[Message mp3 coming soon ...]
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SUMMARY
Spirituality is almost a meaningless word. When someone says, “I’m not religious, but I’m a very spiritual person.” What are they talking about? Spirituality has come to mean, in our society, practically anything. Being spiritual is whatever you define it to be. But what does it truly mean to be spiritual? What does the Bible mean when it refers to the spiritual person? Though the Bible portrays all people as spiritual, in that everybody has a spirit, to be truly spiritual, in the biblical sense, is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. For, according to Scripture, to understand “spiritual things” one must have the Holy Spirit.
Apart from the work of the Spirit in us, we are blind to the things of God. As Scripture states, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” And so we are dependent upon the work of the Spirit in us to open our eyes and ears and minds so that we can see the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ. In order to be truly spiritual people, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul expresses this truth in 1 Corinthians 2.9-16.
Now, before we can fully understand this passage, we need to ask: What is it that God has prepared for those who love Him? What is it that He has revealed by His Spirit? What is it that God has freely given us? What are the things that come from the Spirit of God that are foolishness to those without the Spirit?
When we read the beginning of Paul’s letter (chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians) we find that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Jesus is our righteousness, holiness and redemption; it is through the cross of Christ that we are kept strong to the end and found blameless before God and have fellowship with Him; the cross of Christ reveals the wisdom and power of God for salvation. And so what is it that God has prepared for those who love Him; what is it He has freely given us and revealed by His Spirit? It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But the radical message of the Gospel, which reveals the power and wisdom of God in salvation is foolishness and a stumbling block (literally a scandal) to those without the Spirit. This Good News is incomprehensible to fallen human beings apart from the work of the Spirit in their lives.
That is why Paul declares that the truth of the Gospel is beyond sight and hearing (v. 9 - No eye has seen, no ear has heard), in other words, beyond perception. And it is beyond conception (no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him).
However, God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. You see, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears and minds so that we can see and hear and understand. We read in v. 12, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
But why is that? Why can’t we simply understand on our own? The answer is simple: we are not God. New Age gurus and other Gnostic quacks may tell you that deep down you are a god or goddess, but you’re not. You’re a creature, not the Creator. You are little – and that’s ok. You are a human being – fearfully and wonderfully made by God – but nonetheless simply a human being. More than that, human beings, like Humpty-Dumpty, have had a great fall. We are cracked. And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put us back together again. Only God Himself, through the work of the Son and by the power of the Spirit can.
Look at the second part of v. 10: “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 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.” We cannot by our own wisdom or power or technology or reasoning or hard work, know the mind of God. Most other religions and philosophies will tell you the opposite. They are all about finding God and reaching God through special wisdom or powers or good works. But all roads that humans build to God are dead ends. Like the tower of Babel, they fail. God must reveal Himself to us. He paves the road to us and then calls us to walk on it and come to Him. That is Good News.
And this Good News is a message that is passed on. It is not something that we are to horde, it is something we live out and share with others. Therefore we read in v. 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.” The message of the gospel did not come to us by words of human wisdom and it is not communicated in simply words of human wisdom. The message we speak to others is not merely great thoughts or wise counsel or profound insights. Rather, it is the message taught us by the Spirit. That is why Jesus told His disciples, “when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Mt. 10.19-20). The Spirit is the key to our sharing the Good News and people understanding it and therefore following Christ.
And this is made clear in vv. 14-15, where we find two different kinds of people and two different responses to the Gospel.
We find in v. 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, because they are spiritually discerned." The word translated ‘accept’ is related to welcoming a guest. The man without the Spirit won’t welcome the things of the Spirit, but rather rejects them. More than that, he considers them foolishness, for he cannot understand them because he doesn’t have the ‘equipment’ to do so. As Leon Morris writes, “Anyone whose equipment is only of this world, who has not received the Holy Spirit, has no ability to make an estimate of things spiritual. ’The unspiritual are out of court as religious critics; they are deaf men judging music’” (58). One who lacks the ability to hear and has never heard music cannot truly understand music. They lack the equipment to do so. The same is true of spiritual things. One cannot understand the music of the Spirit if they are spiritually deaf or perceive the artistry of the Spirit if they are spiritually blind.
However, the spiritual man, one who has received the Spirit, is able to discern or judge (they’re the same word in the Greek) all things. He or she is able perceive, examine, evaluate all things. Verse 15 states: "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." Unlike the person without the Spirit, the person with the Spirit is able to understand the things of God. “All things” does not mean that we are given exhaustive knowledge of universe and the nature of God so that we know everything there is to know about everything. Rather, we simply able to understand God’s plan of salvation - what God has prepared for those who love him. When the Spirit touches you He opens your eyes – unmasking the fallen world for what it is; uncovering you for what you are; and revealing Christ for who He is. And He gives us the power to make right judgments accordingly.
Apart from the work of the Spirit in us, we are blind to the things of God. As Scripture states, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” And so we are dependent upon the work of the Spirit in us to open our eyes and ears and minds so that we can see the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ. In order to be truly spiritual people, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul expresses this truth in 1 Corinthians 2.9-16.
Now, before we can fully understand this passage, we need to ask: What is it that God has prepared for those who love Him? What is it that He has revealed by His Spirit? What is it that God has freely given us? What are the things that come from the Spirit of God that are foolishness to those without the Spirit?
When we read the beginning of Paul’s letter (chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians) we find that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - Jesus is our righteousness, holiness and redemption; it is through the cross of Christ that we are kept strong to the end and found blameless before God and have fellowship with Him; the cross of Christ reveals the wisdom and power of God for salvation. And so what is it that God has prepared for those who love Him; what is it He has freely given us and revealed by His Spirit? It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
But the radical message of the Gospel, which reveals the power and wisdom of God in salvation is foolishness and a stumbling block (literally a scandal) to those without the Spirit. This Good News is incomprehensible to fallen human beings apart from the work of the Spirit in their lives.
