Here's a revisited CHECK DISC of one of my favorite passages, written by the Holy Spirit and recorded by Paul.The Bible tells us that there are only two types of people in the World - those who have the Spirit of God and those who don't. Some say, "Sain'ts and Ain'ts." We ought to know the difference and the implications of it in evangelism/discipleship.
The Context reveals that Paul just finished telling the Corinthians about who is privy to God's secret wisdom; namely, mature believers. Now he's going to expound on the difference between the man withou the Spirit and the Spiritual man.
1
Corinthians 2:10-16
10 but God has
revealed it (God’s Wisdom) to us by his
Spirit.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man
except the man’s spirit within him?
In the same way
no one knows the thoughts of God
except the Spirit of God.
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but
the Spirit who is from God,
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but
in
words taught by the Spirit,
expressing spiritual [truths] in spiritual [words].
14 The man without the Spirit does
not accept
the things that come from the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them,
but he himself is
not subject to any man’s
judgment:
16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.
EXEGETICAL IDEA (v.
10-13):
Subject: What
did Paul tell the Corinthians about what God has revealed, freely given
and expressed to them?
Complement: Paul
told the Corinthians that God has
revealed his wisdom by his Spirit, that he has freely given his Spirit so that they may understand what He has
freely given and that His spirit has
expressed to them spiritual truths in spiritual words.
|
EXEGETICAL IDEA (v.
14-16):
Subject: What
does Paul tell the Corinthians about the difference between the Man
without the Spirit and with the Spiritual man?
Complement: Paul
tells the Corinthians that the man without the spirit does not accept
the things that come from God while the spiritual man makes judgments
about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment.
|
Bumper Sticker Summary: Got the Spirit?
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Doctrinal Category:
Doctrine of The Holy Spirit (i.e. pneumatology)
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Let's explore some key words/concepts:
Verse 10-11
"Through his Spirit" - Only the Holy Spirit could reveal the truths of God. period. Yes the concept that we are helpless without him is very apparent here.
We have learned that only the Holy Spirit could reveal the truths of God (read 2 Peter 1:19-21).
"For who among men knows the thoughts of a man" - We must make a distinction here between two words for Knowledge in the Greek language because both are mentioned here:
· Know (oida): speaks of innate knowledge. Intuitive knowledge.
· Know (ginosko): speaks of experiential knowledge. Knowledge through experience. We could never have discovered the mysteries of god or the benefits of Christ’s death by ourselves via empirical evidence. But we can know them by experience they have been freely given to us by God (Nelson study Bible).
Verse 12
"That we might understand"
NOTE:
The doctrine of illumination does not mean…
·
That we know everything
(cr. Deut 29:29) · That we do not need teachers (cf. Eph. 4:11,12)
· Or that understanding does not require hard work (cf. 2 Tim 2:15)
(MacArthur Study Bible).
Verse 13
Paul emphasized that the intellectuals of this world could not teach the knowledge he was giving to the Corinthian believers. Note that the Spirit did not simply dictate words to Paul and the other apostles; He taught them. The apostles related with their own vocabulary and style what they had learned from the Spirit.
"Expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words"
Verse 14
· The natural man does not have the Spirit of God, in contrast to the Believer who does.
· Accept here means “to welcome.” The verb does not pertain to discovering the meaning of a passage, but applying the meaning to life (Nelson).
Verse 15-16
· The Mature believer judges all things; i.e. he can scrutinize, sift and thereby understand all things; but unbelievers and even carnal Christians cannot judge/appraise/examine him (Ryrie).
· Obviously, unbelievers are able to recognize Christians’ faults and shortcomings; but they are not able to evaluate their true nature as spiritual people who have been transformed into children of God (cf. 1 John 3:2) (MacArthur).
"The mind of Christ"
Quoted form Isaiah 4013. The same word is translated “understanding” in 14:14, 15, 19. Believers are allowed, by the Word and the Spirit, to know the thoughts of their Lord (cf. Luke 24:45).
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Here's one thing that I've never seen before. How does Paul deal with these babies? He resorts to giving them Milk and then he confronts their sin (Ch3). He did the same thing that Jesus did in John 4 when the woman at the well "wasn't getting it." He shifted the focus from her theology to her sin. And it worked!
Just food for thought for those of us who are "discipling" others and are not seeing any progression to maturity. Perhaps the diet needs to be changed to a more palatable meal as well as a confrontation of sin.
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