1st Corinthians Chapter II
THE design of this chapter is the same as the concluding part of
1 Corinthians 1:17-31, to show that the gospel does not depend for its success
on human wisdom, or the philosophy of men. This position the apostle
further confirms,
(1.) 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, by a reference to his own example, as having been
successful among them, and yet not endowed with the graces of elocution,
or by a commanding address; yet,
(2.) lest it should be thought that the gospel was real folly, and should
be contemned, he shows in the remainder of the chapter, 1 Corinthians 2:6-16,
that it contained true wisdom; that it was a profound scheme--rejected,
indeed, by the men of the world, but see to be wise by those who were
made acquainted with its real nature and value, 1 Corinthians 2:5-16.
The first division of the chapter 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 is a continuation of
the argument to show that the success of the gospel does not depend
on human wisdom or philosophy. This he proves,
(1.) by the fact that when he was among them, though his preaching was
attended with success, yet he did not come with the attractions of human
eloquence, 1 Corinthians 2:1.
(2.) This was in accordance with his purpose, not designing to attempt
anything like that, but having another object, 1 Corinthians 1:2.
(3.) In fact, he had not evinced that, but the contrary, 1 Corinthians 2:3,4.
(4.) His design was that their conversion should not appear to have been
wrought by human wisdom or eloquence, but to have been manifestly the
work of God, 1 Corinthians 2:5.
Verse 1. And I, brethren. Keeping up the tender and affectionate
style of address.
When I came to you. When I came at first to preach the gospel at
Corinth, Acts 18:1, etc.
Came not with excellency of speech. Came not with graceful and
attractive eloquence. The apostle here evidently alludes to that nice and
studied choice of language, to those gracefully formed sentences, and to
that skill of arrangement in discourse and argument, which was so much
and object of regard with the Greek rhetoricians. It is probable that
Paul was never much distinguished for these, (comp. 2 Corinthians 10:10)
and it is certain he never made them an object of intense study and
solicitude. Comp. 1 Corinthians 2:4,13.
Or of wisdom. Of the wisdom of this world; of that kind of wisdom
which was sought and cultivated in Greece.
The testimony of God. The testimony or the witnessing which God has
borne to the gospel of Christ by miracles, and by attending it everywhere
with his presence and blessing. In 1 Corinthians 1:6, the gospel is called
"the testimony of Christ;" and here it may either mean the witness which
the gospel bears to the true character and plans of God, or the
witnessing which God had borne to the gospel by miracles, etc. The gospel
contains the testimony of God in regard to his own character and plans;
especially in regard to the great plan of redemption through Jesus
Christ. Several MSS., instead of "testimony of God," here read "the
mystery of God." This would accord well with the scope of the argument;
but the present reading is probably the correct one. See Mill. The
Syriac version has also mystery.
{a} "came not" 1 Corinthians 2:4,13
Verse 2. For I determined. I made a resolution. This was my fixed,
deliberate purpose when I came there. It was not a matter of
accident, or chance, that I made Christ my great and constant theme,
but it was my deliberate purpose. It is to be recollected that Paul
made this resolution, knowing the peculiar fondness of the Greeks
for subtle disquisitions, and for graceful and finished elocution; that
he formed it when his own mind, as we may judge from his writings,
was strongly inclined by nature to an abstruse and metaphysical kind
of discussion, which could not have failed to attract the attention
of the acute and subtle reasoners of Greece; and that he made it
when he must have been fully aware that the theme which he had
chosen to dwell upon would be certain to excite derision and con-
tempt. Yet he formed and adhered to this resolution, though it
might expose him to contempt, and though they might reject and
despise his message.
Not to know. The word know here \~eidenai\~ is used probably in the
sense of attend to, be engaged in, or regard. I resolved not to give
my time and attention while among you to the laws and traditions of the
Jews; to your orators, philosophers, and poets; to the beauty of your
architecture or statuary; to a contemplation of your customs and laws;
but to attend to this only--making known the cross of Christ. The
word \~eidw\~ (to know) is sometimes thus used. Paul says that he
designed that this should be the only thing on which his mind should be
fixed; the only object of his attention; the only object on which he
there sought that knowledge should be diffused. Doddridge renders it,
"appear to know."
Any thing among you. Anything while I was with you; or, anything that
may exist among you, and that may be objects of interest to you.
I resolved to know nothing of it, whatever it might be. The former is,
probably, the correct interpretation.
Save Jesus Christ. Except Jesus Christ. This is the only thing of
which I purposed to have any knowledge among you.
And him crucified. Or, "even (\~kai\~) him that was crucified."
He resolved not only to make the Messiah the grand object of his
knowledge and attention there, but EVEN a crucified Messiah; to
maintain the doctrine that the Messiah was to be crucified for the
sins of the world; and that he who had been crucified was in fact
the Messiah. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 1:23". We may remark here,
(1.) that this should be the resolution of every minister of the gospel.
This is his business. It is not to be a politician; not to engage in
the strifes and controversies of men; it is not to be a good farmer
or scholar merely; not to mingle with his people in festive circles
and enjoyments; not to be a man of taste and philosophy, and
distinguished mainly for refinement of manners; not to be a profound
philosopher or metaphysician; but to make Christ crucified the grand
object of his attention, and seek always and everywhere to make
him known.
(2.) He is not to be ashamed anywhere of the humbling doctrine that
Christ was crucified. In this he is to glory. Though the world may
ridicule; though philosophers may sneer; though the rich and the gay may
deride it, yet this is to be the grand object of interest to him; and at
no time, and in no society, is he to be ashamed of it.
(3.) It matters not what are the amusements of society around him; what
fields of science, of gain, or ambition, are open before him; the
minister of Christ is to know Christ and him crucified alone. If he
cultivates science, it is to be that he may the more successfully explain
and vindicate the gospel. If he becomes in any manner familiar with the
works of art and of taste, it is that he may more successfully show to
those who cultivate them the superior beauty and excellency of the cross.
If he studies the plans and the employments of men, it is that he may
more successfully meet them in those plans, and more successfully speak
to them of the great plan of redemption. (4.) The preaching of the cross
is the only kind of preaching that will be attended with success. That
which has in it much respecting the Divine mission, the dignity, the
works, the doctrines, the person, and the atonement of Christ, will be
successful. So it was in the time of the apostles; so it was in the
reformation; so it was in the Moravian missions; so it has been in all
revivals of religion. There is a power about that kind of preaching which
philosophy and human reason have not. "Christ is God's great ordinance"
for the salvation of the world; and we meet the crimes and alleviate the
woes of the world, just in proportion as we hold the cross up as
appointed to overcome the one, and to pour the balm of consolation into
the other.
{*} "know" "make known"
{b} "save Jesus Christ" Galatians 6:14
Verse 3. And I was with you. Paul continued there at least a year and
six months, Acts 18:2
In weakness. In conscious feebleness; diffident of my own powers, and
not trusting to my own strength.
