The Truth comes to Corinth

Paul declares the Conduit of God’s Wisdom Part 2

1 Corinthians 2:13-16 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the 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 spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. KJV

Paul affirms to these Corinthians that everything he spent a year and a half teaching them was not drawn from the depths of his knowledge gained studying at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) nor any of the so-called Jewish scholars, but Paul was first sent into the desert by our Lord Jesus Himself for three years (Galatians 1:17-18) and returned ready to proclaim this gospel of grace and reveal all of the mysteries given to him by our Lord Jesus and continually made known to him currently by the Holy Spirit. Paul on another occasion needed to explain to brother Timothy that difficult times would occur during his pilgrimage here on the earth, but Paul reassured him of the confidence he could take in the Word of God because it was not derived, determined, or declared by or through man’s wisdom but as it is written here, 2 Timothy 3:14-17 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. NKJV

The English phrase Paul uses here in his writing to brother Timothy “is inspired by God” is translated by the Greek word theopneustos which literally means God breathed in or Divinely breathed in by God. Paul wanted these Corinthian believers to understand that his words were not his own but they were God’s Divine and Holy decrees and declarations to them and to all believers everywhere making known to them things of the supernatural by the Author of All that is supernatural, as it is written, Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. NKJV Listen to this most wonderful explanation written by Albert Barnes, “Words are the signs of thoughts; and if God designed that His truth should be accurately expressed in human language, there must have been a supervision over the words used, that such should be employed, and such only, as should accurately express the sense which He intended to convey.” God is an Eternal Spirit and therefore, His Language is far above simple human language and could never be understand by any of us unless He Himself would break it down into our language that we might be able to understand “spiritual things” which are far beyond our finite minds capability to grasp.

Paul now explains to them the “natural man” or the man devoid of the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9) is incapable of understanding anything declared by God to man through His Holy Word. Paul uses the same word “foolishness” he used in 1 Corinthians 1:18 describing the preaching of the Cross to them that are perishing. It is the Greek word moria the word we get our English word moron or moronic from and it means silliness, absurdity, ridiculous, or illogical. The natural man is like a person placed in a dark room with no windows and no candles and no light fixtures; groping, searching, and feeling with his hands along the walls to navigate his way around the room. So is he with the things of God and he concludes them to be non-sense to him and of no value or not worth his investigation or examination and so he goes on living only by his five senses, pleasing the desires of the flesh believing that this is all there is to this life to eat drink and be merry then you die. The natural man must be relocated to this spiritual condition of darkness because the things of God are only spiritually discerned or understood by illumination from God the Holy Spirit who authored the Word of God through the different human instruments he chose to use.

However, in total contrast the man that has received the Spirit of God is enabled, energized, and empowered by the Spirit of God to understand His Holy Word and to govern his life by that word. The “spiritual man” understands completely the plight and toil of the “natural man” because he was once just like him, but the natural man can never understand the “spiritual man” because what separates them from one another is the Spirit of God dwelling in the “spiritual man” that is not in the “natural man.” The longing desire of the “spiritual man” is to see the “natural man” humble himself under God’s mighty hand at the foot of the “Cross of Christ” and there be transformed into a “spiritual man” having his spiritual eyes opened passing from death into life. Paul was about to begin discussing some very disturbing issues that were plaguing this church. Paul wanted them to recognize who resided in them and to rebuke them for their carnality and then encourage them to be governed by the Mind of Christ. Paul wanted them to understand that no man can understand God or instruct Him in any capacity, but he wanted them to remember that Christ Mind was now their minds and all of ours that have become “spiritual men” by way of regeneration and the new birth, as it is written,

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. NKJV

“There are two types of men. There is the spiritual man, whose spirit is the temple and dwelling-place of the Spirit of God. He knows the thoughts of God, because he has a living union with the Eternal Mind. And there is the natural man, possessing merely the intellect and conscience of ordinary humanity.” F. B. Meyer

“It is the sanctified mind that must discern the real beauties of holiness; but, by the refinement of its facilities, they do not lose their power of discerning and judging about common and natural things. The spiritual man may judge of all things, natural and supernatural, human and divine, the deductions of reason and the discoveries of revelation. But he himself is judged or discerned of NO MAN. God’s saints are His hidden ones, Psalms 83:3. Their life is hid with Christ in God, Colossians 3:3. The carnal man knows no more of a spiritual man than he does of other spiritual things. He is a stranger to the principles, pleasures, and acting’s, of the Divine life.” Matthew Henry

“Paul and all of the other writers of Holy Scripture were not made into robots by God the Holy Spirit whereby He stripped them of their own wills, emotions, knowledge, and desires but instead God the Holy Spirit used the individual unique personalities of every man that wrote Scripture, but breathed into them the Eternal Will of God that would serve to govern man now in time and for all eternity.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…