 15:45; 1 Co. 16:18; 2 Co. 1:22; 2 Co. 2:13; 2 Co. 3:3; 2 Co. 3:6; 2 Co. 3:8; 2 Co. 3:17; 2 Co. 3:18; 2 Co. 4:13; 2 Co. 5:5; 2 Co. 6:6; 2 Co. 7:1; 2 Co. 7:13; 2 Co. 11:4; 2 Co. 12:18; 2 Co. 13:14; Gal. 3:2; Gal. 3:3; Gal. 3:5; Gal. 3:14; Gal. 4:6; Gal. 4:29; Gal. 5:5; Gal. 5:16; Gal. 5:17; Gal. 5:18; Gal. 5:22; Gal. 5:25; Gal. 6:1; Gal. 6:8; Gal. 6:18; Eph. 1:13; Eph. 1:17; Eph. 2:2; Eph. 2:18; Eph. 2:22; Eph. 3:5; Eph. 3:16; Eph. 4:3; Eph. 4:4; Eph. 4:23; Eph. 4:30; Eph. 5:18; Eph. 6:17; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 1:19; Phil. 1:27; Phil. 2:1; Phil. 3:3; Phil. 4:23; Col. 1:8; Col. 2:5; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 Thess. 4:8; 1 Thess. 5:19; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Thess. 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 1:7; 2 Tim. 1:14; 2 Tim. 4:22; Tit. 3:5; Phlm. 1:25; Heb. 1:7; Heb. 1:14; Heb. 2:4; Heb. 3:7; Heb. 4:12; Heb. 6:4; Heb. 9:8; Heb. 9:14; Heb. 10:15; Heb. 10:29; Heb. 12:9; Heb. 12:23; Jas. 2:26; Jas. 4:5; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:11; 1 Pet. 1:12; 1 Pet. 3:4; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:19; 1 Pet. 4:6; 1 Pet. 4:14; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 4:1; 1 Jn. 4:2; 1 Jn. 4:3; 1 Jn. 4:6; 1 Jn. 4:13; 1 Jn. 5:6; 1 Jn. 5:8; Jude 1:19; Jude 1:20; Rev. 1:4; Rev. 1:10; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:11; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:29; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:6; Rev. 3:13; Rev. 3:22; Rev. 4:2; Rev. 4:5; Rev. 5:6; Rev. 11:11; Rev. 13:15; Rev. 14:13; Rev. 16:13; Rev. 16:14; Rev. 17:3; Rev. 18:2; Rev. 19:10; Rev. 21:10; Rev. 22:6; Rev. 22:17 Pneuma in the Septuagint - Gen. 1:2; Gen. 6:3; Gen. 6:17; Gen. 7:15; Gen. 8:1; Gen. 41:38; Gen. 45:27; Exod. 15:8; Exod. 15:10; Exod. 28:3; Exod. 31:3; Exod. 35:31; Num. 5:14; Num. 5:30; Num. 11:17; Num. 11:25; Num. 11:26; Num. 11:29; Num. 11:31; Num. 14:24; Num. 16:22; Num. 23:7; Num. 24:2; Num. 27:16; Num. 27:18; Deut. 2:30; Deut. 34:9; Jos. 2:11; Jdg. 3:10; Jdg. 6:34; Jdg. 8:3; Jdg. 9:23; Jdg. 11:29; Jdg. 13:25; Jdg. 14:6; Jdg. 14:19; Jdg. 15:14; Jdg. 15:19; 1 Sam. 10:6; 1 Sam. 10:10; 1 Sam. 11:6; 1 Sam. 16:13; 1 Sam. 16:14; 1 Sam. 16:15; 1 Sam. 16:16; 1 Sam. 16:23; 1 Sam. 19:9; 1 Sam. 19:20; 1 Sam. 19:23; 1 Sam. 30:12; 2 Sam. 13:21; 2 Sam. 13:39; 2 Sam. 22:16; 2 Sam. 23:2; 1 Ki. 17:17; 1 Ki. 18:12; 1 Ki. 18:45; 1 Ki. 19:11; 1 Ki. 21:4; 1 Ki. 21:5; 1 Ki. 22:21; 1 Ki. 22:22; 1 Ki. 22:23; 1 Ki. 22:24; 2 Ki. 2:9; 2 Ki. 2:15; 2 Ki. 2:16; 2 Ki. 3:17; 2 Ki. 19:7; 1 Chr. 5:26; 1 Chr. 12:18; 1 Chr. 28:12; 2 Chr. 15:1; 2 Chr. 18:20; 2 Chr. 18:21; 2 Chr. 18:22; 2 Chr. 18:23; 2 Chr. 20:14; 2 Chr. 24:20; 2 Chr. 36:22; Ezr. 1:1; Ezr. 1:5; Neh. 9:20; Neh. 9:30; Est. 5:1; Est. 8:12; Job 1:19; Job 4:9; Job 4:15; Job 7:7; Job 7:15; Job 8:2; Job 10:12; Job 12:10; Job 13:25; Job 15:2; Job 16:3; Job 17:1; Job 20:3; Job 27:3; Job 30:15; Job 32:8; Job 32:18; Job 33:4; Job 34:14; Job 41:16; Ps. 11:6; Ps. 18:15; Ps. 31:5; Ps. 33:6; Ps. 34:18; Ps. 48:7; Ps. 51:10; Ps. 51:11; Ps. 51:12; Ps. 51:17; Ps. 76:11; Ps. 77:3; Ps. 77:6; Ps. 78:8; Ps. 78:39; Ps. 103:16; Ps. 104:4; Ps. 104:29; Ps. 104:30; Ps. 106:33; Ps. 107:25; Ps. 119:131; Ps. 135:17; Ps. 139:7; Ps. 142:3; Ps. 143:4; Ps. 143:7; Ps. 143:10; Ps. 146:4; Ps. 147:18; Ps. 148:8; Prov. 15:4; Eccl. 1:6; Eccl. 1:14; Eccl. 1:17; Eccl. 2:11; Eccl. 2:17; Eccl. 2:26; Eccl. 3:19; Eccl. 3:21; Eccl. 4:4; Eccl. 4:6; Eccl. 4:16; Eccl. 6:9; Eccl. 7:8; Eccl. 7:9; Eccl. 8:8; Eccl. 10:4; Eccl. 11:5; Eccl. 12:7; Isa. 4:4; Isa. 7:2; Isa. 11:2; Isa. 11:3; Isa. 11:4; Isa. 11:15; Isa. 19:3; Isa. 19:14; Isa. 25:4; Isa. 26:9; Isa. 26:18; Isa. 27:8; Isa. 28:6; Isa. 29:10; Isa. 29:24; Isa. 30:1; Isa. 30:28; Isa. 32:15; Isa. 33:11; Isa. 34:16; Isa. 37:7; Isa. 38:12; Isa. 42:1; Isa. 42:5; Isa. 44:3; Isa. 48:16; Isa. 57:16; Isa. 59:21; Isa. 61:1; Isa. 61:3; Isa. 63:10; Isa. 63:11; Isa. 63:14; Isa. 65:14; Jer. 4:11; Jer. 4:12; Jer. 10:14; Jer. 49:32; Jer. 51:11; Jer. 51:17; Lam. 4:20; Ezek. 1:4; Ezek. 1:12; Ezek. 1:20; Ezek. 1:21; Ezek. 2:2; Ezek. 3:12; Ezek. 3:14; Ezek. 3:24; Ezek. 5:2; Ezek. 8:3; Ezek. 10:17; Ezek. 11:1; Ezek. 11:5; Ezek. 11:19; Ezek. 11:24; Ezek. 13:11; Ezek. 18:31; Ezek. 20:31; Ezek. 21:7; Ezek. 27:26; Ezek. 36:26; Ezek. 36:27; Ezek. 37:1; Ezek. 37:5; Ezek. 37:6; Ezek. 37:8; Ezek. 37:9; Ezek. 37:10; Ezek. 37:14; Ezek. 43:5; Dan. 2:1; Dan. 2:3; Dan. 2:35; Dan. 4:8; Dan. 4:9; Dan. 4:18; Dan. 5:4; Dan. 5:11; Dan. 5:12; Dan. 5:14; Dan. 5:20; Dan. 5:23; Dan. 6:3; Dan. 7:15; Dan. 10:8; Dan. 10:17; Hos. 4:12; Hos. 4:19; Hos. 5:4; Hos. 12:1; Joel 2:28; Joel 2:29; Amos 4:13; Jon. 1:4; Jon. 4:8; Mic. 2:7; Mic. 2:11; Mic. 3:8; Hab. 1:11; Hab. 2:19; Hag. 1:14; Hag. 2:5; Zech. 1:6; Zech. 4:6; Zech. 5:9; Zech. 7:12; Zech. 12:1; Zech. 12:10; Zech. 13:2; Mal. 2:15; Mal. 2:16; 1 Corinthians 2:5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon - If men believed because of the preacher's grand speech, their faith would be good for nothing. If one man can convert you, another can unconvert you. God's power is needed; no minister can give us faith. On the power (dunamis) of God - This is ultimate foundation of any faith that is stable! Paul has previously described the Word of the Cross as the power of God (1 Cor 1:18+). In Romans 1:16+ Paul says "the gospel...is the power (dunamis) of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The preaching of Christ crucified is "the power (dunamis) of God and the wisdom (sophia) of God." (1 Cor 1:23-24+). Phrase power of God - 14x in 13v - Job 27:11; Matt. 22:29; Mk. 12:24; Lk. 22:69; Acts 8:10; Rom. 1:16; 1 Co. 1:18; 1 Co. 1:24; 1 Co. 2:5; 2 Co. 6:7; 2 Co. 13:4; 2 Tim. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:5 Stevenson on what is the power of God - The power of God is seen in the cross. "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). "We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). The crucifixion of Christ is the ultimate manifestation of the power of God. It was there that sin was conquered. It was there that Satan was defeated. It was there that our redemption was obtained. (The Simplicity of the Gospel) Pritchard - This was Paul’s strategy and it ought to be ours as well: Take the Word of God. Preach it accurately. Pray for the power of God to bless the Word of God. Trust God for changed lives as a result. The Word of God, preached in the power of God, always results in lives changed by God. -- Ray Pritchard Hodge - That exercise of divine power, therefore, to which he refers as the ground of faith is the powerful working of the Spirit, bearing witness with and by the truth in our hearts. A faith that is founded on the authority of the church or on arguments addressed to the understanding or even on the moral power of the truth as it affects the natural conscience, such as Felix had, is unstable and inoperative. But a faith founded on the demonstration of the Spirit is abiding, works by love, and purifies the heart. THOUGHT - I was guilty of "persuasive words" ("wisdom of men") one Saturday afternoon when I spoke with an atheist for 5 hours straight and finally "broke him down," so that he said "Okay, I believe in your Jesus." He even went to the Easter service with me the next day and cried during the service. Within 2 months he had a change of heart and was writing me hateful notes about the foolishness of the Cross and Bible. About 6 months later he joined a nudist colony! It was painful lesson for me that God did not need my persuasive words of wisdom, but only the profound word of the Cross. Don's "faith" had rested on my "wisdom" not God's power! I also think God was showing me my pride for thinking I had put another "notch on my belt" of saved souls! It was a lesson I have not forgotten some 20 years later, for as Jonah declared "Salvation is from the LORD." (Jonah 2:9) I wish I had understood 1 Corinthians 2:4! As Spurgeon reminds us "The power that is in the Gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls (OF WHICH I WAS GUILTY, ALBEIT A "FALSE CONVERSION"!), nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, till we would exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the Word of God to give it the power to convert the soul." Phrase power of God - 14x in 