And in fear, and in much trembling. Paul was sensible that he had
many enemies to encounter, Acts 18:6; and he was sensible of his own
natural disadvantages as a public speaker, 2 Corinthians 10:10. He knew, too,
how much the Greeks valued a manly and elegant species of oratory; and
he, therefore, delivered his message with deep and anxious solicitude
as to the success. It was at this time, and in view of these
circumstances, that the Lord spoke to him by night in a vision, and said,
"Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee,
and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this
city," Acts 18:9,10. If Paul was conscious of weakness, well may other
ministers be; and if Paul sometimes trembled in deep solicitude about the
result of his message, well may other ministers tremble also. It was in
such circumstances, and with such feelings, that the Lord met him to
encourage him. And it is when other ministers feel thus, that the
promises of the gospel are inestimably precious. We may add, that it is
then, and then only, that they are successful. Notwithstanding all
Paul's fears, he was successful there. And it is commonly, perhaps
always, when ministers go to their work conscious of their own weakness;
burdened with the weight of their message; diffident of their own powers;
and deeply solicitous about the result of their labours, that God sends
down his Spirit, and converts sinners to God. The most successful
ministers have been men who have evinced most of this feeling; and most
of the revivals of religion have commenced, and continued, just as
ministers have preached, conscious of their own feebleness, distrusting
their own powers, and looking to God for aid and strength.
Verse 4. And my speech. The word speech here--if it is to be
distinguished from preaching--refers, perhaps, to his more private
reasonings; his preaching, to his public discourses.
Not with enticing words. Not with persuasive reasonings \~peiyoiv logoiv\~ of
the wisdom of men. Not with that kind of oratory that was adapted
to captivate and charm, and which the Greeks so much esteemed.
But in demonstration. In the showing, \~apodeixei\~ or in the testimony
or evidence which the spirit produced. The meaning is, that the spirit
furnished the evidence of the Divine origin of the religion which he
preached, and that it did not depend for its proof on his own reasonings
or eloquence. The proof, the demonstration which the Spirit furnished,
was, undoubtedly, the miracles which were wrought, the gift of tongues,
and the remarkable conversions which attended the gospel. The word Spirit
here refers, doubtless, to the Holy Spirit; and Paul says that this
Spirit had furnished demonstration of the Divine origin and nature of the
gospel. This had been by the gift of tongues, 1 Corinthians 2:5-7, comp.
1 Corinthians 14, and by the effects of his agency in renewing and sanctifying
the heart.
And of power. That is, of the power of God, 1 Corinthians 1:5; the Divine
power and efficacy which attended the preaching of the gospel there.
Comp. 1 Thessalonians 1:5. The effect of the gospel is the evidence to which
the apostle appeals for its truth. That effect was seen,
(1.) in the conversion of sinners to God, of all classes, ages,
and conditions, when all human means of reforming them was vain.
(2.) In its giving them peace, joy, and happiness; and in its
transforming their lives.
(3.) In making them different men--in making the drunkard, sober; the
thief, honest; the licentious, pure; the profane, reverent; the indolent,
industrious; the harsh and unkind, gentle and kind; and the wretched,
happy.
(4.) In its diffusing a mild and pure influence over the laws and
customs of society; and in promoting human happiness everywhere. And in
regard to this evidence to which the apostle appeals, we may observe,
(1,) that [it] is a kind of evidence which any one may examine, and which
no one can deny. It does not need laboured, abstruse argumentation, but
it is everywhere in society. Every man has witnessed the effects of
the gospel in reforming the vicious, and no one can deny that it has
this power.
(2.) It is a mighty display of the power of God. There is no more
striking exhibition of his power over mind than in a revival of religion.
There is nowhere more manifest demonstration of his presence than when,
in such a revival, the proud are humbled, the profane are awed, the
blasphemer is silenced, and the profligate, the abandoned, and the moral
are converted unto God, and are led as lost sinners to the same cross,
and find the same peace.
(3.) The gospel has thus evinced from age to age that it is from God.
Every converted sinner furnishes such a demonstration, and every instance
where it produces peace, hope, joy, shows that it is from heaven.
{1} "enticing words" "persuasible"
{a} "man's wisdom" 2 Peter 1:16
{b} "demonstration" 1 Thessalonians 1:5
Verse 5. That your faith. That is, that your belief of the Divine
origin of the Christian religion.
Should not stand. Greek, "should not be;" that is, should not
rest upon this, or be sustained by this. God intended to furnish you a
firm and solid demonstration that the religion which you embraced was
from him; and this could not be if its preaching had been attended with
the graces of eloquence, or the abstractions of refined metaphysical
reasoning. It would then appear to rest on human wisdom.
In the power of God. In the evidence of Divine power accompanying the
preaching of the gospel. The power of God would attend the exhibition of
truth everywhere; and would be a demonstration that would be
irresistible, that the religion was not originated by man, but was from
heaven. That power was seen in changing the heart; in overcoming the
strong propensities of our nature to sin; in subduing the soul, and
making the sinner a new creature in Christ Jesus. Every Christian has
thus, in his own experience, furnished demonstration that the religion
which he loves is from God, and not from man. Man could not subdue
these sins; and man could not so entirely transform the soul. And
although the unlearned Christian may not be able to investigate all
the evidences of religion; although he cannot meet all the objections
of cunning and subtle infidels; although he may be greatly perplexed and
embarrassed by them, yet he may have the fullest proof that he loves God,
that he is different from what he once was, and that all this has been
accomplished by the religion of the cross. The blind man that was made to
see by the Saviour, (John 9) might have been wholly unable to tell
how his eyes were opened, and unable to meet all the cavils of those
who might doubt it, or all the subtle and cunning objections of
physiologists; but of one thing he certainly could not doubt, that
whereas he was blind, he then saw, John 9:25. A man may have no doubt
that the sun shines, that the wind blows, that the tides rise, that the
blood flows in his veins, that the flowers bloom, and that this could
not be except it was from God, while he may have no power to explain
these facts, and no power to meet the objections and cavils of those who
might choose to embarrass him. So men may know that their hearts are
changed; and it is on this ground that no small part of the Christian
world, as in everything else, depend for the most satisfactory evidence
of their religion. On this ground humble and unlearned Christians have
been often willing to go to the stake as martyrs--just as a humble and
unlearned patriot is willing to die for his country. He loves it;
and he is willing to die for it. A Christian loves his God and
Saviour; and is willing to die for his sake.
{2} "stand" "be"
Verse 6. Howbeit. But, \~de\~. This commences the second head
or argument in this chapter, in which Paul shows that if human wisdom
is wanting in his preaching, it is not devoid of true, and solid, and
even Divine wisdom.--Bloomfield.
We speak wisdom. We do not admit that we utter foolishness. We have
spoken of the foolishness of preaching, 1 Corinthians 1:21; and of the
estimate in which it was held by the world, 1 Corinthians 1:22-28; and of our
own manner among you as not laying claim to human learning or eloquence;
but we do not design to admit that we have been really speaking
folly. We have been uttering that which is truly wise, but
which is seen and understood to be such only by those who are
had explained and defended--the plan of salvation by the cross of
Christ.
Among them that are perfect. \~en toiv teleioiv\~. This word "perfect" is here
evidently applied to Christians, as it is in Philippians 3:15: "Let us,
therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded." And it is clearly used
to denote those who were advanced in Christian knowledge; who were
qualified to understand the subject; who had made progress in the
knowledge of the mysteries of the gospel; and who thus saw its
excellence. It does not mean here that they were sinless, for the
argument of the apostle does not bear on that inquiry; but that they were
qualified to understand the gospel, in contradistinction from the gross,
the sensual, and the carnally-minded, who rejected it as foolishness.
