1st Corinthians Lesson 2: Wisdom of God vs. Wisdom of Men Introduction Today I told my granddaughter a clever joke that always gets laughs. I spoke slowly and clearly to make sure she understood. Her eager eyes looked straight into mine as I told her the joke. When I finished the punch line her facial expression did not change. Her serious expression reflected her thoughts, I m listening Grandpa, keep going. I m waiting for the funny part! She wanted so badly to understand you could see it in her face as she strained to figure it out. We had connected on one level. We both spoke English; we both wanted to communicate. We both knew we loved each other, but she went away not understanding humor that was way over her head. She needs to grow, learn, experience life, and develop her intellect and awareness. Then one day she will understand the joke and laugh at its great punch line. Bearing in mind her age and development level, I realized I had to keep my jokes simple for her. Paul had a similar problem. He had received stupendous revelations from God and had even been transported into the third heavens. He had seen things that could not be described in words (2 Cor 12:2-4). He had met Jesus on the road to Damascus; before that he had studied the Jewish Torah in Jerusalem with the brightest of the rabbis Gamaliel himself. All this knowledge and all the revelations had even given him a tendency toward pride. For this reason God gave him a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble (2 Cor 12:7). Accordingly, Paul now chose not to boast about any of these things, instead speaking only about his weakness (2 Cor 12:5). 13
1 Corinthians 2:1-16 1 When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, 10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what person knows a man s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit. 14 The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. One of the best ways to meditate upon God s Word is through memorization. A suggested memory is printed in bold within the Biblical text or you may wish to choose a verse of your own. The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Points to Ponder Infants in Christ Paul was bubbling over with profound spiritual insight, deep theological understanding, and unspeakable heavenly wisdom; yet his problem was getting others to understand him. Just as my granddaughter stared blankly at the punch line of my joke, so Paul experienced the same incomprehension from the Corinthians who were still infants in Christ, in need of milk not meat. In the second chapter of this epistle, Paul expresses his frustration with the Corinthians fleshliness and lack of spirituality that limited what they could understand and thus what he could teach. In the first chapter Paul began to correct the problem of divisions and dissensions within the Corinthian church. In 1 Cor 2 some would say Paul digressed, while others would suggest that he backed up a bit in order to lay a foundation of understanding before he returned to the problem of divisions. In fact, Paul begins chapter three continuing where he left off in the first chapter. 14
So Paul travels back in time to the day when he first got off the ship in Cenchreae and walked ten miles inland to arrive in Corinth. He writes, When I came to you, brethren, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling; and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1 Cor 2:1-5). Weakness and Trembling When Paul arrived in Corinth he came in weakness, fear, and trembling. He mentions this weakness several times to the Corinthians, so it must have been very apparent. Rhetorical eloquence was not his method here; rather, he came demonstrating the power of God which was manifested through his own weakness. Had he come as a superstar with boasting and showmanship, it would have been himself who was front and center and not the Spirit of God. However, we know that Paul did argue vigorously with the Jews, persuading both Jews and Gentiles. There were some in Corinth who opposed Paul and boasted of their own ability to talk, but Paul challenges them:...the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. We are not sure what Paul s fear and trembling consisted of, or what caused it. There might have been threats on his life as there had been in other cities. We are told that the Lord came to Paul: And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city. And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. We are not told of any great miracles or demonstrations of God s power exercised among the Corinthians other than the transforming power of the gospel in their lives and the gifts of the Spirit that were abundantly exercised within the church, gifts such as tongues, healing, and other miraculous manifestations of the Spirit. In various cities Paul raised the dead, cast out demons, or demonstrated other outward signs of God s power. We are not told of any such miracles in Corinth. This doesn t mean they never happened, only that we are not told of any specific incidents. Paul s success at Corinth was the result not of his own eloquence, but of the power of God working through his weakness to the conversion of souls. The Wisdom of God Paul did, however, speak profound wisdom, although the wisdom he expounded was not the wisdom of men or the world, but the deep, mysterious wisdom of God. This wisdom from the age to come was spoken to those who were mature. He writes, Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. Paul is not referring here to riddles or mysteries as we might think of them today. He is referring to the incomprehensible mind and plan of God that is so ancient that it predates the creation of the universe and also to the sin that marred his creation. A mystery is something undiscoverable without divine revelation. In the biblical context a mystery is something not yet revealed, still unknown. God had a plan decreed before the ages, but it is only now being revealed, namely through the preaching of Paul. The love and wisdom of God was not disclosed until the God-Man appeared and fulfilled the plan of God. Wise men and sages could not have comprehended it. Even Satan and his minions of evil missed it, or they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. What