13v in Bible - Job 27:11; Matt. 22:29; Mk. 12:24; Lk. 22:69; Acts 8:10; Rom. 1:16; 1 Co. 1:18; 1 Co. 1:24; 1 Co. 2:5; 2 Co. 6:7; 2 Co. 13:4; 2 Tim. 1:8; 1 Pet. 1:5 Faith (4102)(pistis) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. Swindoll gives a practical description of pistis writing that faith "implies both knowledge and action. One may receive knowledge of a certain truth and may even offer verbal agreement, but “trust” or “confidence” is not said to be present until one’s behavior reflects that truth." As pistis relates to God, it is the conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things well as the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. As faith relates to Christ it represents a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Faith is not believing in spite of evidence (that’s superstition). Faith is obeying in spite of circumstances and consequences. Wisdom (4678) see above on sophia Power (1411) see above on dunamis ILLUSTRATION of faith resting on the POWER OF GOD - The renowned preacher C H Spurgeon once tested an auditorium in which he was to speak that evening. Stepping into the pulpit, he loudly proclaimed, "Behold the lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29+) Satisfied with the acoustics, he left and went his way. Unknown to him, there were two men working in the rafters of that large auditorium, neither one a Christian. One of the men was pricked in his conscience by the verse Spurgeon quoted and became a believer later that day! Such is the penetrating power of God's eternal word! Little wonder that Paul is so insistent on our "preaching of the Word" (2 Timothy 4:2+), specifically Christ crucified! Stevenson gives a true illustration of the impact of faith not resting on the power of God - When I was a student in Bible College, there was a scandalous affair in which the president of the college left his wife and ran off with a young girl. As a result of this scandal, quite a number of the students were spiritually uprooted. To this day, there are people whose spiritual lives have been shipwrecked by that affair. This was a direct result of holding a man in an exalted position. Many of those students had based their faith on the persuasiveness of a man’s preaching rather than on the power of God. (The Simplicity of the Gospel) (ED: As I write this in Feb, 2021, the evangelical world has been rocked by the revelation of long-term sexual perversion by Ravi Zacharias one of the most prominent names in Christianity in the last 20 years. And I know of some believers who have been severely shaken in their faith by this news, for they had placed their trust in this man and his teachings! UPSHOT? PLACE YOUR TRUST ONLY IN ONE MAN - JESUS CHRIST!) Related Resources: What does the Bible say about faith? | GotQuestions.org What is a leap of faith? | GotQuestions.org How can you believe in salvation by faith alone when the only occurrence of ‘faith alone’ in the Bible (James 2:24) says that salvation is not by faith alone? | GotQuestions.org What is the biblical understanding of faith vs. works? | GotQuestions.org Krell summarizes how can we be foolish preachers for Christ. Several biblical principles may help. Pray for a prepared heart. Ask the Lord that He would supply you opportunities to preach His Word. Pray for boldness to be willing to walk through an open door (Col 4:3). Pray that those you speak to will be receptive. Meditate on Scripture. As you read God’s Word, ask the Lord to speak to you. Pray for insights into the text. Think about this Scripture continually. Follow a crock pot approach. Let the Word sit, soak, and simmer in you. This will ensure that you are always prepared (1 Pet 3:15). Listen to people. When we listen to people’s hurts we can learn a lot. Often the felt needs of people will well up sermons within us. God will actually bring a Scripture passage to mind that we can share. Focus on the essentials. Don’t get lost in the minutia of theological details. Instead, focus on the testimony of God and Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul says that the power is in the gospel. Make sure that you keep the main thing the main thing. This passage has communicated that the content and delivery of our message must be Christ and the power of His cross. God has called us to be “cross-eyed” preachers. Philpot - True faith I may call the grand tidal wave of the soul. I will endeavor to explain the expression. We see the river Thames day by day ebbing and flowing. What causes this change? You answer, "It is produced by the sea in the Channel alternately coming up and retiring." It is a true explanation. But what makes the sea of the Channel alternately come up and retire? There is what is called "a grand tidal wave" that comes across the Atlantic Ocean, which, as it ebbs and flows, affects all the minor tides of the neighboring seas; and thus the tide of the Channel, and that of the river Thames, ebb and flow in unison with this huge Atlantic wave. In the same way faith is the tidal wave of the soul; and all the graces and fruits of the Spirit ebb and flow just as faith rises, or just as faith sinks. If faith rises in the soul, all the graces and fruits of the Spirit rise with it; light increases, life is deepened, the fear of God strengthened, hope brightened, and love augmented. And when this great tidal wave of faith falls in the soul, all the minor tides of the Spirit's graces fall in unison with it. Thus when faith recedes and becomes low in the soul, all the other graces of the Spirit sink with it; consolation ebbs out altogether, hope recedes to a narrow streamlet, life dwindles to a scanty current, and love is reduced to a shallow channel. And as in the Thames we see, at low tide, the muddy banks which the stream has forsaken, so as faith sinks to a low ebb in the soul, there seems little else left but the mud and mire of corruption. But what makes the grand tidal wave itself move? There is a cause for that also. It is drawn up by, and obeys the attraction of the sun. And is not this true spiritually of the grand tidal wave of faith in the soul? Is it not drawn up by the Sun of righteousness, as the natural sun draws up the wave of the ocean, and makes it ebb and flow? And when that glorious Sun ceases to draw up faith, does it not ebb and sensibly sink in the soul, as the natural sea sinks when the sun recedes from it? Hodge summarizes the first 5 verses: 1. The proper method to convert people in any community, Christian or pagan, is to preach or set forth the truth concerning the person and work of Christ. Whatever other means are used must be subordinate and auxiliary, designed to remove obstacles and to gain access for the truth to the mind, just as the ground is cleared of weeds and brambles in order to prepare it for the precious seed. 2. The proper state of mind in which to preach the Gospel is the opposite of self-confidence or carelessness. The Gospel should be preached with a sense of weakness and with great anxiety and solicitude. 3. The foundation of saving faith is not reason; that is, it is not arguments addressed to the understanding, but rather the power of God as exerted with and by the truth on the heart. Distortion Read: 1 Corinthians 2 Your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. —1 Corinthians 2:5 Cartographers (mapmakers) deal with the problem of distortion when they display the round shape of the earth on the flat surface of a map. Since there is no perfect way to do this, some world maps depict Greenland as larger than Australia. Christians have to deal with the problem of distortion as well. When we try to understand the spiritual realm within the limitations of the physical world, we can end up exaggerating minor things and minimizing important things. The New Testament often addresses the distortion that results when the ideas of popular teachers become more important to us than what God says. God’s purpose, said the apostle Paul, is “love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). Sound teaching does not distort God’s Word or divide the church. Rather, it unites believers and builds up the body of Christ to care for one another and to do the work of God in the world (1 Cor. 12:25). This mortal life is far too brief, Eternity too vast, To follow human sophistries And lose the soul at last. —Clayburn To detect error, expose it to the light of God’s truth. 1 Corinthians 2:6 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 passing away;