There is, perhaps, here an allusion to the heathen mysteries, where
those who had been fully initiated were said to be perfect--fully
instructed in those rites and doctrines. And if so, then this passage
means, that those only who have been fully instructed in the knowledge of
the Christian religion will be qualified to see its beauty and its
wisdom. The gross and sensual do not see it, and those only who are
enlightened by the Holy Spirit are qualified to appreciate its beauty and
its excellency.
Not the wisdom of this world. Not that which this world has
originated or loved.
Nor of the princes of this world. Perhaps intending chiefly here the
rulers of the Jews. See 1 Corinthians 2:8. They neither devised it, nor loved
it, nor saw its wisdom, 1 Corinthians 2:8. That come to nought. That is,
whose plans fail; whose wisdom vanishes; and who themselves, with all
their pomp and splendour, come to nothing in the grave. Comp.
Isaiah 14. All the plans of human wisdom shall fail; and this which is
originated by God only shall stand.
{*} "Howbeit" "However"
{c} "among them" Philippians 3:15
{*} "that" "who"
{a} "nought" Psalms 33:10
Verse 7. But we speak. We who have preached the gospel.
The wisdom of God. We teach or proclaim the wise plan of God for the
salvation of men; we make known the Divine wisdom in regard to the scheme
of human redemption. This plan was of God, in opposition to other plans
which were of men.
In a mystery, even the hidden wisdom. \~en musthriw thn apokekrummenhn\~.
The words "even" and "wisdom" in this translation have been supplied by our
translators; and the sense would be more perspicuous if they were omitted,
and the translation should be literally made-- "We proclaim the Divine
wisdom hidden in a mystery." The apostle does not say that their
preaching was mysterious, nor that their doctrine was unintelligible;
but he refers to the fact that this wisdom had been hidden in a
mystery from men until that time, but was then revealed by the
gospel. In other words, he does not say that what they then declared was
hidden in a mystery, but that they made known the Divine wisdom which
had been concealed from the minds of men. The word mystery with
us is commonly used in the sense of that which is beyond comprehension;
and it is often applied to such doctrines as exhibit difficulties
which we are not able to explain. But this is not the sense in which it
is commonly used in the Scriptures. See Barnes "Matthew 13:11". Comp.
Campbell on the gospels, Diss. ix. part i. The word properly denotes that
which is concealed or hidden; that which has not yet been known;
and is applied to those truths which, until the revelation of Jesus
Christ, were concealed from men, which were either hidden under
obscure types and shadows or prophecies, or which had been altogether
unrevealed, and unknown to the world. The word stands opposed to that
which and unknown to the world. The word stand opposed to that which is
revealed, not to that which is in itself plain. The doctrines to
which the word relates may in themselves clear and simple, but they are
hidden in mystery until they are revealed. From this radical idea in
the word mystery, however, it came also to be applied not only to
those doctrines which had not been made known, but to those also
which were in themselves deep and difficult; to that which is enigmatical
and obscure, 1 Corinthians 14:2; 1 Timothy 3:16. It is applied also to the secret
designs and purposes of God, Revelation 10.7. The word is most commonly
applied by Paul to the secret and long concealed design of God to make
known his gospel to the Gentiles; to break down the wall between them and
the Jews; and to spread the blessings of the true religion everywhere,
Romans 11:25; 16:25; Ephesians 1:9; 3:9; 6:19. 19. Here it evidently means the
beauty and excellency of the person and plans of Jesus Christ, but which
were in fact unknown to the princes of this world. It does not imply,
of necessity, that they could not have understood them, nor that they
were unintelligible; but that, in fact, whatever was the cause, they
were concealed from them. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 2:8, that had they
known his wisdom, they would not have crucified him--which implies at
least that it was not in itself unintelligible; and he further says, that
this mystery had been revealed to Christians by the Spirit of God,
which proves that he does not here refer to that which is in itself
unintelligible, 1 Corinthians 2:10. "The apostle has here especially in view
the all-wise counsel of God for the salvation of men by Jesus Christ, in
the writings of the Old Testament only obscurely signified, and to
the generality of men utterly unknown.", Bloomfield.
Which God ordained. Which plan, so full of wisdom, God appointed in
his own purpose before the foundation of the world; that is, it was a
plan which from eternity he determined to execute. It was not a new
device; it had not been got up to serve an occasion; but it was a plan
laid deep in the eternal counsel of God, and on which he had his eye for
ever fixed. This passage proves that God had a plan, and that this plan
was eternal. This is all that is involved in the doctrine of eternal
decrees or purposes. And if God had a plan about this, there is the same
reason to think that he had a plan in regard to all things.
Unto our glory. In order that we might be honoured or glorified. This
may refer either to the honour which was put upon Christians in this
life, in being admitted to the privileges of the sons of God; or, more
probably, to that "eternal weight of glory" which remains for them in
heaven, 2 Corinthians 4:17. One design of that plan was to raise the redeemed
to "glory, and honour, and immortality." It should greatly increase our
gratitude to God, that it was a subject of eternal design; that he always
has cherished this purpose; and that he has loved us with such love,
and sought our happiness and salvation with such intensity, that in
order to accomplish it he was willing to give his own Son to die on
a cross.
{+} "mystery" "Which is unknown"
{b} "hidden wisdom" Ephesians 3:5,9
Verse 8. Which none of the princes. None of those rulers who were
engaged in the crucifixion of the Messiah--referring both to the Jewish
rulers and the Roman governor.
Knew. They did not perceive or appreciate the excellency of his
character, the wisdom of his plan, the glory of his scheme of salvation.
Their ignorance arose from not understanding the prophecies, and from an
unwillingness to be convinced that Jesus of Nazareth had been truly sent
by God. In Acts 3:17, Peter says that it was through ignorance that
the Jews had put him to death. See Barnes "Acts 3:17".
For had they known it. Had they fully understood his character, and
seen the wisdom of his plan and his work, they would not have put him to
death. See Barnes "Acts 3:17". Had they seen the hidden wisdom
in that plan--had they understood the glory of his real character,
the truth respecting his incarnation, and the fact that he was the
long-expected: Messiah of their nation, they would not have put him
to death. It is incredible that they would have crucified their
Messiah, knowing him to be such. They might have known it, but they
were unwilling to examine the evidence. They expected a different
Messiah, and were unwilling to admit the claims of Jesus of Nazareth.
For this ignorance, however, there was no excuse. If they had not
a full knowledge, it was their own fault. Jesus had performed miracles
which were a complete attestation to his Divine mission, John 5:36
John 10:25; but they closed their eyes on those works, and were
unwilling to be convinced. God always gives to men sufficient
demonstration of the truth, but they close their eyes, and are
unwilling to believe. This is the sole reason why they are not
converted to God, and saved.
They would not have crucified. It is perfectly manifest that the
Jews would not have crucified their own Messiah, knowing him to be
such. He was the hope and expectation of their nation. All their
desires were centered in him. And to him they looked for deliverance
from all their foes.
The Lord of glory. This expression is a Hebraism, and means "the
glorious Lord;" or the "Messiah." Expressions like this, where a noun
performs the office of an adjective, are common in the Hebrew
language. Grotius supposes that the expression is taken from that
of "the King of glory," in Psalms 24:7-9:
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Be ye Lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
JEHOVAH, strong and mighty;
JEHOVAH, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
JEHOVAH of hosts, he is the King of glory."
