Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 CORINTHIANS #2 - 2:1-3:2a)
E. 2:1-3:2a SPIRITUAL WISDOM UNDERCUTS THE FLESH
1. 2:1-5 FAITH: BASED ON THE CROSS AND ITS POWER
a. 2:1 PAUL'S PREACHING: NOT BASED ON WISE WORDS
Ka' 'GOelTHON pros huMAS, a-delPHOI, ELthon ou kath' hu-pe-roCHEN [5247]LOgou esoPHIas,
And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of word or wisdom,
ka-tagGELlon [2605]huMIN to musTEri-on [3142tou TheOU.
proclaiming to you the mystery of :God.
b. 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
ou gar Ekri-na [2919]ti eiDEnai en huMIN, ei meIeSOUN ChrisTON, kai TOUton es-tau-roMEnon [4717].
c. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
ka' 'GO en as-theNEIa [769], kai en PHObo, kai en TROmo [5156] polLO e-geNOmen pros huMAS.
d. 2:4-5 PAUL'S MESSAGE: A DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT AND POWER
kai ho LOgos mou kai to KErugMA [2782] mou ouk en piTHOIS [3981]soPHIas LOgois,
And my :words and my :preachment were not in persuasive words of wisdom,
all' en a-poDEIxei [585]PNEUma-tos kai duNAme-os:
but in demonstration of Spirit and power:
HIna hePIStis huMON meeen soPHIa anTHROpon, all' en duNAmei TheOU.
5 that your faith be not in men's wisdom, but in God's power.
2. 2:6-16 SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION THROUGH WISDOM OF THE SPIRIT
a. 2:6-9 PAUL'S DISCLAIMER: HE HAS WISDOM FOR THE MATURE
SoPHIan de laLOUmen, en tois teLEIois [5046]: soPHIan de ou tou aiOnos [165]TOUtou,
We speak wisdom, however, among the fullgrown: yet a wisdom not of this :age,
ouDE ton arCHONton [758]tou aiOnos TOUtou, ton ka-tar-gouMEnon [2673]:
nor of the rulers of this :age, who are coming to nought:
alLA laLOUmen TheOU soPHIan en mus-teRIo[3466], ten a-po-ke-krumMEnen [612]
7but we speak God's wisdom in mystery, the hidden wisdom
hen proOri-sen [4309]ho TheOS pro ton aiOnon eis DOxan heMON:
which God foreordained before the ages unto our glory:
hen ouDEIS ton arCHONton tou aiOnos TOUtou EGno-ken:
8which none of the rulers of this :age have known:
ei gar EGno-san, ouk an ton KUri-on tes DOxes esTAUro-san:
for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of :glory:
alLA kaTHOS GEgrap-tai, Ha oph-thalMOS [3788]ouk EIden, kai ous ouk Ekou-sen,
9 but as it is written, Thingswhich eye saw not, and ear heard not,
kai ePI karDIan anTHROpon ouk aNEbe[305], HOsa heTOIma-sen [2090]ho TheOS tois a-gaPOsin auTON.
And entered not into heart of man, Whatever things:God prepared for them that love him.
b. 2:10 THIS WISDOM: ITS SOURCE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
heMIN gar a-peKAlu-psen [601]ho TheOS diA tou PNEUma-tos:
For to us :God revealed through the Spirit:
to gar PNEUma PANta e-rauNA, kai, ta BAthe[899]tou TheOU.
for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the depths of :God.
c. 2:11 RELATION OF MAN'S SPIRIT AND GOD'S SPIRIT
tis gar OIden anTHROpon ta tou anTHROpou, ei meto PNEUma tou anTHROpou to en auTO?
For who among men knows the things of the man, save the spirit of the man :in him?