That is why Paul declares that the truth of the Gospel is beyond sight and hearing (v. 9 - No eye has seen, no ear has heard), in other words, beyond perception. And it is beyond conception (no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him).
However, God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. You see, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears and minds so that we can see and hear and understand. We read in v. 12, “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
But why is that? Why can’t we simply understand on our own? The answer is simple: we are not God. New Age gurus and other Gnostic quacks may tell you that deep down you are a god or goddess, but you’re not. You’re a creature, not the Creator. You are little – and that’s ok. You are a human being – fearfully and wonderfully made by God – but nonetheless simply a human being. More than that, human beings, like Humpty-Dumpty, have had a great fall. We are cracked. And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men cannot put us back together again. Only God Himself, through the work of the Son and by the power of the Spirit can.
Look at the second part of v. 10: “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 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.” We cannot by our own wisdom or power or technology or reasoning or hard work, know the mind of God. Most other religions and philosophies will tell you the opposite. They are all about finding God and reaching God through special wisdom or powers or good works. But all roads that humans build to God are dead ends. Like the tower of Babel, they fail. God must reveal Himself to us. He paves the road to us and then calls us to walk on it and come to Him. That is Good News.
And this Good News is a message that is passed on. It is not something that we are to horde, it is something we live out and share with others. Therefore we read in v. 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.” The message of the gospel did not come to us by words of human wisdom and it is not communicated in simply words of human wisdom. The message we speak to others is not merely great thoughts or wise counsel or profound insights. Rather, it is the message taught us by the Spirit. That is why Jesus told His disciples, “when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Mt. 10.19-20). The Spirit is the key to our sharing the Good News and people understanding it and therefore following Christ.
And this is made clear in vv. 14-15, where we find two different kinds of people and two different responses to the Gospel.
We find in v. 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, because they are spiritually discerned." The word translated ‘accept’ is related to welcoming a guest. The man without the Spirit won’t welcome the things of the Spirit, but rather rejects them. More than that, he considers them foolishness, for he cannot understand them because he doesn’t have the ‘equipment’ to do so. As Leon Morris writes, “Anyone whose equipment is only of this world, who has not received the Holy Spirit, has no ability to make an estimate of things spiritual. ’The unspiritual are out of court as religious critics; they are deaf men judging music’” (58). One who lacks the ability to hear and has never heard music cannot truly understand music. They lack the equipment to do so. The same is true of spiritual things. One cannot understand the music of the Spirit if they are spiritually deaf or perceive the artistry of the Spirit if they are spiritually blind.
However, the spiritual man, one who has received the Spirit, is able to discern or judge (they’re the same word in the Greek) all things. He or she is able perceive, examine, evaluate all things. Verse 15 states: "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." Unlike the person without the Spirit, the person with the Spirit is able to understand the things of God. “All things” does not mean that we are given exhaustive knowledge of universe and the nature of God so that we know everything there is to know about everything. Rather, we simply able to understand God’s plan of salvation - what God has prepared for those who love him. When the Spirit touches you He opens your eyes – unmasking the fallen world for what it is; uncovering you for what you are; and revealing Christ for who He is. And He gives us the power to make right judgments accordingly.
And while the person with the Spirit can make right judgments, he or she is not subject to any man’s judgment. This does not mean that we are not held responsible for our actions, rather it means we are held accountable to a higher standard. God’s wisdom rather than human wisdom is our standard. God’s will rather than human will is our measure. For we have been given the mind of Christ. We operate and see things from the viewpoint of Christ. Paul explains this in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians when he writes, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Our entire worldview changes when the Spirit fills our lives.
In our “spiritual” world where people are open to everything – often so open minded that their brains fall out (as Richard Rorty has put it) – the message of Christ crucified is foolishness and a scandal.
How do we share the gospel in a cultural climate such as ours? How do we communicate the truth of Jesus Christ to people who are so open-minded their brains have fallen out – which often makes them, ironically, very close-minded and resistant? We do it the way it has always been done – by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We allow what has happened to us happen to others. We did not come to Christ on our own or through our own wisdom. We came to Christ because we were touched by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit drew us to Him. So why can’t the Spirit do that in others? And we were not better than others. We were just as lost and corrupted by sin and completely dependent upon the grace of God.
And so we follow Christ in mission – we share the Good News of Jesus with our lives and our mouths – through the power of the Spirit. Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing”. The same is true with the Spirit. We can do nothing without the Spirit of God working in us and through us and in others. The Spirit forms the Church.
In our “spiritual” world where people are open to everything – often so open minded that their brains fall out (as Richard Rorty has put it) – the message of Christ crucified is foolishness and a scandal.
How do we share the gospel in a cultural climate such as ours? How do we communicate the truth of Jesus Christ to people who are so open-minded their brains have fallen out – which often makes them, ironically, very close-minded and resistant? We do it the way it has always been done – by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We allow what has happened to us happen to others. We did not come to Christ on our own or through our own wisdom. We came to Christ because we were touched by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit drew us to Him. So why can’t the Spirit do that in others? And we were not better than others. We were just as lost and corrupted by sin and completely dependent upon the grace of God.
And so we follow Christ in mission – we share the Good News of Jesus with our lives and our mouths – through the power of the Spirit. Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing”. The same is true with the Spirit. We can do nothing without the Spirit of God working in us and through us and in others. The Spirit forms the Church.
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SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER
Context - 1 Corinthians 1
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