God is called "the God of glory" in Acts 7:2. The fact that this
appellation is given to JEHOVAH in the Old Testament, and to the
Lord Jesus in the verse before us, is one of those incidental
circumstances which show how the Lord Jesus was estimated by the
apostles; and how familiarly they applied to him names and titles
which belong only to God. The foundation of this appellation is
laid in his exalted perfections; and in the honour and majesty which
he had with the Father before the world was, John 17:1-5.
{++} "princes" "rulers"
{c} "for had they known it" Luke 23:34
Verse 9. But, as it is written. This passage is quoted from
Isaiah 44:4. It is not quoted literally; but the sense only is given.
The words are found in the apocryphal books of Elijah; and Origen and
Jerome supposed that Paul quoted from those books. But it is evident that
Paul had in his eye the passage in Isaiah; and intended to apply it
to his present purpose. These words are often applied by commentators and
others to the future life, and are supposed by them to be descriptive of
the state of the blessed there. But against the supposition that they
refer directly to the future state, there are insuperable objections.
(1.) The first is, that the passage in Isaiah has no such reference. In
that place it is designed clearly to describe the blessedness of those
who were admitted to the Divine favour; who had communion with God; and
to whom God manifested himself as their Friend. That blessedness is said
to be superior to all that men elsewhere enjoy; to be such as could be
found nowhere else but in God. See Isaiah 44:1,4,6,8. It is used there,
as Paul uses it, to denote the happiness which results from the
communication of the Divine favour to the soul.
(2.) The object of the apostle is not to describe the future state of the
redeemed. It is to prove that those who are Christians have true wisdom,
1 Corinthians 2:6,7; or that they have views of truth, and of the excellence
of the plan of salvation, which the world has not, and which those who
crucified the Lord Jesus did not possess. The thing which he is
describing here is not merely the happiness of Christians, but their
views of the wisdom of the plan of salvation. They have views of
that which the eyes of other men have not seen; a view of wisdom,
and fitness, and beauty, which can be found in no other plan. It is
true that this view is attended with a high degree of comfort; but
the comfort is not the immediate thing in the eye of the apostle.
(3.) The declaration in 1 Corinthians 2:10 is conclusive proof that Paul does
not refer to the happiness of heaven. He there says that God has
revealed these things to Christians by his Spirit. But if already
revealed, assuredly it does not refer to that which is yet to come. But
although this does not refer directly to heaven, there may be an
application of the passage to a future state in an indirect manner,
which is not improper. If there are such manifestations of wisdom
in the plan here; if Christians see so much of its beauty here on
earth; and if their views so far surpass all that the world sees and
enjoys, how much greater and purer will be the manifestations of
wisdom and goodness in the world of glory.
Eye hath not seen. This is the same as saying, that no one had ever
fully perceived and understood the value and beauty of those things which
God had prepared for his people. All the world had been strangers to
this, until God made a revelation to his people by his Spirit. The
blessedness which the apostle referred to had been unknown alike to the
Jews and the Gentiles.
Nor ear heard. We learn the existence and quality of objects by the
external senses; and those senses are used to denote any acquisition of
knowledge. To say that the eye had not seen, nor the ear heard, was,
therefore, the same as saying that it was not known at all. All men had
been ignorant of it.
Neither have entered into the heart of man. No man has conceived
it; or understood it. It is new; and is above all that man has seen,
and felt, and known.
The things which God hath prepared. The things which God "has held in
reserve," Bloomfield; that is, what God has appointed in the gospel
for his people. The thing to which the apostle here refers particularly,
is the wisdom which was revealed in the gospel; but he also intends,
doubtless, to include all the provisions of mercy and happiness which
the gospel makes known to the people of God. Those things relate to the
pardon of sin; to the atonement, and to justification by faith; to the
peace and joy which religion imparts; to the complete and final
redemption from sin and death which the gospel is fitted to produce, and
which it will ultimately effect. In all these respects, the blessings
which the gospel confers surpass the full comprehension of men, and are
infinitely beyond all that man could know or experience without the
religion of Christ. And if on earth the gospel confers such blessings on
its friends, how much higher and purer shall be the joys which it shall
bestow in heaven!
{a} "Eye" Isaiah 44:4
Verse 10. But God hath revealed them. That is, those elevated views
and enjoyments to which men everywhere else had been strangers, and which
have been under all other forms of religion unknown, have been
communicated to us by the revelation of God. This verse commences the
third part of this chapter, in which the apostle shows how these
truths, so full of wisdom, had been communicated to Christians. It had
not been by any native endowments of theirs; not by any strength of
faculties or powers, but solely by revelation from God.
Unto us. That is, first to the apostles; secondly, to all
Christians--to the church and the world through their inspired
instructors; and, thirdly, to all Christians, by the illuminating agency
of the Spirit on their hearts. The connexion shows that he did not
mean to confine this declaration to the apostles merely, for his
design was to show that all Christians had this knowledge of the true
wisdom. It was true that this was revealed in an eminent manner
to the apostles, and through their inspired preaching and writings;
but it is also true, that the same truths are communicated by the
agency of the same Spirit to all Christians, John 16:12-14. No
truth is now communicated to Christians which was not revealed to
and by the inspired writers; but the same truths are imparted by
means of their writings, and by the illumination of the Spirit, to all
the true friends of God.
By his Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, that was promised by the Saviour,
John 14:26; 15:26,27; 16:7-14. This proves,
(1.) that men by nature are not able to discover the deep things of
God--the truths which are needful to salvation,
(2.) That the apostles were inspired by the Holy Ghost; and if so, then
the Scriptures are inspired.
(3.) That all Christians are the subjects of the teaching of the Holy
Spirit; that these truths are made known to them by his illumination; and
that but for this, they would remain in the same darkness as other men.
For the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11.
Searcheth. This word does not fully express the force of the
original, \~ereuna\~. It means to search accurately, diligently, so as
fully to understand; such profound research as to have thorough
knowledge. So David uses the Hebrew word \^HEBREW\^ in Psalms 139:1.
So the word is used to denote a careful and accurate investigation of
secret and obscure things, in 1 Peter 1:11. Comp. John 7:52;
Romans 8:27; Revelation 2:23, where it is used to denote that profound and
accurate search by which the desires and feelings of the heart are
known--implying the most profound knowledge of which we can have any
conception. See Proverbs 20:27. Here it means, that the Holy Spirit has an
intimate knowledge of all things. It is not to be supposed that he
searches or inquires as men do who are ignorant: but that he has an
intimate and profound knowledge, such as is usually the result of a
close and accurate search. The result is what the apostle means to
state--the accurate, profound, and thorough knowledge, such as
usually attends research. He does not state the mode in which it is
obtained; but the fact. And he uses a word more emphatic than
simple knowledge, because he designs to indicate that his knowledge
is profound, entire, and thorough.
All things. All subjects; all laws; all events; all beings.
The deep things of God. He has a thorough knowledge of the hidden
counsels or purposes of God; of all his plans and purposes. He sees all
his designs. He sees all his counsels; all his purposes in regard to the
government of the universe, and the scheme of salvation. He knows all
whom God designs to save; he sees all that they need; and he sees how the
plan of God is fitted to their salvation. This passage proves,
(1.) that the Spirit is, in some respects, distinct from the Father,
or from him who is here called God. Else how could he be said to
search all things, even the deep purposes of God? To search
implies action, thought, personality. An attribute of God cannot be
said to search. How could it be said of the justice, the goodness,
the power, or the wisdom of God, that it searches, or acts? To
search, is the action of an intelligent agent, and cannot be performed by
an attribute.