Paul calls the rulers of this age could refer to the human leaders who crucified Christ (e.g., Pilate, Herod, or Caiaphas), or to the power of Satan and his evil spirits behind these leaders, or to both. Many Fathers of the Church (e.g., Cyril of Alexandria) thought this referred to Satan and others leaders in Judea. Most modern commentators think Paul is referring to human leaders. If so, the human rulers who crucified Christ are representative of all leaders and rulers who are ignorant of, or opposed to, the truth and wisdom of God. In verse 9, Paul loosely cites a passage from the Old Testament, presumably from memory. What he cites, however, is not found anywhere in the Scriptures exactly as he writes it. It appears that he is recalling Isaiah 64:4 which says in the Hebrew Bible: From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides thee, who works for those who wait for him. Remember, Paul is speaking in Corinth where the adversaries of God don t understand him and resist him. Yet the 15
power of God is revealing his wisdom, and it is seen by those who await him and live righteously. Even for those who have sinned and lived apart from God, he still deigns to bring them salvation. Paul is saying that God does not change -- what Isaiah spoke of more than seven hundred years earlier is still true today. God is willing to show those who love him things that the worldly wise could never conceive or comprehend. The Spirit of God And how does God reveal these things to those who love him? Through his Spirit (v. 10-11), for just as no one knows what I am thinking except myself, so no one understands the mind of God except the Spirit of God. If I choose to disclose my thoughts to others to remove the mystery and reveal my plans -- then the mystery is known to others. In the same way, it is the Spirit of God who reveals the mysteries of God. And what is this Spirit? Two things need to be mentioned. First, Paul tells us it is not the spirit of the world, but something very different. It is the Spirit who is from God. The Spirit is love, and God s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom 5:5). But the spirit of the world -- that which is fueled by the flesh and the carnal mind apart from the revelation of God -- cannot perceive or understand the mind of God. Second, we see that the Spirit is a Person and not a force or an impersonal it. Jehovah s Witnesses claim that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a person. Others assert that the Spirit is just another manifestation of God, but not a separate person. Such teachings about God are heresy. For example, I am a son, a husband, and a father. I am one person with three manifestations of my personhood. God is one in nature spirit and divine but though one God, the godhead is comprised of three Persons distinct from each other: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit yet the godhead is one God. Notice how Paul refers to the Spirit as a person. The Spirit teaches, searches, and understands the thoughts of God, the Trinity. This is the Spirit that has been given to us individually and to the Church. The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church (CCC 797). Jesus told the apostles that the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) would come to them after he ascended into heaven. This Spirit would lead them into all truth, teach them, and bring to their remembrance everything he had taught them while he was with them on earth. This Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost and now dwells in his Church as the soul of the body. He discloses the truth, leads the Church into the truth, and protects her in her teachings. This is the Spirit that we have received The Spirit of the World The world has another spirit which is firstly an attitude or a mindset that is preoccupied with fleshy, worldly things; it could almost be viewed as the animal aspect of man tied to the earth and earthly things. Secondly, the spirit of the world can be seen also as a person who blinds and deceives the world. This person is the Devil. Those who are of this worldly mind and spirit cannot receive the things of God; nor can they understand the truths of the Spirit of God as revealed in Scripture and Tradition and taught faithfully by the Church. This is exactly what Paul is teaching the Corinthians, what Jesus had taught the disciples. The mysteries hidden from all past ages are now revealed in the Church by the Holy Spirit, and Paul wants the believers to grow into the fullness of this new life. Since it is so great and marvelous, how can you continue to live measly carnal lives when such glory awaits you now and in eternity? (Rom 8:6, 18) To you these things have been revealed! Think about that and rejoice! Why is this Spirit given? The mysteries and mind of God, which Paul wants us to understand, have one purpose: to bestow gifts on us -- gifts of life, forgiveness, resurrection, meaning to life, union with God, and much more! He loves us and wants us to be united with him, to share his divine nature, and to understand, receive, and enjoy all the good he has intended for us. Now Paul comes back to the words and means used to communicate these spiritual things. It is not through words taught by human wisdom. Paul did not learn them from Aristotle, Plato, or Socrates; nor could the Corinthians learn them by going, for example, to the Isthmian Games and listening to the gamesmanship and goldentongued orations of gifted speakers. The eternal and spiritual things can only be taught by the Spirit! Paul learned these things himself from the Spirit. He received divine revelation on the Road to Damascus, revelations that he will mention later in this letter to the Corinthians. He had studied the progressive revelation of 16