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon - What reason and imagination could not have conceived, the Holy Spirit has revealed; spiritual men have an inner eye and ear to which the Spirit grants discernment. Gordon Fee - If the main point of the citation in 1Cor 2:9 was to support the argument of 1Cor 2:6-8, the final line of the citation, “what God has prepared for those who love him,” prepares the way for the main concern of the entire passage, namely that God’s wisdom can be known ONLY by God’s people because they alone have the Spirit. (The First Epistle to the Corinthians) Adam Clarke agrees writing that the words of 1Cor 2:9 "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 (ED: AS REVEALED BY THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE) that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in that way which the Gospel itself requires.” David
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon - As spiritual men receive the faith by a spiritual work, so they endeavor to spread it by spiritual means only. They reject the pride of learning and the pomp of oratory, and rely upon the Spirit and the truth. Words (3056) see above on logos but in those taught by the Spirit, - Paul uses a strong contrast, but (alla), to show the clear contrast between words of men and the Word of God, in effect contrasting the negative with the positive. John Piper paraphrases Paul's flow of thought - God gave us the Holy Spirit to reveal to us apostles things no one ever imagined (Ed: Special Revelation) and now in turn as God’s inspired and authoritative spokesmen we speak in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual people. So the way we come to know the wisdom of God is that God revealed it to the apostles by the Spirit and they taught it to others who were prepared to receive it by that same Spirit. In our day the teaching of the apostles and the wisdom of God is thus given to us through their writings in the New Testament. (The Wisdom We Speak) (Bolding added) Henry
1 Coríntios 2
Spurgeon - The whole of mankind may correctly be divided into natural and spiritual, and these are as distinct as the dead and the living. The natural man has no spirit, and cannot therefore discern spiritual things. In the new birth a spirit is implanted in us, and thus we gain spiritual faculties, we live in a spiritual atmosphere, and are capable of spiritual joys. Have we received this higher life? Have we the mind of Christ? Lord, work it in us, for Jesus' sake! WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? - Paul is quoting from the Septuagint of Isaiah 40:13 (see Technical note below) TECHNICAL NOTE: Here is the Septuagint - τίς ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν (Isa 40:13) and here is the corresponding Greek NT text of 1 Cor 2:16 - τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν; ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν. The words in bold are found in both the original Septuagint passage and the NT Greek passage. Paul under inspiration choose to leave out καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο. which is translated "who has become his counselor." But we have the mind of Christ - Brian Bell writes "French scientists have succeeded in causing chickens to sound like quail. Researchers took tissue from the part of the Japanese quail brain thought to control the bird’s call, and they implanted it in the brains of 5 chicken embryos. The experiment worked. Researchers say the hatched chicks sounded like quail. Here’s a far greater miracle: God has “implanted” the mind of Christ in those who have accepted His Son as their Savior.. Vs.12 tells us that the Spirit of God has taken up residence in us. In some mysterious way we now have a capacity for divine wisdom that no scholarly degree or natural experience could ever provide.. Having the mind of Christ enables us to see life increasingly from God’s perspective.. This doesn’t mean that we can think on God’s level and instruct Him (v.16). But it does mean that we have a new capacity to think and talk and act more and more like Christ Himself. God wants his children to be “in the know” not “in the dark.” The believer has the mind of Christ! Phil.2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. 1 Pet.4:1 since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also w/the same mind. This means that the Spirit, through the Word, helps the believer think as Jesus thinks. True faith stands on the rock of Revelation not on the sands of human philosophy! (Alan Redpath, The Royal Route to Heaven.) Stevenson on believers possessing the mind of Christ Christ thinks God’s thoughts. He understands God’s wisdom. He is thoroughly acquainted with the wisdom of the cross. And we have the mind of Christ. Do you see the point? If no one can judge God and His truths and if we have the mind of Christ, then no one can judge us. Except God. And except for others who also have the mind of Christ. This is important for you to know. You need to know this because, as you live the life of Christ before an unsaved world, you are going to come under the judgment of the world. The world is going to look at you and criticize your beliefs and your manner of life. If you are living for Christ, then the world is going to label you a fanatic. But the world has no basis from which to judge you. The world can no more judge you than it can judge God. You stand strong in this truth. You have the mind of Christ. Pritchard - This question explains that we understand the things of God because we have been given the mind of Christ. That’s why even in the worst moments, believers can make sense of the puzzle of life. It’s not that we have all the answers or that tragedy never befalls us or that we have an easy road. But because we know the Lord, we understand the “big picture” of life, and even when the pieces don’t fit, we know there is a pattern to things that otherwise would make no sense. This gives us hope in the darkest moments and gives us faith to believe when we would otherwise give up. This explains the fundamental difference between believers and unbelievers. Spiritual vision is always greater than intellectual brilliance. Why don’t unbelievers understand? They can’t. They don’t have the Spirit. They need the “translator” of the Holy Spirit. Without that divine “translator” the gospel is just foolishness to them. That’s why they roll their eyes when you talk about Jesus. You might as well be talking Navajo to them. That’s why they laugh and make fun. That explains why you feel left out when they get together. You’ve got something they don’t have. You’ve got the Holy Spirit. They don’t. That makes all the difference in the world. Ray Pritchard on the Mind of Christ - When we come to Christ, we have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). That’s an awesome thought—that we who know Jesus as Lord and Savior have the “mind of Christ” within us. In this context it means that we have the ability to estimate the true value of things. In the art world, there are certain people who are fulltime appraisers. They can look at a painting and say, “That’s a forgery. It’s worthless.” Or “That’s worth $5,000 at auction.” Or “That’s a Rembrandt. It will fetch at least $7 million.” Appraisers are well paid because they have the ability to spot the real value of a painting. I don’t have that ability. I can look at a painting for hours and never know that it is a forgery. It’s exciting when you learn the true value of something you own. That’s why the PBS program “Antiques Roadshow” has become so popular. Every episode features someone who bought a lamp or an old trunk at a flea market for $40 only to discover that it’s really worth $7,000. We watch the show and then we go rummage through our garage, hoping to find that valuable piece of junk we almost threw away last week. We watch because we want to know the true value of what we own.....You aren’t born with the ability to know the difference between a Rembrandt and a fake. It takes years of study and a long apprenticeship, and you have to prove yourself along the way. But if you are gifted and determined, if you are willing to pay the price, you can be “transformed” into an appraiser. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen over time. The same is true in the spiritual life. We have the “mind of Christ,” which means we have the ability from God to estimate the true value of things. As we reject the ways of the world ("don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold"), we learn over time to see things as God sees them. This isn’t instant or automatic, but since it is God’s desire, having a transformed mind is within the reach of every believer..... Let me close with the reminder that we have the “mind of Christ” and yet Philippians 2:5 says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” We are to have what we already have, which is not a contradiction, but rather a call to continuing transformation so that we will little by little move from the caterpillars we are to the butterflies God wants us to be. It will not happen by accident. It does not happen overnight. It cannot happen without the Holy Spirit. It happens when we make a personal commitment. It happens with the godly encouragement of other Christians. It happens as we become what God made us to be. It happens as we behold the glory of Jesus Christ. “This is how the mind is renewed—by steadfastly gazing at the glories of Christ for what they really are” (John Piper). So we must pursue the Lord, to know him better and better. Then and only thing will be you be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Pray like this: “Lord, open the eyes of my heart so that I will know you better. Renew my mind so that I will estimate the true value of everything in the light of eternity.” THOUGHT: How is the best way to think the thoughts of Christ? Silly question right? It is obvious that they answer is to obey Paul's command in Colossians 3:16 (present imperative = calling for this to be our habitual practice!) - "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (See Colossians 3:16 Commentary) Jesus said to the devil who hates the Word of Christ and will do anything he can to impede our intake of it - “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD." (Mt 4:4) One of the best ways for the mind of Christ to dominate the mind of flesh is to start the morning with God's Word (this may just be one verse but let that one verse sink into your heart and mind), memorize God's Word that you read that morning (put it on an index card and carry it in your pocket, pulling it out to review on the elevator, in the standstill traffic jam, in the long line at the grocery store, etc) and meditate on the Word of Christ ("chew it", "ruminate" on it, play it over and over in your mind, asking the Spirit to make it understandable and practical). Here are a few articles to give your time in the Word of Christ a "kick start!"... How to Memorize-William Evans Memorizing His Word Memory Verses by Topic Quiet Musing (Meditate, Meditation) Quiet Time: 7 Minutes With God 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Commentary The Power of God's Word The Word of God - Quotations and Illustrations A Primer On Biblical Meditation A Treatise Concerning Meditation Application: Meditate on the Bible Joshua 1:8 Commentary DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS: - from Paul Apple 1 Corinthians Commentary 1) How does this passage encourage us in our witnessing? 2) What are some of the things that God has prepared for those who love Him? 3) What is our responsibility in this process of illumination? 4) How do we answer those who claim they need no teachers or time spent in study of the Word because the Holy Spirit can just speak spiritual truth to them directly? Ray
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon - On entering a cavern you inquire for a guide who comes with his lighted flambeau (flaming torch). He conducts you down to a considerable depth, and you find yourself in the midst of the cave. He leads you through different chambers. Here he points you to a little stream rushing from amid the rocks, and indicates its rise and progress. There he points to some peculiar rock, and tells you its name, then takes you into a large, natural hall, tells you how many persons once feasted in it, and so on. Truth is a grand series of caverns. It is our glory to have so great and wise a Conductor as the Holy Spirit. Imagine that we are coming to the darkness of it. He is a Light shining in the midst of us to guide us. He teaches us by suggestion, direction, and illumination. (always using the Word as the main "Light") (1 Corinthians 2:10 Sermons) The Things of God Revealed by the Spirit - T. Chalmers - When a telescope is directed towards some distant landscape, it enables us to see what we could not otherwise have seen; but it does not enable us to see anything which has not a real existence in the prospect before us. It does not present to the eye illusive imagery, neither is that a fanciful and factitious scene which it throws open to our contemplation. The natural eye saw nothing but blue land stretching along the distant horizon. By the aid of the glass there bursts upon it a charming variety of fields and woods, and spires and villages. Yet who would say that the glass added one feature to this assemblage? It discovers nothing to us which is not there; nor, out of that portion of the book of nature which we are employed in contemplating, does it bring into view a single character which is not really and previously inscribed upon it. And so of the Spirit. He does not add a single truth or a single character to the book of revelation. He enables the spiritual man to see; but the spectacle which He lays open is uniform and immutable. (1 Corinthians 2:10 Sermons) (See also The Holy Spirit as the Revealer) The Office of the Holy Spirit - The Rev. E. Hopkins, in showing the importance of knowledge to the Christian, told as an illustration what had happened to a friend of his in Yorkshire, who, though practically a poor man, owned an estate in that county. One day a geologist told him there was in his estate an abundance of iron ore. Believing this to be true he felt at once that he was no longer poor but rich. Even so it is the office of the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the boundless riches that are treasured up in Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:10 Sermons) ESV Study Bible - God’s Spirit bridges the chasm between the deep things of God and the human heart, graciously enabling (Ed Comment: Notice it says "enabling" NOT helping! We don't just need a little "push!" We need His supernatural enablement from start to finish! He initiates, giving us the desire, and He works within us, giving us the Power! Php 2:13NLT. Praise His Holy Name!) human beings to understand the message of the Cross, which would otherwise be incomprehensible. Searches all things - Not "some" but "all" emphasizing the Spirit's omniscience. Even the depths of God - Even the "deep things" of God. Depth is bathos (from bathus = deep) which literally indicates distance below a surface and was used in secular Greek to describe the depths of the sea. Figuratively as in this passage, bathos, speaks of that which is unfathomable, as in Ro 11.33-note where Paul writes "Oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!" Paul states that only the Spirit knows God's depths! As an aside John uses the antithetical phrase “the deep things of Satan” (Rev. 2:24-note). Charles Hodge on the depths of God - The inmost recesses, as it were, of His being, perfections and purposes. The Spirit, therefore, is fully competent to reveal that wisdom which had for ages been hidden in God (Eph 3:9-note). This passage proves at once the personality and the divinity of the Holy Ghost. His personality, because intelligent activity is ascribed to him; he searches; his divinity, because omniscience is ascribed to him; he knows all that God knows. (1 Corinthians 2 - Hodge's Commentary) D L Moody - 1 Cor 2:9-10 - IT is said by travellers that in climbing the Alps the houses of far distant villages can be seen