(2.) The Spirit is omniscient. He searches or clearly understands "all
things"--the very definition of omniscience. He understands all
the profound plans and counsels of God. And how can there be a higher
demonstration of omniscience than to know God? But if omniscient, the
Holy Spirit is Divine--for this is one of the incommunicable attributes
of God, 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalms 139:1; Jeremiah 17:10;
(3.) He is not a distinct being from God. There is a union
between him and God, such as may be compared to the union between a man
and his soul, 1 Corinthians 2:11. God is one; and though he subsists as
Father, Son, and Spirit, yet he is one God, Deuteronomy 6:4. This passage is,
therefore, a very important and a decisive one, in regard to the
personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit.
{b} "but God" John 16:13
{c} "deep things of God" Romans 11:33
Verse 11. For what man, etc. The design of this is to illustrate what
he had just said by a reference to the way in which man acquires a
knowledge of himself. The purpose is to show that the Spirit has
an exact and thorough knowledge of the things of God; and this is
done by the very striking thought that no man can know his own
mind, his own plans and intentions, but himself--his own spirit.
The essential idea is, that no man can know another; that his
thoughts and designs can only be known by himself, or by his own
spirit; and that unless he chooses to reveal them to others, they
cannot ascertain them. So of God. No man can penetrate his designs; and,
unless he chooses to make them known by his Spirit, they must for ever
remain inscrutable to human view.
The things of a man. The "deep things"--the hidden counsels,
thoughts, plans, intentions.
Save the spirit of man, etc. Except his own mind; i.e., himself. No
other man can fully know them. By the spirit of man here, Paul designs to
denote the human soul--or the intellect of man. It is not to be supposed
that he here intends to convey the idea that there is a perfect
resemblance between the relation which the soul of man bears to the man,
and the relation which the Holy Spirit bears to God. The illustration is
to be taken in regard to the point immediately before him; which is, that
no one could know and communicate the deep thoughts and plans of God
except his Spirit; just as no one could penetrate into the intentions of
a man, and fully know them, but himself. The passage proves, therefore,
that there is a knowledge which the Spirit has of God, which no man, no
angel can obtain; just as every man's spirit has a knowledge of his own
plans which no other man can obtain; that the Spirit of God can
communicate his plans and deep designs, just as a man can communicate
his own intentions; and, consequently, that while there is a
distinction of some kind between the Spirit of God and God, as there
is a distinction which makes it proper to say that a man has an
intelligent soul, yet there is such a profound and intimate knowledge of
God by the Spirit, that he must be equal with him; and such an intimate
union, that he can be called" the Spirit of God," and be one with God, as
the human soul can be called "the spirit of the man," and be one with
him. In all respects we are not to suppose that there is a similarity. In
these points there is. It may be added, that the union, the
oneness of the Spirit of God with God, is no more absurd or
inexplicable than the union of the spirit of man with the man; or the
oneness of the complex person made up of body and soul, which we call
man. When men have explained all the difficulties about themselves,
in regard to their own bodies and spirits, it will be time to advance
objections against the doctrines here stated in regard to God.
Even so. To the same extent; in like manner.
The things of God. His deep purposes and plans.
Knoweth no man. Man cannot search into them, any more than one man
can search the intentions of another.
{a} "man" Proverbs 14:10
{b} "so the things" Romans 11:33,34
Verse 12. Now we have received. We who are Christians; and especially
we the apostles. The following verse shows that he had himself and the
other apostles chiefly in view; though it is true of all Christians that
they have received, not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is
of God.
Not the spirit of the world. Not the wisdom and knowledge which this
world can give; not the learning and philosophy which were so much
valued in Greece. The views of truth which we have, are not such as this
world gives, but are such as are communicated by the Spirit of God.
But the Spirit which is of God. We are under the teachings and
influence of the Holy Spirit.
That we might know. That we might fully understand and appreciate.
The Spirit is given to us, in order that we might fully understand the
favours which God has conferred on us in the gospel. It was not only
necessary that God should grant the blessings of redemption by the gift
of his Son; but, such was the hardness and blindness of the human heart,
it was needful that he should grant his Holy Spirit also, that men might
be brought fully to see and appreciate the value of those favours. For
men do not see them by nature; neither does any one see them who is not
enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God.
The things that are freely given us. That are conferred on us as a
matter of grace or favour. He here refers to the blessings of redemption;
the pardon of sin, justification, sanctification, the Divine favour and
protection, and the hope of eternal life. These things we know; they are
not matters of conjecture, but are surely and certainly confirmed to us
by the Holy Spirit. It is possible for all Christians to know and be
fully assured of the truth of those things, and of their interest in
them.
{c} "the spirit" Romans 8:15
{d} "we might know" 1 John 5:20
{*} "of God" "By God"
Verse 13. Which things also we speak. Which great, and glorious, and
certain truths, we, the apostles, preach and explain.
Not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth. Not such as human
philosophy or eloquence would dictate. They do not have their origin in
the devices of human wisdom, and they are not expressed in such words
-of dazzling and attractive rhetoric as would be employed by those
who pride themselves on the wisdom of this world.
But which the Holy Ghost teacheth. That is, in the words which the
Holy Ghost imparts to us. Locke understands this as referring to the
fact, that the apostles used "the language and expressions "which the
Holy Ghost had taught in the revelations of the Scriptures. But this is
evidently giving a narrow view of the subject. The apostle is speaking of
the whole course of instruction by which the deep things of God were made
known to the Christian church; and all this was not made known in the
very words which were already contained in the Old Testament. He
evidently refers to the fact that the apostles were themselves under the
direction of the Holy Spirit, in the words and doctrines which they
imparted; and this passage is a full proof that they laid claim to Divine
inspiration. It is further observable that he says that this was done in
such "words" as the Holy Ghost taught--referring not to the doctrines or
subjects merely, but to the manner of expressing them. It is evident here
that he lays claim to an inspiration in regard to the words which he
used, or to the manner of his stating the doctrines of revelation. Words
are the signs of thoughts; and if God designed that his truth should be
accurately expressed in human language, there must have been a
supervision over the words used, that such should be employed, and
such only, as should accurately express the sense which he intended
to convey.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual. \~pneumatikoiv pneumatika\~
\~sugkrinontev\~. This expression has been very variously interpreted; and
is very difficult of explanation. Le Clerc renders it, "Speaking spiritual
things to spiritual men." Most of the Fathers rendered it, "Comparing the
things which were written by the Spirit of the Old Testament, with what is
now revealed to us by the same Spirit, and confirming our doctrine by them."
Calvin renders the word "comparing," by fitting, or adapting,
(aptare,) and says that it means, that "he adapted spiritual things
to spiritual men, while he accommodated words to the thing; that is, he
tempered that celestial wisdom of the Spirit with simple language, and
which conveyed by itself the native energy of the Spirit. Thus, he says,
he reproves the vanity of those who attempted to secure human applause
by a turgid and subtle mode of argument. Grotius accords with the
Fathers, and renders it, "Explaining those things which the prophets
spake by the Spirit of God, by those things which Christ has made
known to us by his Spirit." Macknight renders it, "Explaining
spiritual things in words taught by the Spirit." So Doddridge.