HOUtos kai ta tou TheOU ouDEIS EGno-ken, ei meto PNEUma tou TheOU.
even so the things of :God none knows, save the Spirit of :God.
d. 2:12 UNDERSTAND: GOD'S SPIRIT INSTRUCTS US
heMEIS de, ou to PNEUma tou KOSmou, eLAbo-men, alLA to PNEUma to ek tou TheOU;
But WE received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which isfrom :God;
HIna eiDOmen ta huPO tou TheOU cha-risTHENta [5483]heMIN.
that we might know the thingsfreely given to us of :God.
e. 2:13 SPIRIT-TAUGHT WORDS: BASIS OF PAUL'S PREACHING
ha kai laLOUmen, ouk en di-dakTOIS [1318] an-throPInes soPHIas LOgois, all' en di-dakTOIS PNEUma-tos;
Which things also we speak, not in words taught of man's wisdom, but in Spirit-taught words;
pneu-ma-tiKOIS [4152]pneu-ma-tiKA sunKRInon-tes [4793].
interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men.
f. 2:14 THIS IS CLOSED TO NATURAL MAN
psu-chiKOS [5591]de ANthro-pos ou DEche-tai ta tou PNEUma-tos tou TheOU:
Now man natural receives not the thingsof the Spirit of :God:
moRIa [4172]gar auTOes-tin; kai ou DUna-tai GNOnai, HOti pneu-ma-tiKOS [4153] a-naKRIne-tai [350].
for they are foolishness to him; and know he cannot, because they are spiritually judged.
g. 2:15 But the spiritual manjudges indeed all things, but himself is judged of none.
ho de pneu-ma-tiKOS a-naKRInei men PANta, auTOS de hup' ou-deNOS a-naKRIne-tai.
h. 2:16a For who has known theLord's mind, that he should instruct him?
tis gar EGnonoun KuRIou, hos sun-biBAsei [4822]auTON?
i. 2:16b But we have Christ's mind. heMEIS de noun ChrisTOU Echo-men.
3. 3:1-2a MILK-FOOD: A SIGN OF CARNAL BABES
a. 3:1 CARNALITY: A MARK OF BABES
Ka' 'GO, a-delPHOI, ouk e-duNEthen laLEsai huMIN hos pneu-ma-tiKOIS [4152],
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual,
all' hos sarKInois [4559], hos nePIois [3516]en ChrisTO.
but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
b. 3:2a I fed you milk, not meat; for you were not yet able to bear it.
GAla huMAS ePOti-sa [4222], ou BROma [1033]; OUpogar eDUnas-the.
NOTE: 2:2 (2:1-5) “For I decided to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” This key presentation of Paul is exactly the same emphasis used by Oswald Chambers. It is not “stories”, not our experience, not about Christ as a Teacher, the Son of God or the Messiah - but Christthe crucified Son of Man on our behalf that the Holy Spirit uses to convict us of sin, and bring us into the Kingdom of God.
Paul constantly placed himself and his gifts in the background, lest the great Atoning, Redemptive work of Christ be overshadowed.
Yet Paul did speak words of wisdom to those discipled and mature. And he carefully reveals that it is onlyby the indwelling Spirit in a fully yielded and Spirit-possessed life, that one understands God and His mysteries and His purposes on our behalf. And - he carefully points out that he - Paul - depends implicitly on the guidance of the Spirit for the words to say.
It is absolutely impossible for the natural man to understand these things. A “Deist” has no true understanding of Kingdom mysteries. New-Age people have substituted the simplicity of the Gospel for Knowledge from another source, and likewise fail to have a true intimate relationship with God. Gnosticism is alive and well, still in our day! Only the true, pure Spirit of God indwelling a sanctified soul can use the accurate Plumbline of the Word of God, and judge all things and yet be judged by none!
This clear teaching of the Word of God in the Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Revelation, is abhorrent to those who want to add to, take away or adjust the Word of God. It cannotbe done and remain true to God. Our world, and even much of the church, is rife with strange teachings and revelations.
Isaiah 8:20 (8:19-22) “To the teaching and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.” The prophet some 2500 years ago clearly set forth that which is hated by those who refuse to submit and accept God's clear and plain presentation.
The sad state of the Corinthian church was much as it is in America today - churches filled with carnal babes - unable to clearly present the great truths of God's word. A missionary has recently returned to his homeland, and is appalled at the immature state of so many professing believers here.
Some are beginning to perceive that this Bible Numerics Interlinear Outlined Greek New Testament, is not only simple, but when meditated upon, opens a door for the Holy Spirit to enter in, and as our Divine Teacher, lead us into these marvelous and important truths contained in 1 Corinthians chapters 1 & 2. This was the hope and desire of Ivan Panin. This is why I am pleased to give tens of thousands of hours to aiding his hope and vision to come true. - J.A.W.