with great distinctness, so that sometimes the number of panes of glass in a church window can be counted. The distance looks so short that the place to which the traveller is journeying appears almost at hand, but after hours and hours of climbing it seems no nearer. This is because of the clearness of the atmosphere. By perseverance, however, the place is reached at last, and the tired traveller finds rest. So sometimes we dwell in high altitudes of grace; heaven seems very near, and the hills of Beulah are in full view. At other times the clouds and fogs caused by suffering and sin cut off our sight. We are just as near heaven in the one case as we are in the other, and we are just as sure of gaining it if we but keep in the path that Christ has pointed out. The Deep Things of God (Newman Smyth, D. D.) - We walk in a daily wonder, ourselves the strangest of mysteries. Our knowledge is only the glimmer of light upon the surface of the ocean of existence. Beneath are the deep things of God. We need not go far to stand on the shore of the deep things of God. Our science has not gone to the root yet of a single blade of grass. (See more exposition - 1 Corinthians 2:10) The Deep Things of God Are 1. Unfathomable in their nature. 2. Comprehended only by the Spirit of God. 3. Partially revealed to us. (J. Lyth, D. D.) 1 COR 2:10 J.C. Philpot, Ears from Harvested Sheaves. The Spirit of God which dwelleth in a man, making his body His temple, searcheth the deep things of God; for there is in these deep things a most heavenly treasure, which is to be searched into that it may be found. What depths do we sometimes see in a single text of Scripture as opened to the understanding, or applied to the heart; what a depth in the blood of Christ: how it “cleanseth from all sin,” and if from all sin, it must cleanse away millions of millions of the foulest sins of the foulest sinners. What a depth in His bleeding, dying love that could stoop so low to lift us so high! What a depth in His pity and compassion to extend itself to such guilty, vile transgressors as we are! What depth in the eternal counsels and unspeakable wisdom of God to contrive such a plan as was accomplished and brought to light in the incarnation and death of His dear Son, that thus mercy and justice might meet together without jar or discord, every attribute of God be fully honoured, and yet that those who deserved hell should be lifted up into the enjoyment of heaven. What depths, too, there are in our own heart, not merely of sin but of grace, for true religion has its depths which the Spirit searches and brings to view. Thus if we have any faith, it lies very deep, for it is hidden in the heart and sometimes so hidden as to be almost, if not altogether, out of sight. The Spirit then searches for it, and brings it out and up. So if we have any love, it strikes its root into the inmost recesses of our affections, and therefore needs to be searched into; or any hope, it lies like the anchor at the bottom of the sea. It therefore has to be searched into that it may be made manifest that it is sure and steadfast and enters within the veil. Cross References: 1 Jn 1:7 Discovery - Julie Ackerman Link - Imagine Christmas morning without wrapping paper! The joy would be short-lived, for much of the excitement is the anticipation of finding out what’s in the package. Apparently God created us with a “normal” setting that causes us to enjoy the process of discovery, because finding something is often more exciting than having it. That is, after all, why we wrap presents. Many passages in Scripture allude to this concept. In Proverbs we read of wisdom: “Those who seek me diligently will find me” (Pr 8:17). And the prophet Jeremiah wrote of the Lord: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Pr 29:13). God could have revealed all truth to all people at the very beginning of time, but He chose to reveal Himself gradually (1Cor. 2:7-8). Perhaps that’s because we value things more when we have to search and wait for them. God is not playing a cruel game of hide-and-seek. He is allowing us to enjoy the process of discovering who He is and what He is up to in the universe. More about Jesus let me learn, More of His holy will discern; Spirit of God, my teacher be, Showing the things of Christ to me. —Hewitt God’s gift of Himself to us is a present we will always be unwrapping. J H Jowett - OUR finest human instruments fail to obtain for us “the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Art fails! “Eye hath not seen.” The merely artistic vision is blind to the hidden glories of grace. Philosophy fails! “Neither hath ear heard.” We may listen to the philosopher as he spins his subtle theories and weaves his systematic webs, but the meshes he has woven are not fine enough to catch “the deep things of God.” Poetry fails! “Neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive.” Poetic imagination may stretch her wings, and soar, but she fails to enter the guest-chamber of the Lord, and take an inventory of “the things prepared.” All these gracious ministries fail to reach life’s glorious and purposed end. “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.” When art, and poetry, and philosophy all pitiably fail, the Spirit unveils to us the bewildering feast. And so the unlearned has the same ultimate advantage as the learned, and the cottager has equal privilege with the monarch. The greatest things are not the perquisites of culture, but the endowments of humility and holy faith. The poor man has access to the “many mansions,” and finds a place at the King’s feast. James Smith in Handfuls of Purpose - THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16. I. This Revelation cannot Possibly be the Invention of Men. The eye of man's carnal mind hath never seen it. The ear of man's worldly wisdom hath never heard it. Neither hath it ever entered into the heart of man (apart from the Holy Spirit) the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him (1 Cor 2:9), and since the beginning of the world it hath been so (Isa. 64:4). The world by wisdom knew not God (1Cor 1:21). II. It is a Revelation from God. "But God hath revealed them unto us" (1 Cor 2:10). God only could reveal the mysteries of His suffering Son. "O the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God concerning His Son" (Rom. 11:33). This is the glory of the Gospel message, that it is as true and as gracious as the God who gave it (Gal. 1:12). III. What this Revelation Is. It is the unveiling of the mystery of Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2). The revelation of the fact that He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification, and that He is coming again for our final deliverance (Heb. 9:26). It is a revelation of His abounding grace to sinful men, and of His power to save to the very uttermost all that come unto Him. IV. How this Revelation is Made Known. "God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit" (1 Cor 2:10). It has come from God, and it comes home to the believing heart by the Spirit of God. For "the Spirit searcheth the deep things of God." "The things of God no man knoweth without the Spirit of God" (1 Cor 2:11). The Holy Spirit is the minister of the things of Christ (1 Cor. 12:8-11). He is the "Spirit of Truth," and He shall teach you all things bearing on the revealed will of the Father, "for He shall receive of Mine and shall shew it unto you" (John 16:13). Oh, that all His people were so taught of God. With such a "Teacher, come from God," there is no excuse for spiritual poverty. "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." For ye may know the letter of the word, and yet be strangers to its mighty power. V. How these Things should be Preached. "My preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor 2:4). "Our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost" (1Thess. 