The word rendered "comparing," \~sugkrinontev\~, means, properly,
to collect, join, mingle, unite together; then to separate or distinguish
parts of things, and unite them into one; then to judge of the qualities
of objects by carefully separating or distinguishing; then to compare
for the purpose of judging, etc. As it means to compare one thing with
another for the purpose of explaining its nature, it comes to signify, to
interpret, to explain; and in this sense it is often used by the
LXX. as a translation of \^HEBREW\^--Phathar---to open, unfold,
explain, (see Genesis 40:8,16,22; 41:12,15;) also of \^HEBREW\^ to
explain, (Numbers 15:34;) and of the Chaldee, \^HEBREW\^,
(Daniel 5:15,17.) See also Daniel 2:4-7,9,16,24,26,30,36,45
Daniel 4:3,4,6,16,17; 5:7,8,13,16,18,20; 7:16; in all which places the
noun, \~sugkrisiv\~ is used in the same sense. In this sense the word is,
doubtless, used here, and is to be interpreted in the sense of
explaining, unfolding. There is no reason, either in the word here
used, or in the argument of the apostle, why the sense of comparing
should be retained.
Spiritual things. (\~pneumatika\~.) Things, doctrines, subjects that
pertain to the teaching of the Spirit. It does not mean things spiritual
in opposition to fleshly; or intellectual in opposition to things
pertaining to matter; but spiritual as the things referred to were
such as were wrought, and revealed by the Holy Spirit--his doctrines on
the subject of religion under the new dispensation, and his influence on
the heart.
With spiritual. (\~pneumatikoiv\~.) This is an adjective; and may be either
masculine or neuter. It is evident that some noun is understood. That may
be either,
(1.) \~anyrwpoiv\~ men--and then it will mean, "to spiritual men"--that
is, to men who are enlightened or taught by the Spirit--and thus many
commentators understand it; or,
(2,) it may be \~logoiv\~, words; and then it may mean, either
that the "spiritual things" were explained by "words" and illustrations
drawn from the writings of the Old Testament, inspired by the Spirit--as
most of the Fathers and many moderns understand it; or that the "things
spiritual" were explained by words which the Holy Spirit then
communicated, and which were adapted to the subject--simple, pure,
elevated; not gross, not turgid, not distinguished for rhetoric, and
not such as the Greeks sought, but such as became the Spirit of God
communicating great, sublime, yet simple truths to men. It will then
mean, "Explaining doctrines that pertain to the Spirit's teaching and
influence in words that are taught by the same Spirit, and that are
fitted to convey in the most intelligent able manner those doctrines to
men." Here the idea of the Holy Spirit's present agency is kept up
throughout; the idea that he communicates the doctrine, and the mode of
stating it to man. The supposition that \~logoiv\~ (words) is the word
understood here, is favoured by the fact that it occurs in the previous
part of this verse. And if this be the sense, it means that the words
which were used by the apostles were pure, simple, unostentatious, and
undistinguished, by display--such as became doctrines taught by the
Holy Spirit, when communicated in words suggested by the same Spirit.
{e} "not in the words" 1 Corinthians 1:17
Verse 14. But the natural man. (\~qucikov de anyrwpov\~.) The word natural
here stands opposed evidently to spiritual. It denotes those who are
governed and influenced by the natural instincts; the animal passions and
desires, in opposition to those who are influenced by the Spirit of God.
It refers to unregenerate men; but it has also not merely the idea of
their being unregenerate, but that of their being influenced by the
animal passions or desires. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 15:44". The word
sensual would correctly express the idea. The word is used by the
Greek writers to denote that which man has in common with the brutes; to
denote that they are under the influence of the senses, or the mere
animal nature, in opposition to reason and conscience. Bretschneider.
See 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Here it denotes that they are under the influence of
the senses, or the animal nature, in opposition to being influenced by
the Spirit of God. Macknight and Doddridge render it, "the animal man."
Whitby understands by it the man who rejects revelation, the man who is
under the influence of carnal wisdom. The word occurs but six times in
the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:44 twice, 1 Corinthians 15:46; James 3:15
Jude 1:19. In 1 Corinthians 15:44,46, it is rendered "natural," and is
applied to the body as it exists before death, in contradistinction from
that which shall exist after the resurrection-- called a spiritual body.
In James 3:15, it is applied to wisdom: "This wisdom is earthly,
surreal, devilish." In Jude 1:19, it is applied to sensual persons,
or those who are governed by the senses, in opposition to those who are
influenced by the Spirit: "These be they who separate themselves,
sensual, having not the Spirit." The word here evidently denotes
those who are under the influence of the senses; who are governed by the
passions and the animal appetites, and natural desires; and who are
uninfluenced by the Spirit of God. And it may be observed that
this was the case with the great mass of the heathen world, even
including the philosophers.
Receiveth not. \~ou decetai\~. Does not embrace or comprehend
them. That is, he rejects them as folly; he does not perceive their
beauty or their wisdom; he despises them. He loves other things better. A
man of intemperance does not receive or love the arguments for
temperance; a man of licentiousness, the arguments for chastity; a liar,
the arguments for truth. So a sensual or worldly man does not receive or
love the arguments for religion.
The things of the Spirit of God. The doctrines which are inspired by
the Holy Spirit, and the things which pertain to his influence on the
heart and life. The things of the Spirit of God here denote all the
things which the Holy Spirit produces.
Neither can he know them. Neither can he understand or comprehend
them. Perhaps, also, the word know here implies also the idea of
loving, or approving of them, as it often does in the Scripture.
Thus, to know the Lord often means to love him, to have a full, practical
acquaintance with him. When the apostle says that the animal or sensual
man cannot know those things, he may have reference to one of two
things. Either,
(1.) that those doctrines were not discoverable by human wisdom, or by
any skill which the natural man may have, but were to be learned only by
revelation. This is the main drift of his argument, and this sense is
given by Locke and Whitby. Or,
(2.) he may mean that the sensual, the unrenewed man cannot perceive
their beauty and their force, even after they are revealed to
man, unless the mind is enlightened and inclined by the Spirit of
God. This is probably the sense of the passage. This is the simple
affirmation of a fact, that while the man remains sensual and carnal,
he cannot perceive the beauty of those doctrines. And this is a
simple and well-known fact. It is a truth--universal and lamentable-that
the sensual man, the worldly man, the proud, haughty, and self-confident
man; the man under the influence of his animal appetites--licentious,
false, ambitious, and vain--does not perceive any beauty in
Christianity. So the intemperate man perceives no beauty in the arguments
for temperance; the adulterer, no beauty in the arguments for chastity;
the liar, no beauty in the arguments for truth. It is a simple fact, that
while he is intemperate, or licentious, or false, he can perceive no
beauty in these doctrines. But this does not prove that he has no natural
faculties for perceiving the force and beauty of these arguments; or that
he might not apply his mind to their investigation, and be brought to
embrace them; or that he might not abandon the love of intoxicating
drinks, and sensuality, and falsehood, and be a man of temperance,
purity, and truth. He has all the natural faculties which are requisite
in the case; and all the inability is his strong love of intoxicating
drinks, or impurity, or falsehood. So of the sensual sinner. While
he thus remains in love with sin, he cannot perceive the beauty of
the plan of salvation, or the excellency of the doctrines of religion.
