I Corinthians 2

I Corinthians 2:1:
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.

I Corinthians 2:2:
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified

The wordly, in their wisdom, would call this narrow-minded; but it is the wisdom of God to offer the Divine remedy for all the worlds woes. Calvin wrote of this verse: The substance of the passage amounts to this: “As to my wanting the ornaments of speech, and wanting, too, the more elegant refinements of discourse, the reason of this was, that I did not aspire at them, nay rather, I despised them, because there was one thing only that my heart was set upon–that I might preach Christ with simplicity. In adding the word crucified, he does not mean that he preached nothing respecting Christ except the cross; but that, with all the abasement of the cross, he nevertheless preached Christ. It is as though he said: “The ignominy of the cross will not prevent me from looking up to him from whom salvation comes, or make me ashamed to regard all of my wisdom as comprehended in him–in him, I say, whom men despise and reject on account of the reproach of the cross.” Hence, the statement must be explained in this way: “No kind of knowledge was in my view of so much importance as to lead me to desire anything but Christ, crucified though He was.”

I Corinthians 2:3-5:
3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

There is a plague among us today in the visible Christian church – a plague of men relying upon human wisdom, human loftiness of speech, human power, to supposedly “build” Christ’s church. This has resulted in false churches, false converts, a false spirit, and widespread evil in people who claim to belong to Christ.
Last week I was driving through a nearby town and saw a construction project on the grounds of a church there. On the outside wall of the unfinished building was a big banner that said, “Our new worship center, glory to God.” Really? I suppose it could be to the glory of God but most likely the money was raised by worldly methods motivating worldly people for the glory of men. And in the midst of it all, evil lurks. --Light for Dark Times

To pray for ministers of the Gospel is to pray for the needy men. Although the servants of Christ are converted men and have their commission from the Lord Jesus Himself, to devote themselves to the ministry of the gospel, and possess varying gifts to assist in the discharge of their duties, yet they are indeed but men and rightly described as "earthen vessels." Paul came to the Corinthians, not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto them the testimony of God; but he says "And I was with you in weakness, 'and in fear, and in much trembling" (I Corin. ii. 1-3). And so do ministers of Christ know by experience, to-day also, somewhat of this weakness, fear and trembling, in relation to the life of grace in the soul and in connection with burdens and responsibilities of their office. They are not ignorant of the uprisings of a, carnal, sinful and vain heart and mind, and of the activities of Satan, to the distracting and disturbing of their minds even in the midst of spiritual and gospel exercises in private and public. -Free Presbyterian Magazine; November 1953

1 Corinthians 2:6:
However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

The word “mature” comes from a Greek word which translates literally means “perfect.” But it does not mean so much that one is without flaw as it does that all parts are being fully developed. It takes a mature person to come to the place where they have allowed God to "perfectly develop" their lives.

I Corinthians 2:9-10:
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God”

For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
Isaiah 64:4:

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
Malachi 3:16-17

The eye of man’s carnal mind hath never seen it. The ear of man’s worldly wisdom hath never heard it. Neither has it entered into the heart of man (apart from the Holy Spirit).

John Eldredge Files

“One of the most poisonous of all Satan’s whispers is simply, “Things will never change.” That lie kills expectation, trapping our heart forever in the present. To keep desire alive and flourishing, we must renew our vision for what lies ahead. Things will not always be like this. Jesus has promised to “make all things new.” Eye has not seen, ear has not heard all that God has in store for his lovers, which does not mean “we have no clue so don’t even try to imagine,” but rather, you cannot outdream God. Desire is kept alive by imagination, the antidote to resignation. We will need imagination, which is to say, we will need hope. ”
― John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God

Christ is “the deep things of God" because the same verse that mentions "the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10) also states that these things have been "revealed by God through His Spirit." That is past tense language which signifies a done deal. The deep things of God are no longer secret or hidden but are all revealed now to the people of faith. They can't be things in heaven as claimed by the common and prevalent schools of interpretation. They were revealed by God to the Church some 2000 years ago. How true is that? It is in the Bible and the context makes it clear just read on.
[SOURCE: Deep Things of God]

Most people stop at verse 9 and say "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard." But, in the following verse it says "But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit."