1:5). Without this power, preaching is without authority—"sounding brass." There may be a demonstration of eloquent words and fleshly energy, but without the demonstration of the Spirit it is spiritually powerless (1 Cor 2:13). "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me" (Acts 1:8). Ye ministers of His, "Tarry ye until ye be endued with powers from on high" (Luke 24:49). "For the promise is unto you" (Acts 2:39). VI. The Christian's Attitude Towards this Divine Revelation. "I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor 2:2). In Corinth there were many contentions, as there are in the world everywhere to-day. But Paul knew that the one thing needed by all was the power of the Gospel of Christ. The worldly, in their wisdom, would call this narrow-minded; but it is the wisdom of God to offer the Divine remedy for all the world's woes. "I am determined," he declared. "This one thing I do." Would God that this determination was the settled motive in the hearts of all who serve in the preaching of God's Word. The whole counsel of God radiates from the "Christ and Him crucified." "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord" (Phil. 3:8). Vance Havner - That principle (of 1Cor 2:9-10) applies to the study of the Word. Indeed, if the Bible's message were so hidden that only scholars and seminary students could find it most of us believers would be hopelessly in the dark. It is part of the miracle of the Book that God has prepared it so that it unfolds itself to the simplest souls and not merely to intellectual investigation. Of course, academic training should help, and does when rightly combined with other preparation still more valuable. No person need feel discouraged over lack of theological education, for there is an understanding of the Word which is utterly independent of scholarship and open to the unschooled as freely as to the learned. We fill our libraries with books about the Bible, and some of us need to learn the truth expressed by the old colored preacher. He had borrowed a commentary from a white preacher and, upon returning it, was asked what he thought of it. He replied that the Bible certainly did throw a lot of light on it! Dr. Campbell Morgan laid aside his books and for years studied only the Bible. The Book is its own best expositor. When men approach the Bible from any principle of study and interpretation except the principle laid down in the Scriptures, the end is always confusion. For the Bible is not an ordinary book, it moves in another realm, and its laws are the laws of that realm. Spiritual preparation and prayerful study unlock its treasures. That is why the pastor of the back-street church may excel the scholarly star preacher. There is a wisdom in "the foolishness of God" greater than the wisdom of men. There is a wisdom of spiritual perception among humble believers that is greater than the wisdom of learned Christians who are hiding the Word in their heads and not storing it in their hearts. We speak of "knowing the Bible by heart" when we mean "by memory." One may know all by memory, and not know it by heart. (By The Still Waters-Sermons) 1 Corinthians 2:10 God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. - F B
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon- Natural or Spiritual - The apostle knows of only two classes of men — natural and spiritual. Under "natural," he includes all who are not partakers of the Spirit of God, no matter how excellent they may be. On the other hand, all into whom the Spirit of God has come he calls spiritual men. I. THE NATURAL MAN RECEIVES NOT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, BUT COUNTS THEM FOOLISH. 1. Some oppose them violently, and do their best to put down such folly. 2. A greater proportion secretly despise and condemn. They dare say that religion is a good thing for old women, &c., but utterly repudiate it as a thing worthy the attention of wise men. 3. The great mass are indifferent. "For forms of faith let graceless zealots fight, he can't be wrong whose life is in the right." II. THERE IS NOTHING WHATEVER IN THE THINGS THEMSELVES TO JUSTIFY SUCH AN ESTIMATION. You do not know what you say when you declare that the gospel of Christ is absurd. It is generally pretty safe to ask a man who rails at the Bible, "Did you ever read it?" These learned gentlemen are like those critics who, when they meet with a new volume, take the knife and cut the first page, smell it, and then condemn or praise. The mightiest intellects confess that the truths of this book are above their highest flights. Even Newton said there were depths here which no mortal could fathom. As these things of the Spirit of God are wise and profound, so they are most important, and if not received, it is not because they are uncongenial with our necessities. There are some speculations which a man need not enter upon, but the doctrines of God teach you your relationship to your Maker; your condition before Him; how He can be just to man, and yet be gracious; how you can approach Him, and become His child; how you may be conformed to His image, and made a partaker of His glory. III. THE REASON FOR THE REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL. 1. Want of taste. You have sometimes seen an artist standing before a splendid picture. "What a fine conception!" says he, "I could stand a week and admire that." Some bumpkin, however, says, "It looks to me to be an old decayed piece of canvas that wants cleaning." Then leaving the gallery, he notices on the wall outside a picture of an elephant standing on his head, and a clown performing in some circus, and he says, "That's more to my taste." Just so is it with the natural man. Give him some work of fiction — a daub upon the wall — and he is satisfied. But he has no taste for the things of God. 2. Want of organs. Just as a blind man cannot appreciate a landscape nor a deaf man music; so the natural man lacking the eye and ear of faith cannot appreciate the beauties and music of the gospel. 3. Want of nature. The brute cannot appreciate the studies of the astronomer because he lacks an intellectual nature; and so the mere man of intellect cannot appreciate the things of the Spirit because he lacks a spiritual nature. IV. THE PRACTICAL TRUTHS WHICH FLOW FROM THIS GREAT THOUGH SORROWFUL FACT. 1. The absolute necessity for regeneration, or the work of the Spirit. You may educate a nature up to its highest point, but you cannot educate an old nature into a new one. You may educate a horse, but you cannot educate it into a man. You may by your own efforts make yourselves the best of natural men, but still at your very best there is a division wide as eternity between you and the regenerate man. And no man can help us out of such a nature into a state of grace. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 2. If any of us have received the things of the Spirit, we ought to look upon that as comfortable evidence that we have been born again. (1 Corinthians 2-13 Sermons) New York Sun - Not only have excellent photographs of the heavenly bodies been obtained, and an absolutely accurate picture of the skies obtained for permanent examination, but it has been found that the camera reveals stars invisible even with the aid of the most powerful telescope in existence. This is due to the fact that the camera is able by continued exposure to obtain an image of an object which may be so faint that a shorter exposure would give no image. This, of course, is a power the eye does not possess. It is equivalent to being able to see plainly by long gazing what cannot be seen at all by a brief inspection. A notable instance of this power is seen in photographs of the Pleiades, the group of stars mentioned in Job 36:31. Here a nebula is shown in the photograph which the eye cannot perceive in the sky, but which undoubtedly exists. Astronomers believe in the revelations of the camera, though they are not confirmed by actual observation. Their example may be commended to men who reject the inspired revelation of the Bible, and refuse to exercise faith when they are asked to accept spiritual truth not perceptible to the senses. F F Trench on 1 Cor 2:14 - “I remember once being present,” says Captain Basil Hall, “at the Geological Society, when a bottle was produced which was said to contain certain Zoöphytes (delicate water-animals, having the form of plants). It was handed round in the first instance among the initiated on the foremost benches, who commented freely with one another on the forms of the animals in the fluid; but when it came to