He needs just the love of these things, and the hatred of sin. He
needs to cherish the influences of the Spirit; to receive what he has
taught, and not to reject it through the love of sin; he needs to yield
himself to their influences, and then their beauty will be seen. The
passage here proves that, while a man is thus sensual, the things of
the Spirit will appear to him to be folly; it proves nothing about
his ability, or his natural faculty, to see the excellency of these
things, and to turn from his sin. It is the affirmation of a simple
fact everywhere discernible, that the natural man does not perceive
the beauty of these things; that while he remains in that state he
cannot; and that if he is ever brought to perceive their beauty, it
will be by the influence of the Holy Spirit. Such is his love of sin,
that he never will be brought to see their beauty except by the
agency of the Holy Spirit. "For wickedness perverts the judgment,
and makes men err with respect to practical principles; so that no
one can be wise and judicious who is not good."--Aristotle, as quoted
by Bloomfield.
They are spiritually discerned. That is, they are perceived by the
aid of the Holy Spirit enlightening the mind and influencing the heart.
{*} "natural man" "Carnal"
{a} "receiveth not" Matthew 13:11; Romans 8:5,7
{+} "discerned" "discerneth"
Verse 15. But he that is spiritual. The man who is enlightened by the
Holy Spirit, in contradistinction from him who is under the influence
of the senses only.
Judge. Greek, Discerneth, (margin;) the same word as in the
previous verse. It means, that the spiritual man has a discernment of
those truths in regard to which the sensual man was blind and ignorant.
All things. Not absolutely all things; or not that he is omniscient;
but that he has a view of those things to which the apostle had
reference--that is, to the things which are revealed to man by the Holy
Spirit.
Yet he himself is judged. Greek, as in the margin, "is discerned;"
that is, his feelings, principles, views, hopes, fears, joys, cannot be
fully understood and appreciated by any natural or sensual man. He does
not comprehend the principles which actuate him; he does not enter into
his joys; he does not sympathize with him in his feelings. This is
a matter of simple truth and universal observation. The reason is
added in the following verse--that as the Christian is influenced by
the Lord, and as the natural man does not know him, so he cannot
know him who is influenced by him that is, the Christian.
{b} "he that is spiritual" Proverbs 28:5
{1} "judgeth" "discerneth"
{++} "all things" "searcheth out"
{+} "discerned" "searched out"
Verse 16. For who hath known, etc. This passage is quoted from
Isaiah 40:13. The interrogative form is a strong mode of denying that
any one has ever known the mind of the Lord. The argument of Paul
is this: "No one can understand God. No one can fully comprehend his
plans, his feelings, his views, his designs. No one by nature, under the
influence of sense and passion, is either disposed to investigate his
truths, or loves them when they are revealed. But the Christian is
influenced by God. He has his Spirit. He has the mind of Christ, who had
the mind of God. He sympathizes with Christ; he has his feelings,
desires, purposes, and plans. And as no one can fully understand God by
nature, so neither can he understand him who is influenced by God, and is
like him; and it is not to be wondered at that he regards the Christian
religion as folly, and the Christian as a fool.
The mind of Christ. The views, feelings, and temper of Christ. We are
influenced by his Spirit.
REMARKS
(1.) Ministers of the gospel should not be too anxious to be
distinguished for excellency of speech or language, 1 Corinthians 2:1. Their
aim should be to speak the simple truth, in language pure and
intelligible to all. Let it be remembered, that if there ever was any
place where it would be proper to seek such graces of eloquence, it was
Corinth. If in any city now, or in any refined and genteel society, it
would be proper, it would have been proper in Corinth. Let this thought
rebuke those who, when they preach to a gay and fashionable auditory,
seek to fill their sermons with ornament rather than with solid thought;
with the tinsel of rhetoric, rather than with pure language. Paul was
right in his course, and was wise. True taste abhors meretricious
ornaments, as much as the gospel does. And the man who is called to
preach in a rich and fashionable congregation should remember that he is
stationed there not to please the ear, but to save the soul; that his
object is not to display his talent or his eloquence, but to rescue his
hearers from ruin. This purpose will make the mere ornaments of rhetoric
appear small. It will give seriousness to his discourse; gravity to his
diction; unction to his eloquence; heart to his arguments; and success to
his ministry.
(2.) The purpose of every minister should be like that of Paul, to
preach Christ and him crucified only. See Barnes "1 Corinthians 2:2".
(3.) If Paul trembled at Corinth in view of dangers and difficulties;
if he was conscious of his own weakness and feebleness, then we should
learn also to be humble. He is not much in danger of erring who imitates
the example of this great apostle. And if he who had received a direct
commission from the great Head of the church, and who was endowed with
such mighty powers, was modest, unassuming, and diffident, then it
becomes ministers of the gospel now, and all others, to be humble also.
We should not, indeed, be afraid of men; but we should be modest, humble,
and lowly; much impressed, as if conscious of our mighty charge; and
anxious to deliver just such a message as God will approve and bless,
"Would I describe a preacher, such as Paul.
Were he on earth, would hear, approve, and own,
Paul should himself direct me. I would trace
His master-strokest and draw from his design.
I would express him simple, grave, sincere;
In doctrine uncorrupt; in language plain:
And plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste,
And natural in gesture; much impress'd
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge;
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds
May feel it too. Affectionate in look,
And tender in address, as well becomes
A messenger of grace to guilty men."--Cowper's Task, b. ii
Our aim should be to commend our message to every man's conscience; and
to do it with humility towards God, and deep solicitude; with boldness
towards our fellow-men--respectfully towards them--but still resolved to
tell the truth, 1 Corinthians 2:3.
(4.) The faith of Christians does not stand in the wisdom of man.
Every Christian has evidence in his own heart, in his experience,
and in the transformation of his character, that none but God could
have wrought the change on his soul. His hopes, his joys, his peace,
is sanctification, his love of prayer, of the Bible, of Christians, of
God, and of Christ, are all such as nothing could have produced but
the mighty power of God. All these bear marks of their high origin.
They are the work of God on the soul. And as the Christian is
fully conscious that these are not the native feelings of his heart--
that if left to himself he would never have had them--so he has the
fullest demonstration that they are to be traced to a Divine Source.
And can he be mistaken about their existence? Can a man doubt
whether he has joy, and peace, and happiness? Is the infidel to tell
him coolly that he must be mistaken in regard to the existence of
these emotions, and that it is all delusion.a Can a child doubt
whether it loves a parent; a husband whether he loves his wife; a
friend, a friend; a man, his country? And can he doubt whether
this emotion produces joy ? And can a man doubt whether he loves
God. Whether he has different views from what he once had?
Whether he has peace and joy in view of the character of God and
the hope of heaven? And by what right shall the infidel tell him
that he is mistaken, and that all this is delusion? How can he enter
into the soul, and pronounce the man who professes to have these
feelings mistaken? What should we think of the man who should
tell a wife that she did not love her husband; or a father that he
did not love his children? How can he know this? And, in like
manner, how can an infidel and a scoffer say to a Christian, that all
his hopes and joys, his love and peace, are delusion and fanaticism?
The truth is, that the great mass of Christians are just as well
satisfied of the truth of religion, as they are of their own existence;
and that a Christian will die for his love to the Saviour, just as he
will die for his wife, and children, and country. Martyrdom in the one
case is on the same principle as martyrdom in the other. Martyrdom in
either is noble and honourable, and evinces the highest qualities and
principles of the human mind.
