1 Corinthians 2
Scofield Reference Notes
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
Margin perfect

i.e. full grown. See Scofield Note: "Mt 5:48".

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
Margin mystery

See Scofield Note: "Mt 13:11".

Margin ordained

Predestination, trans. predestinated, Rom 8:29,30 Eph 1:5,11 Acts 4:28.

Margin world

foreordained before the ages. Cf. See margin ref., Rom 16:25, See Scofield Note: "Rom 16:25".

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
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 what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Margin world

kosmos = world-system. 1Cor 7:31,33 Jn 7:7. See Scofield Note: "Rev 13:8".

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.
[1] words

(1) The writers of Scripture invariably affirm, where the subject is mentioned by them at all, that the words of their writings are divinely taught. This, of necessity, refers to the original documents, not to translations and versions; but the labours of competent scholars have brought our English versions to a degree of perfection Song remarkable that we may confidently rest upon them as authoritative.

(2) 1Cor 2:9-14 gives the process by which a truth passes from the mind of God to the minds of His people.

(a) The unseen things of God are undiscoverable by the natural man (1Cor 2:9).

(b) These unseen things God has revealed to chosen men (1Cor 2:10-12).

(c) The revealed things are communicated in Spirit-taught words (1Cor 2:13). This implies neither mechanical dictation nor the effacement of the writer's personality, but only that the Spirit infallibly guides in the choice of words from the writer's own vocabulary (1Cor 2:13).

(d) These Spirit-taught words, in which the revelation has been expressed, are discerned, as to their true spiritual content, only by the spiritual among believers 1Cor 2:15,16; See Scofield Note: "Rev 22:19".

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.
[2] natural man

Paul divides men into three classes: psuchikos, "of the senses" Jas 3:15 Jude 1:19 or "natural," i.e. the Adamic man, unrenewed through the new birth Jn 3:3,5 pneumatikos, "spiritual," i.e. the renewed man as Spirit-filled and walking in the Spirit in full communion with God Eph 5:18-20 and sarkikos, "carnal," "fleshly," i.e. the renewed man who, walking "after the flesh," remains a babe in Christ 1Cor 3:1-4. The natural man may be learned, gentle, eloquent, fascinating, but the spiritual content of Scripture is absolutely hidden from him; and the fleshly, or carnal, Christian is able to comprehend only its simplest truths, "milk" 1Cor 3:2.

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.
Scofield Reference Notes by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield [1917]

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