our hands, we could discover nothing in the bottle but the most limpid fluid, without any trace, so far as our eyes could make out, of animals dead or alive, the whole appearing absolutely transparent. The surprise of the ignorant, at seeing nothing, was only equal to that of the learned, who saw so much to admire. Nor was it till we were specifically instructed what it was we were to look for, and the shape, size, and general aspect of the Zoöphytes pointed out, that our understanding began to coöperate with our sight in peopling the fluid which, up to that moment, had seemed perfectly uninhabited. The wonder then was, how we could possibly have omitted seeing objects now so palpable.” How many are the things which appear to the illuminated Christians to be palpably revealed, which the unconverted cannot discover to have any place in the Scriptures of truth; and how much surprised does he feel that he could ever have overlooked them! F. F. TRENCH. C H Spurgeon - Natural or Spiritual? (Click for full sermon) - 1 Corinthians 2:14 - THE Apostle Paul knows of only two classes of men—natural and spiritual. Before his eye all other distinctions are extinguished. Barbarian or Scythian, bond or free, male or female, circumcision or uncircumcision—all these varieties among men are mere accidents in his esteem. He does not stay to divide men, according to the symptoms of their nature. They may be devout men, such as make a profession of godliness, men of morality, men who have commenced sin, or men who have become adepts in it. He knows better than merely to judge of men by their symptoms; he takes either their diseased state or their healthy state, and so divides them. He lays the axe at the root of the trees, and doing so, he perceives only two classes of men—the natural and the spiritual. Under the term “natural,” the apostle includes all those persons who are not partakers of the Spirit of God; it matters not how excellent, how estimable, how intelligent, how instructed they may be. If the Spirit of God hath not given to them a new and higher nature than they ever possessed by their creature birth, he puts them all down at once in the list of natural men. They are what they are by nature. They never professed to have received the Spirit of God. He puts them down, therefore, as natural men. On the other hand, all into whom the Spirit of God has come, breathing into them a new and diviner life, he puts down under the other head of spiritual men. They may be as yet but babes in grace; their faith may be weak; their love may be but in its early bud; as yet their spiritual senses may be little exercised, perhaps their faults may be in excess of their virtues, but inasmuch as the root of the matter is in them, and they have passed from death unto life, out of the region of nature into that which is beyond nature—the kingdom of grace—he puts them down also, all of them in one list, as spiritual men. And then he goes on to affirm concerning natural men,—those who are not partakers of the Spirit,—that the truths of God, which are spiritual, they do not and cannot receive. He teaches that it is utterly impossible that they ever should receive them, unless lifted out of that class of natural men and transformed by the Spirit’s work into spiritual men. This change, however, being effected, they will not only receive the things of the Spirit, but embrace them with delight, feed upon them with intense satisfaction, and rise eventually into that state of glory which is next beyond the state of grace. (Click for full sermon) David Jeremiah - THE ILLUMINATION OF THE SPIRIT - PENETRATING LIGHT IN A DARK WORLD - 1 CORINTHIANS 2:13–15 Have you ever been lost in the dark? I have a friend who visited Bucharest, Romania, just months after the fall of that nation’s insane dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. Bullet holes scarred the walls of many buildings in that dreary capital city. Even with the tyrant deposed, it was still a nation filled with fear. It was also a nation filled with darkness, because commodities such as lightbulbs were simply unavailable in the country at that time. My friend was staying for a week in an apartment in one of those massive, cement, Soviet-style apartment complexes. He got out of a taxicab after a meeting on the first night and tried to remember where his apartment was. But everything was pitch dark. No streetlights. No lights in windows. Just black, hulking blocks of buildings—and a feeling of oppressive evil in the air. He got into an elevator in what he hoped was the right building. The elevator had no lights. The door shut, encasing him in a box of utter blackness. Was anyone else in the elevator? He didn’t know. He felt for where the panel might be, found some buttons, and pushed one he hoped would take him to the third floor. The doors opened to yet another level of deepest night. An attack of panic began to clutch at his throat as he groped his way along an outside hallway. Was that the elevator doors he heard—opening again? Was he being followed? He stared in vain at the doorways, trying to make out an apartment number. Finally, he had to walk up to a door and try to feel the numbers. He finally got through the right door to the right apartment and, shaking with relief, vowed to pay much closer attention to instructions in the future. Before they had left home, the group leader had specifically told everyone to bring a small penlight or flashlight on this journey. What a difference a bright, cheery little light would have meant! In that thoroughly dark place, it would have cut through the gloom like a searchlight. And so it is in this dark world of ours. Without the illumination of God’s Word, we have to feel our way along, guessing at dangers, guessing at direction, hoping against hope that we will find our way and won’t stumble into trouble or disaster. But our Father has not left His children alone in the dark. The Holy Spirit is the One who shines His light on the pages of God’s Word, so that we can find wisdom and direction in a fallen world. In this chapter we will discover that we can’t really even understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit. Why? Because spiritual truth in the Bible can only be seen through spiritual eyes. In presenting God’s Word to us, the Holy Spirit has a complex ministry of grace. First of all, He was involved in the inspiration of the written Word of God. He tenderly oversaw the whole process, utilizing the personalities of individual writers, but so directing them that the resulting text is precisely what He wanted to say. But He’s also involved in a day-by-day ministry we call the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Illumination, of course, is the word for light. To illumine a dark room, you flip on the light switch. To illumine a thought or idea means to shine the light of understanding on it. The Bible tells us that without the Spirit of God shining on our hearts, we can never comprehend what the Bible says. There are a number of reasons for that. If you are an unbeliever, for instance, you simply will never be able to understand Scripture. You can read it. You can memorize it. You can diagram its sentences. You can take apart its Hebrew and Greek word by word. But it will never come alive. The light will never come on because you don’t have the spiritual equipment to study it. “Well, David,” you say, “that’s just your opinion.” No, that’s the Word of God. Look with me at Paul’s graphic description of those who don’t know the Lord: "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." (2 Corinthians 4:3–4) The Bible says that before you invite Christ into your life you have spiritual scales on your eyes and can’t understand Scripture. You can read it for all you’re worth, but it’s just a bunch of words. It doesn’t make any sense. You might as well be a Lithuanian trying to read a Portuguese phone book. In 1 Corinthians 2:14 we’re told that the “natural man” (that’s the person who doesn’t know the Lord), “does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.” Why doesn’t he? Read on. “For they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” If I were to go up and down the aisles of the church where I pastor and ask for