1And when I first came to you, brothers, and sisters, I did not come with eloquence of speech or human wisdom, as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2For I resolved to know nothing among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3And I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my message and preaching were not with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but with a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, 5So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among mature believers; but not the wisdom of this age (world), nor of the rulers of this age, that come to nothing, and are soon forgotten; 7But we declare God’s secret and hidden wisdom, which He ordained before time began, for our glory; 8Which none of the rulers of this age understood; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But, as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those that love Him.” (Is.64:4). 10But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who knows the thoughts of a man, except the spirit of that man within him? In the same way, no man knows the thoughts of God, except the Spirit of God. 12Now what we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Holy Spirit Who is from God; so that we might understand what God has freely given to us. 13And we impart this in words, not taught (revealed) to us by human wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit; interpreting spiritual truths with Spirit-taught words. 14But the natural man, without the Holy Spirit, cannot receive or accept these truths from the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him. Nor can he understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But the person that is spiritual (who has the Spirit) evaluates all things, yet he himself is to be judged by no (unenlightened or unspiritual) person. 16For “Who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?”. (Is.40:13) But we have the mind of Christ. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |