I Corinthians Chapter 2
Paul was a very well-educated man. He had been trained by the best of Biblical teachers of the Jewish faith. But in a world of Greek philosophers who loved to hear men give great orations, Paul wanted to be careful to present only God’s doctrinal truths, the truth of the gospel. Paul understood that the words he spoke inspired by the Holy Spirit, were words that had power to change lives.
The same is true today. When a pastor spends time in the Word studying its doctrinal truths, he can then allow the Holy Spirit to empower the very words he speaks from the pulpit, and He will be used of God. Sadly, in our modern churches there are many pastors who resort to gimmicks and emotional preaching tactics to gain a following. We need men who are willing to put their pride aside and not to embellish, but to humble themselves before God and be used of Him to preach His Word.
Let's Reflect
1. Paul recalls how he felt as he presented the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people at Corinth. How did he feel? This may have been because there was a lingering threat of persecution, but Paul never backed down in presenting the gospel to lost people no matter what the cost may have been to him personally.
2. He wanted to make sure that when he spoke the people did not just rely on what He as their preacher said, but he wanted them to experience what?
3. Paul talks about the wisdom of God as being a mystery. It is a mystery to those who have rejected the truth. But to those who have accepted the truth of the gospel there are more and more mysteries of God that He reveals to us as we get to know Him better through His scriptures. Paul said if such wise men had truly understood the wisdom and the mystery of God, they would not have done what to our Lord?
4. Paul quoted Isaiah 64:6 not in exact words but he did convey the message of God’s love. When Paul used the words from Isaiah to describe the love of God, what did he say about God’s love for us?
5. In verses 11-16 it is as if Paul asked the question “How do we know that God exists?” And Paul answers that question by speaking of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each believer. Lives are changed. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us understand the mysteries of God. The answers to God’s mysteries are given to us ________ by God.
6. Verse 13 tells us that a person who does not have the Spirit of God dwelling inside (this could include a church pastor or priest who is not saved), they cannot do what correctly?
7. The natural man (the unsaved man) cannot understand the things of God, he does not want anything to do with God because he does not have the Spirit of God dwelling inside of him. To him the things of God are what?
8. When Paul speaks about the spiritual man judging he is referring to that spirit of discernment that we now have as believers. Because the Spirit of God resides within our bodies, we can discern who is speaking spiritual truths and who is not. No other (unsaved) person can judge us for what we know to be true in our Spirit. Oh, they will try. They will say that Christians are crazy. In reality what the criticizing unsaved person is saying is that they know better than God. They can judge what God is thinking because they believe in self. This is a lie from the devil. They cannot know or understand God. They cannot understand God because they do not have what that instructs the believer?
Devotionals