This is God's wisdom, not man's wisdom. Only God could conceive of a Gospel that keeps getting better and better. As Paul puts it in our text:
(1 Cor 2:9) "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him ..."
Each step along the way we know the best is yet to come

The physical senses through which we perceive the world are limited. They do not provide enough information to comprehend fully our complex existence, including our vulnerability to illness and the process of healing.
Our quest for health and for healing has always led to a transcendent reality. Without such an ultimate understanding, we are unable to assess or conceptualize ourselves as we truly are. Spiritual healing cannot start until we begin to see ourselves in Divine terms. The words incorporeal and impersonal are misleading, because they suggest that He [God] lacks some reality which we possess. It would be safer to call Him trans-corporeal, trans-personal. Body and personality as we know them are the real negatives–they are what is left of positive being when it is sufficiently diluted to appear in temporal or finite forms. [C. S. Lewis, Miracles, Ch. 11].
Physical reality keeps us enshrouded in half-truths, impermanent materiality and transient solutions. We cannot emerge from the darkness of temporal confusion if our thoughts don’t project beyond the sphere of physical cognition.
Our longing for rational understanding only adds to our despair. We have a spirit within us that is always seeking clarity. But, our vision becomes increasingly clouded as we focus on momentary gratification. Peripheral trivia are always diverting us. We linger, stray, backtrack and wander in circles of chasing the current reality. We comfort our mental confusion by indulging in meaningless entertainment and numbing consumerism.
Whatever is done without faith, whether it is sacrifice, charity, austerity, or any other act is useless. It has no value here or hereafter.
[Bhagavad Gita 17.28]. --Daily Devotions for Dining with God

I Corinthians 2:10-13:
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

I Corinthians 2:14-15:
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

David Curtis

The late author and astronomer, Carl Sagan, said, "The universe is all that ever was and ever will be." As an astronomer who studied the heavens, he didn't see the glory of God, he didn't see God at all. Julian Huxley, who was an English evolutionary biologist, said, "It is all accident, all a matter of chance. No reason, no end, no purpose at all." These men didn't just view, they studied God's creation, and they never saw Him or His glory. Natural man says that the matter of which the universe is made somehow over billions of years organized itself into all that we see without any outside assistance or intelligence.
What is called, "natural or general revelation" will not bring anybody to God; just like special revelation won't bring anybody to God. The only way man comes to God is if God draws him to Himself:
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 NASB
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Corinthians 2:14. The man without the Spirit cannot appreciate God's glory through the heavens, or through special revelation. God must first effectually call a man, then man can see His glory in creation and in the Word. How much do dead men see of the glory of God?:
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:21 NASBThis verse destroys every variety of "natural revelation" and natural theology: "The world through its wisdom did not come to know God." Knowledge of God comes only through His propositional revelation. -Berean Bible Church

The soul is referred to throughout the scriptures. It refers to our inner lives—how we think, feel and make choices (mind, emotions and will). It also entails our unique personalities and the detailed and intricate ways we are given a personal identity. We know from the Word that our souls are the part of us that are eternal. Even as our physical life ceases, our souls will carry throughout eternity. Introducing this concept is where our faith and belief in God’s truth must prevail over scientific and material-based thinking. That’s because science simply cannot affirm or understand the unseen realm. Once we step out of tangible realities and into faith-based spiritual principles, we must have the Holy Spirit living in us to be able to comprehend truth. Let’s see what the Word says: But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means (1 Corinthians 2:14). If we accept a scientific understanding of addiction (which is easy to do based on the tangible nature of addiction), but negate the Christian worldview, we too will be limited to the few benefits a medical community can offer. But as God’s children, this should never be the case. God is all-powerful and while He can certainly manage the processes of the brain and body, He also has the power to remove addiction on the nonphysical level—to change the heart and set a person free internally. This freedom entails a transformation process where the body, soul, and spirit are each realigned and brought back to the purposes of God. In order to gain access into the recovery and healing process, we need to understand the purpose and function within our souls in greater detail. ..............As Christians, we need to be concerned with how the Bible instructs us on matters of the heart. The Bible makes no mention of the brain, but it references the mind over eight hundred times! That is not to say brain disorders, chemical imbalances and other problems aren’t real. There are organic issues that may need the assistance of a physical doctor. However, for the most part, God deals with and heals the area of the mind as the source of long-lasting and true transformation. In fact, the primary goal of the Christian life is that we “renew our minds” and receive the “mind of Christ.” This is a process of being transformed to how God thinks (Romans 12:2).

I Corinthians 2:16:
16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul admonishes us to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:5-7). When we focus on serving others in humility, there is no room for selfish thoughts to satisfy the flesh. Instead of it being all about us, the mind of Christ makes it all about others. We cannot control our thoughts but the Spirit of God can. The Spirit of God allows us to “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). -Jack Wellman

I Corinthians 1:23:
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greek foolishness

Blinded by unbelief, the Jew has been stumbling over the cross since Christ rose. The cross, however, lies right in their path and they cannot get out of its way. The Greek philosophers sought after wisdom but deliberately passed by the wisdom of God which was actually foolishness.