testimonies, I would have no trouble finding people who were perplexed and confused by the Bible before they were saved. Many of them would say, “You know, Pastor Jeremiah, before I invited Christ into my life, I tried to read that book, and it made no sense to me. In fact, it seemed like foolishness. I couldn’t understand why people would study the Bible and get so excited about it, because to me it was just so much gibberish.” But when the Spirit of God comes to live within you, He opens the Word of God so you can begin to understand it. He directs His light on its pages. He highlights verses that apply to your situation. He whispers meanings and insights into your mind. Sometimes those insights come as a quiet word of assurance in the night—like the soft glow of a night-light. At other times they come like thunderbolts, suddenly lighting up the sky. That’s illumination. - It’s the Spirit of God casting light on the Word and shining in our hearts, so that the Word begins to come up off the page and make sense in our lives. But did you know that Christians can be blinded too? Immaturity or carnality can dim our spiritual vision. Even though you have the basic equipment to study the Word of God when the Spirit comes to live within you, you can put a shade on that light by not walking in faith. Sometimes people say, “Well, I don’t see why I need all this new truth. I don’t need to know about this and that. After all, I’m saved, I’m going to heaven, and that’s all I really care about. I don’t really need to understand this stuff.” But we really do need to know and understand these things; God has given the Bible to us as a key to success in the Christian life. There’s nothing else that will help us, and you never know what portion of Scripture (even Malachi!) the Holy Spirit might want to pick up and use as a tool to change your life. There are many thousands of books published each year, of course, but the Bible is different. Solomon’s words are still appropriate. In fact, more than ever. “Be warned,” he said; “the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:12–13, NASB). What Solomon was saying is that God’s wisdom is different than the world’s wisdom. Paul picks up on that thought in his letter to the Corinthians. (God in You) Related Resource - Illumination of the Bible James Smith - Those hidden treasures of spiritual strength—mountain full of horses and chariots of fire— can only be seen and trusted by those who have received the holy eye-salve of Him who has all power in Heaven and on earth (Rev. 3:18). No amount of learning or scholarship will ever be able to do the work of this eye-salve, which is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that quickeneth (Jn 6:63). (Handfuls on Purpose) Selwyn
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon - The mere hearing of the word with the external car is of small value by itself, but when the words of God enter into the chambers of the heart then light is scattered on all sides. The word finds no entrance into some minds because they are blocked up with self conceit, or prejudice, or indifference; but where due attention is given, divine illumination must surely follow upon a knowledge of the mind of God. Oh, that Thy words, like the beams of the sun, may enter through the window of my understanding, and dispel the darkness of my mind!) (The clause does not refer to the mechanical opening of the book by the reader, but to the spiritual opening of its true sense by divine illumination, to the mind which naturally cannot discern it. Joseph Addison Alexander) (Ps 119:34) Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law, And keep it with all my heart. (Ps 119:73b) Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments. (Ps 119:125) I am Thy servant; give me understanding, That I may know Thy testimonies. (Ps 119:144) Thy testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live. James Smith - The fountain of divine truth is the Lord Jesus Christ, the repository of divine truth is the Holy Scriptures, the proper abode of divine truth is the sinner's heart, and the sacred revealer of truth is the Holy Spirit. Adolph Saphir - (Quoting Blaise Pascal) "Scripture assures us, that in every instance, when the beauty of creation manifests its Author, it is not from the simple contemplation of natural objects, but owing to a divine illumination, which disposes the heart aright." Baptist Confession - We acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word John
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon - All the illumination in the world will not make a man see spiritual things unless the Holy Spirit opens his eyes (Salt Cellar)… God, by his Spirit, brings old truth home to the heart, gives new light to our eyes, and causes the word to exercise new power over us, but He reveals no new facts, and He utters no words in any man’s ears concerning his condition and state. We must be content with the old revelation and with the life and power and force with which the Holy Spirit brings it to the heart. Neither must any of us seek to have any additional revelation, for that would imply that the Scriptures are incomplete. {Exploring the Heart and Mind of Spurgeon} C H Spurgeon on the Spirit - Forget not the Holy Spirit; endeavor to obtain a clear view of his nature and character, his attributes, and his works. Behold that Spirit of the Lord, who first of all moved upon chaos, and brought forth order; who now visits the chaos of your soul, and creates the order of holiness. Behold him as the Lord and giver of spiritual life, the Illuminator, the Instructor, the Comforter, and the Sanctifier. C H Spurgeon - ILLUMINATION OF the Bible - Use the hammer of diligence, and let the knee of prayer be exercised, and there is not a stony doctrine in revelation which is useful for you to understand, which will not fly into shivers under the exercise of prayer and faith. You may force your way through anything with the leverage of prayer. Thoughts and reasonings are like the steel wedges which give a hold upon truth; but prayer is the lever, the prise which forces open the iron chest of sacred mystery, that we may get the treasure hidden within. (Related Resource - Illumination of the Bible) C H Spurgeon - The best interpreter of a book is generally the man who wrote it. The Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures. Go to him to get their meaning, and you will not be misled. John
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon - If you do not understand a book by a departed writer you are unable to ask him his meaning, but the Spirit, Who inspired Holy Scripture, lives forever, and He delights to open the Word to those who seek His instruction” Bob Deffinbaugh - Apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the natural man will never grasp what God is saying or doing. Ronald Dunn - Unless God imparts the spiritual ability to hear his voice, one hears nothing but meaningless words. Abraham Kuyper - Illumination is the clearing up of the spiritual consciousness which in His own time the Holy Spirit gives more or less to every child of God… Only in that light can one see the glory of Scripture and apprehend its beauty; without this it is but a stumbling-block to him. Martin Luther - If God does not open and explain Holy Writ, no one can understand it; it will remain a closed book, enveloped in darkness… Proper understanding of the Scriptures comes only through the Holy Spirit. Alexander
1 Coríntios 2:10-16
Spurgeon - There is a real nutriment for the soul in Scripture brought home to the heart by the Holy Spirit. A. W. Tozer - The Bible is a supernatural book and can be understood only by supernatural aid. Vanhoozer “The Spirit’s work in interpretation is not to change the sense [of scripture] but to restore us to our senses” E Blencowe - While vast numbers read not the Scriptures at all, MANY READ THEM, BUT UNDERSTAND THEM NOT. Their meaning is sealed up. If we would profit by the Scriptures, we must not read them like another book… DO WE READ THE SCRIPTURES CONTINUALLY WITH THIS CONVICTION, THAT, WITHOUT THE TEACHING OF THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST, WE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THEM? Selwyn