(5.) Christians are influenced by true wisdom, 1 Corinthians 6. They are
not fools, though they appear to be to their fellow-men. They see
a real beauty and wisdom in the plan of redemption which the world
does not discern. It is not the wisdom of this world; but it is the
wisdom which looks to eternity. Is a man a fool who acts with
reference to the future? Is he a fool who behaves that he shall live
to all eternity, and who regards it as proper to make preparation for
that eternity? Is he a fool who acts as if he were to die--to be
judged--to enter on an unchanging destiny? Folly is manifested in
closing the eyes on the reality of the condition; not in looking at it
as it is. The man who is sick, and who strives to convince himself
that he is well; the man whose affairs are in a state of bankruptcy,
and who is unwilling to know it, is a fool. The man who is willing to
know all about his situation, and to act accordingly, is a wise
man. The one represents the conduct of a sinner, the other that of
a Christian. A man who should see his child drowning, or his house
on fire, or the pestilence breathing around him, and be unconcerned,
or dance amidst such scenes, would be a fool or a madman. And is
not the sinner who is gay and thoughtless over the grave and over
hell equally foolish and mad? And if there be a God, a heaven, a
Saviour, and a hell; if men are to die, and to be judged, is he not wise
who acts as if it were so, and who lives accordingly? While
Christians, therefore, may not be distinguished for the wisdom of this
world --while many are destitute of learning, science, and eloquence,
they have a wisdom which shall survive when all other is vanished away.
(6.) All the wisdom of this world shall come to nought, 1 Corinthians 2:6.
What will be the value of political sagacity, when all governments
shall come to an end but the Divine government? What the value
of eloquence and graceful diction, when we stand at the judgment-seat of
Christ? What the value of science in this world, when all shall be
revealed with the clearness of noonday? How low will appear all human
attainments in that world, when the light of eternal day shall be shed
over all the works of God! How little can human science do to advance the
eternal interests of man! And how shall all fade away in the future world
of glory--just as the feeble glimmering of the stars fades away before
the light of the morning sun! How little, therefore, should we pride
ourselves on the highest attainments of science, and the most elevated
distinctions of learning and eloquence.
(7.) God has a purpose in regard to the salvation of men, 1 Corinthians 2:7.
This scheme was ordained before the world. It was not a new device.
It was not the offspring of chance, an accident, or an after thought.
It was because God purposed it from eternity. God has a plan; and
this plan contemplates the salvation of his people. And it greatly
enhances the value of this benevolent plan in the eyes of his people,
that it has been the object of the eternal earnest desire and
purpose of God. How much a gift is enhanced in value from the fact
that it has been long the purpose of a parent to bestow it; that he has
toiled for it; that he has made arrangements for it; and that this has
been the chief object of his efforts and his plan for years. So the
favours of eternal redemption are bestowed on Christians as the fruit of
the eternal purpose and desire of God. And how should our hearts rise
in gratitude to him for his unspeakable gift!
(8.) One great and prominent cause of sin is the fact that men are
blind to the reality and beauty of spiritual objects. So it was with
those who crucified the Lord, 1 Corinthians 2:8. Had they seen his glory as
it was, they would not have crucified him. And so it is now.
When men blaspheme God, they see not his excellency; when they
revile religion, they know not its real value; when they break the
laws of God, they do not fully discern their purity and their
importance. It is true they are wilfully ignorant, and their crime is
often enhanced by this fact; but it is equally true that "they know
not what they do." For such poor, blind, deluded mortals the
Saviour prayed; and for such we should all pray. The man that
curses God has no just sense of what he is doing. The man who is
profane, and a scoffer, and a liar, and an adulterer, has no just sense
of the awful nature of his crime; and is an object of commiseration
--while his sin should be hated--and is a proper subject of
prayer.
(9.) Men are often committing the most awful crimes when they
are unconscious of it, 1 Corinthians 2:8. What crime could compare with that
of crucifying the only Son of God? And what crime could be attended with
more dreadful consequences to its perpetrators? So of sinners now. They
little know what they do; and they little know the consequences of their
sins. A man may curse his Maker, and say it is in sport!--But how will it
be regarded in the day of judgment? A man may revile the Saviour!--But
how will it appear when he dies? It is a solemn thing to trifle with God,
and with his laws. A man is safer when he sports on a volcano, or when he
makes a jest of the pestilence or the forked lightnings of heaven, than
when he sports with religion and with God! In a world like this, men
should be serious, and fear God. A single deed, like that of the
crucifixion of Christ, may be remembered when all the circumstances of
sport and mockery shall have passed away--remembered when the
world shall be destroyed, and stars and suns shall rush to ruin.
(10.) Christians have views of the beauties of religion, and have
consolations arising from these views, which the world has not,
1 Corinthians 2:9. They have different views of God, of Christ, of heaven, of
eternity. They see a beauty in all these things, and a wisdom in the
plan of salvation, which the men of the world do not see. The
contemplations of this beauty and wisdom, and the evidence which they
have that they are interested in all this, gives them a joy which the
world does not possess. They see what the eye has not elsewhere
seen; they enjoy what men elsewhere have not enjoyed; and they
are elevated to privileges which men elsewhere do not possess. On
earth they partake of happiness which the world never can give;
and in heaven they shall partake of the fairness of that joy--of
pleasures there which the eye had not before seen, nor the ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived. Who would not be a Christian?
(11.) The Holy Ghost is, in some sense, distinct from the Father.
This is implied in his action as an agent--in searching, knowing,
etc., 1 Corinthians 2:10,11. An attribute, a quality, does not search and
know.
(12.) The Holy Spirit is Divine. None can know God but one equal to
himself. If the Spirit intimately knows the wisdom, the goodness, the
omniscience, the eternity, the power of God, he must be Divine. No
created being can have this intelligence, 1 Corinthians 2:10,11.
(13.) Christians are actuated by a different spirit from the men of
this world, 1 Corinthians 2:12. They are influenced by a regard to God and
his glory. The men of the world are under the influence of pride,
avarice, sensuality, ambition, and vainglory.
(14.) The sinner does not perceive the beauty of the things of
religion. To all this beauty he is blind. This is a sober and a most
melancholy fact. Whatever may be the cause of it, the fact is
undeniable and sad. It is so with the sensualist; with the men of
avarice, pride, ambition, and licentiousness. The gospel is regarded
as folly, and is despised and scorned by the men of this world.
This is true in all places, among all people, and at all times. To
this there are no exceptions in human nature; and over this we
should sit down and weep.
(15.) The reason of this is, that men love darkness. It is not that
they are destitute of the natural faculties for loving God, for they
have as strong native powers as those who become Christians. It is
because they love sin--and this simple fact, carried out into all its
bearings, will account for all the difficulties in the way of the
sinner's conversion. There is nothing else; and,
(16.) We see here the value of the influences of the Spirit. It is
by this Spirit alone that the mind of the Christian is enlightened,
sanctified, and comforted. It is by him alone that he sees the beauty
of the religion which he loves; it is by his influence alone that he
differs from his fellow-men. And no less important is it for the
sinner. Without the influences of that Spirit his mind will always
be in darkness, and his heart will always hate the gospel. How
anxiously, therefore, should he cherish his influences! How careful
should he be not to grieve him away!
(17.) There is a difference between Christians and other men. One is
enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the other not; one sees a beauty in
religion, to the other it is folly; the one has the mind of
Christ, the other has the spirit of the world; the one discerns the
excellency of the plan of salvation, to the other all is darkness and
folly. How could beings differ more in their moral feelings and
views than do Christians and the men of this world?
{a} "who hath" Isaiah 40:13; Jeremiah 23:18
{1} "he may instruct him" "shall"
{b} "the mind of Christ" John 17:8
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