Day 33: To understand the Bible - 1 Corinthians 2 vs 6-16
6-7 Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.
8-9 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10-12 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
13-14 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 15-16 Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 NLT.
The Bible speaks of past history as well as of the future (through prophecies). But today’s reading tells us that what it says about the past or the future means very little to the person who does not have the Holy Spirit as their teacher!
Who did Paul say helped him to tell others about God's plan that were in Jesus – and what do people who are not helped by the Holy Spirit think about the Bible's message? vs 13-14.
What did even the leading people of the world do when Jesus came to tell them of the wonderful plans God has for those who receive His Spirit? vs 8-9.
The ‘Scripture’ Paul refers to in vs 8-9 is probably Isaiah 64 vs 4 which speaks of God doing awesome things that took people by surprise and showed there was no god who could do what He could do. So the implication is that those who crucified Christ were spiritually blind and deaf. Tragically, this is still true of an unconverted soul. So what can be done?
Well, how did Paul and other saved people come to know about God, and about the wonderful things God freely gives? vs 10-12.
Paul uses an example of how we ourselves have deep secret thoughts inside us that only our spirit knows. So too, when it comes to knowing God's deep thoughts and plans – we need His Spirit as our teacher. So if an unconverted person expressed a desire of wanting to understand the Bible then our answer should be what Peter said in Acts 2:38: “Repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
But Paul's words are a challenge to believers as well, even mature ones. He says that God has got wonderful things in store for those who love Him. But we ought not to read God's word as if our intellect alone is enough to grasp the message. We do well whenever we read the Bible to ask from our hearts that the Holy Spirit will help us to really understand the deep thoughts of God. For, as He does that, we will be able to evaluate many things in life, and we’ll see the world and people as Christ would have us see them.