And (1) I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the (a) testimony of God. (1) He returns to (1 Corinthians 1:17), that is to say, to his own example: confessing that he did not use among them either excellency of words or enticing speech... [ Continue Reading ]
For I (b) determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (b) I did not profess any knowledge but the knowledge of Christ and him crucified.... [ Continue Reading ]
And I was with you in (c) weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. (c) He contrasts weakness with excellency of words, and therefore joins with it fear and trembling, which are companions of true modesty, not such fear and trembling as terrify the conscience, but such as are contrary to vanity... [ Continue Reading ]
And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, (2) but in (d) demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (2) He turns now to the commendation of his ministry, which he had granted to his adversaries: for his strength and power, which they knew well enough, was so much... [ Continue Reading ]
(3) That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (3) And he tells the Corinthians that he did it for their great profit, because they might by this know manifestly that the Gospel was from heaven. Therefore he privately rebukes them, because in vainly seeking to b... [ Continue Reading ]
(4) Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are (e) perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the (f) princes of this world, that come to nought: (4) Another argument taken from the nature of the thing, that is, of the Gospel, which is true wisdom, but known only to those who are desirous o... [ Continue Reading ]
(5) But we speak the wisdom of God in a (g) mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], (6) which God ordained before the world unto our glory: (5) He shows the reason why this wisdom cannot be perceived by those excellent worldly intellects: that is, because it is indeed so deep that they cannot attain t... [ Continue Reading ]
(7) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the (h) Lord of glory. (7) He takes away another objection: why then, how comes it to pass that this wisdom was so rejected by men of the highest authority, that they crucified Christ himself? P... [ Continue Reading ]
(8) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the (i) heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (8) Another objection: but how could it be that those intelligent men could not perceive this wisdom? Paul answers: because we preac... [ Continue Reading ]
(9) But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit (k) searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (9) A question: if it surpasses the capacity of men, how can it be understood by any man, or how can you declare and preach it? By a special enlightening of God's Spirit, wi... [ Continue Reading ]
(10) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the (l) spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. (10) He sets it forth in comparison, which he spoke by the inspiration of the Sprit. As the power of man's intellect searches out things pertai... [ Continue Reading ]
Now we have received, not the (m) spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; (11) that we might (n) know the things that are freely given to us of God. (m) The Spirit which we have received does not teach us things of this world, but lifts us up to God, and this verse teaches us the oppos... [ Continue Reading ]
(12) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; (o) comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (12) Now he returns to his purpose, and concludes the argument which he began in verse six (1 Corinthians 2:6), and it is this: the words... [ Continue Reading ]
(13) But the (p) natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are (q) spiritually discerned. (13) Again he anticipates an offence or stumbling block: how does it come to pass that so few allow these things? Th... [ Continue Reading ]
(14) But he that is spiritual (r) judgeth all things, yet (15) he himself is judged of (s) no man. (14) He amplifies the matter by opposites. (r) Understands and discerns. (15) The wisdom of the flesh, Paul says, determines nothing certainly, no not in its own affairs, much less can it discern st... [ Continue Reading ]
(16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may (t) instruct him? But we have (u) the mind of Christ. (16) A reason from the former saying: for he is called spiritual, who has learned that by the power of the Spirit, which Christ has taught us. Now if that which we have learned from that... [ Continue Reading ]