1 Corinthians 2:6-16 is part of Paul’s letter that was written for the church in Corinth during the period of 53-54 A.D. Paul likely penned this letter while in Ephesus, a town about 280 miles east of Corinth across the Aegean Sea in Asia Minor. His intent for writing this section was to continue building a clear distinction between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. Paul contends that God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom are complete opposites to each other. They are always incompatible since the wisdom of man goes against the wisdom of God. One always trumps the other. Man’s wisdom is logically intuitive. God’s wisdom appears illogical to the world — i.e., counterintuitive.
In Verses 6 and 7, Paul speaks of a type of wisdom that transcends time. Human wisdom is naturally bound into the fabric of a timeline. There has never been human wisdom that isn’t tainted by this narrow construct of a limited time perspective. But the wisdom of God that Paul discloses is eternal. Verse seven details God’s wisdom as mysterious, which in Paul’s context means “was once hidden but now is disclosed.” God’s wisdom is interwoven into the fabric of God’s thoughts and God’s ways, and since Creator God exists outside of both time and space, His thoughts are far higher than our thoughts and ways.
Why is this important? The world, locked in the constraint of both time and perspective, lacks the ability to ask “why”! To the Roman, the Greek and even the Jew, the logical answer to “why are we here?” is ungraspable. For Paul to proclaim that before time, space and humanity was ever created, that God decided to make creatures capable of knowing and loving Him, but with the free choice to walk away from Him is incomprehensible. Then, to realize that God would love those creatures so much as to become one, die for them and both redeem and regenerate them into brand new beings who would enjoy Him for eternity is unfathomable. For this to be accomplished from a CROSS — such wisdom is despicable to all types of people; to the Romans, who prided in glory, to Greeks, who boasted in wisdom and to Jews who embraced light! (See 2 Corinthians 4:6)
Verse 8 shows that godly wisdom is beyond the rulers of this age. As evidence, Paul goes on to write that, if they had godly wisdom, they would have never crucified Jesus! Verse 9, an apparent compilation of truths gathered from Isaiah (52:15, 64:4, 65:17), explains that God has prepared things far beyond what human hearts can grasp. Specifically, those who love Him are rewarded with the satisfying understanding from God Himself as to why they were created, and to whom they have to thank for who they are and all they have.
Verse 10 reveals that we can understand the things of God because the Holy Spirit lives inside of the believer. The Spirit is part of the Trinity and He intimately knows God, because He is God. He can reveal the deepest things about God, in accordance with His will. Verses 11 and 12 go on to say that a man can only be acquainted with his own thoughts. Apart from having the Holy Spirit working inside of his soul, a human simply cannot think God’s thought. Paul reminds us that the Holy Spirit only lives in believers. It is only because of His presence in us that we can come to know the things of God.
Verse 13 elaborates that we can speak on spiritual matters with godly wisdom. But this can only be done with the Holy Spirit’s help! Paul presents us with the grand combo of spiritual thoughts and spiritual words. When you put those two together, they’re like ketchup and mustard. They complement each other, enlightening us to the things of God, which are LIFE-GIVING!
In Verse 14 Paul mentions the “natural man,” worldly and deficient in the Spirit of God’s understanding. He cannot understand or comprehend the things of God. Instead, he views them as foolish and incomprehensible. Why? Because the world in sin is in direct opposition to God. The natural man apart from the Spirit, has no idea why he exists, what his purpose in life is and has no clue how to please God. Because he lacks God’s perspective, he also lacks clear judgment about life.
In contrast, the spiritual person is capable of judging or discerning all kinds of things simply because the Spirit of God lives inside of his mind. This clear perspective point, often analogized as “light” in Scripture, allows the spiritual man to make proper and accurate judgments about all things.
Finally, Paul in his great discourse on the Holy Spirit shares in Romans 8 that “whoever is led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.” (Verse 14) This “leading” to young believers seems mysterious at first. Does He nudge you when He wants you to go somewhere? Does He write instructions on the steamy mirror after your morning shower? How does God’s Spirit lead us?!
If you enjoy couples dancing, you most likely have watched the show Dancing with the Stars. Celebrities (some of which have very little dance skill) are paired with popular dance instructors and are taught to perform a variety of routines throughout the course of the show. The dance instructors, because they know their profession thoroughly, can usually bring their celebrity up to speed after a few weeks of intense practice. Success depends on two basic things: A knowledgeable and capable teacher, and a willing learner.
The Holy Spirit works in and with the believer in much the same way. We don’t know how to live the Christian life. We don’t know how to pray, worship God or bring Him glory. We don’t know how to love others. We don’t know how to deal with discouragement or trials. We don’t know how to “dance”! But He is a patient teacher. We begin to sense His nudges as we absorb more of Christ’s character. As His Word becomes real in our hearts, He reveals how to apply the Word in all sorts of circumstances. One day, someone sees us simply doing life under the direction of the Spirit and says, “Wow, YOU are so graceful, so amazing!” This is how the Spirit of God transforms klutzes like us! He is an ALL knowing and capable teacher. If we are but a willing learner, He will teach us to transcend our ugly sinful lives and live and dance in the beauty of holiness. This type of beauty is counterintuitive. This type of beauty only comes from the Spirit of God.
Write out a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to lead and direct you today.