God contained in Scripture and the tradition taught by the other apostles. But he could now understand these mysteries and revelations because he had the Spirit of God. He was now in the Spirit and no longer in the flesh, so he could teach the deep mysteries of God having seen, understood, and lived them himself by the grace of God. Paul is interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit, and he is trying to mature them enough to also understand the wisdom of God. In verse 14, Paul explains that the natural man, devoid of the Spirit of God, sees the gospel of Christ as foolishness. It goes right over his head because it can only be discerned spiritually. The spiritual man can appraise or judge all things because he is looking at them from a heavenly perspective. Conclusion Paul quotes the Prophet Isaiah again (Isa 40:13). This verse does two things: 1) it informs us that in times past no one knew the mind of the Lord, whereas now we can more fully understand and achieve it through the Spirit; and 2) it teaches the Corinthians that Jesus Christ is God because Paul equates the mind of Christ with the mind of God in the Old Testament. The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is an example of how the natural man, the worldly wise, cannot fathom the revelation and mystery of God. Man is limited to five small senses which detect very little of reality. For example, our five senses cannot detect Wi-Fi, radio, or TV signals, but that does not mean they do not exist. It only proves that our five senses are severely limited. I do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because the wisdom of man and his microscopes can prove it. I believe it because God has revealed spiritual truth to us that can never be understood and proved by natural means. I believe in the mysteries of God as revealed by Scripture and Tradition (thank you Paul!) because God, who is wiser than all of us, revealed the truth to his Church -- not in words of sophistry or eloquence, but in simple words and power through his Holy Spirit. My granddaughter will have to grow and mature before she understands my jokes, and Christians need to grow and mature in the spiritual life so they can understand the real meaning and beauty of the mysteries of God. Catechism Connections Discover the reality of the supernatural life. CCC 1998 Find out how God comes to meet man. CCC 50 Deepen your understanding of the mystery of the Trinity. CCC 234 Understand the connection between faith and the Holy Spirit. CCC 683 Rome to Home Our spirit is set in one direction, the only direction for our intellect, will and heart is-towards Christ our Redeemer, towards Christ, the Redeemer of man. We wish to look towards him-because there is salvation in no one else but him, the Son of God- repeating what Peter said: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life [Jn 6:68]... The Church lives his mystery, draws unwearyingly from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and Lord to humanity to the peoples, the nations, the succeeding generations, and every individual human being as if she were ever repeating, as the Apostle did: For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified [1 Cor 2:2]. The Church stays within the sphere of the mystery of the Redemption, which has become the fundamental principle of her life and mission. Pope John Paul II Veritatis Splendor 17
Study Questions It s best to read the entire Scripture readings for this lesson and Points to Ponder before responding to the study questions. 1. Can God be known by means of reason alone? If so, why, then are faith and divine revelation necessary? (See CCC 36, 47, 51, 176 177; Rom 1:20) 2. Where is God s fullest revelation of himself found? (See CCC 102, 516) According to St. Paul, why is the Holy Spirit given, and how is he intimately and necessarily connected with this fullest Revelation of God to us? (See Col 2:9; CCC 152, 687; 1Cor 2:9; Jn 16:13-14) 3. Does Paul s professed weakness and the apparent lack of mighty signs and miracles at Corinth indicate a lack of success there for St. Paul? What does the Church cite as the greatest manifestation of God s power and the most scandalous aspect of Christ s ministry on earth? (See Points to Ponder; CCC 270, 589) 4. What are some important characteristics and attributes of the Holy Spirit that are mentioned in this lesson? How do the characteristics and attributes of the Holy Spirit contrast with the attitudes that characterize the spirit of the world? In what way do you think Paul s discussion of the Holy Spirit vs. the spirit of the world relates to the problem of dissension and division in the Corinthian Church? (See CCC 738, 747) 18
5. In verse 2 St. Paul declares his determination to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Is Paul suggesting that intellectual pursuits and knowledge have no place in our witness as Christians? (see Mk 12:30; 2 Cor 10:5) 6. What does God expect of us in terms of understanding and using the gifts bestowed on us by God? (Mt 25:15 30) 7. Paul cites Isaiah 40:13 in verse 9. What twofold purpose is achieved in doing so? (See Points to Ponder) Voices of the Saints The Holy Spirit is equally God with the Father and the Son, equally omnipotent and eternal, infinitely perfect, the supreme good, infinitely wise, and of the same nature as the Father and the Son... Pope Pius V 19
Questions for Reflection The following questions are intended to help you reflect upon ways in which the discoveries you ve made in this lesson can be applied to your own life. 1. How can you best use the gifts that God has bestowed on you? Do you share these gifts with others as freely as God has shared them with you? 2. Do you receive the gift of faith from God, or do you believe in God and the Church teachings of Christ because you have been taught to believe them? Summary: Lesson 2 In this lesson, we observed that: 1. God uses human weakness to show his divine power and to draw souls to himself. 2. Worldly wisdom cannot understand the mind of God; it blinds us to God s providence and the gift of salvation. 3. True wisdom the wisdom of God is the belief in and understanding of the great eternal plan wrought by God. 4. The spirit of the world is a preoccupation with worldly things; it is also a person the devil who blinds and deceives the world. 5. A mystery is something undiscoverable without divine revelation; in the biblical context, it is something not yet revealed. 6. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in us individually as well as in the Church, is the soul of the Church, leading her to the truth and protecting her in her teachings. 7. The gospel of God can only be discerned spiritually. Notes: 20