1 CORINTHIANS LESSON 3


     We will begin this lesson in I Corinthians 2:1 "And I, brethren,
when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
declaring unto you the testimony of God."

     Paul is explaining to them, here, that it was not because he was
a great orator that they received the message of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The message was pure and simple. The message was Jesus and Him
crucified. Paul was a learned scholar, but that was more of a
hindrance than a help, in this particular case. We have said in a
previous lesson that Paul was a Pharisee and had been taught in the
school of Gamaliel. With all that learning, he had not come to Christ,
until the Lord appeared to him. Many of the things he had believed
before had to be unlearned, and that is difficult. In some cases
impossible. His power and prestige had gone by the wayside, when he
became a Christian. Now, his message is simple and to the point. He
just declared the Lord Jesus to them.

     I Corinthians 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among
you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

     Paul was not interested in their standing in the community or
their education. The only way that Paul separated them was those who
believe and those who do not believe.

     I Corinthians 2:3 "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear,
and in much trembling."

     Many Bible scholars believe that this was saying that Paul had a
nervous disorder. Some type of nervous disturbance in His brain. I
really do not believe this is what Paul is saying here. His weakness
could have been the infirmity of his flesh. I believe the fear and
trembling had to do with desiring to please God. I write these Bible
lessons with fear and trembling in my heart that I might not get them
just right. I believe that is what the case is here. Paul wanted to be
sure and bring the Word of God in its purest form to these people.

     I Corinthians 2:4 "And my speech and my preaching [was] not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power:"

     I love Paul saying, here, that his preaching was a demonstration
of the power and the Spirit of God in him. In other words, he is
saying that the Holy Spirit of God is speaking through him. Paul is
fully aware, as we should be, that a message he might come up with on
his own might not be the one God would have him to bring. He has
turned his tongue and his mouth over to the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is speaking through Paul.

     I Corinthians 2:5 "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God."

     Our faith should not be based on mankind, but should be placed in
the power of God. It is not up to men to judge whether your faith is
what it should be or not: it is up to God.

     I Corinthians 2:6 "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are
perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this
world, that come to nought:"  I Corinthians 2:7 "But we speak the
wisdom of God in a mystery, [even] the hidden [wisdom], which God
ordained before the world unto our glory:"

     We know that the Lord Jesus spoke in parables, so that seeing
they might not see, and hearing they might not hear. He did not want
the world to come to Him with their mind, so He taught in parables. We
do know that Jesus revealed this mystery to the believers. Let me
share a couple of Scriptures that will help us understand. Colossians
1:26 "[Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:" Colossians 1:27
"To whom God would make known what [is] the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory:"  Paul is saying that the very thing they are calling folly is
in, fact, the greatest wisdom. This is wisdom of God that He has
revealed through the Holy Spirit of God to those who are His
followers.

     I Corinthians 2:8 "Which none of the princes of this world knew:
for had they known [it], they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory."

     This is just saying; that if the world had known for sure who
Jesus was, they would not have crucified Him. They would not have
sealed their doom, if they had realized who He was. A little knowledge
of the Word of God is a dangerous thing. If you truly get into the
study of the Bible, stay with it. To learn just a little will tend to
confuse you. You need an overall view of the Bible, before you start
deciding what is right and what is wrong. Let the Word {itself} teach
you.

     I Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him."

     In our wildest imagination, we can not come up with the wonderful
things the Lord has stored up for us. Isaiah 64:4 "For since the
beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared
for him that waiteth for him."  This shows the harmony of the Old
Testament and the New Testament.

     I Corinthians 2:10 "But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God."

     There is nothing concealed from God that He does not know. Even
the thoughts of man are understood by God. Spirit is capitalized and
is speaking of the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit that we receive
is the earnest of greater things to come. We are not like the rest of
the world, if we are believers, we have hope of the resurrection. We
are not a permanent resident of this earth, if we are a Christian.
This is the desert that we must cross to get to that glorious promised
land {heaven}.

     I Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man,
save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."

     It is not possible for man of flesh to fully understand God who
is Spirit. We know as much of God as the Holy Spirit of God has
revealed unto us.

     I Corinthians 2:12 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God."

     The Spirit of God has brought unto us life, if we are Christians.
We are heirs according to the promise of God if we are believers. The
New Testament is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, and it
reveals to us what our inheritance is, if we are  Christians.

     I Corinthians 2:13 "Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

     This, perhaps, is speaking of the things that the Holy Ghost
reveals to man. Physical eyes cannot see into the Spirit. That is why
so many times people read the Bible and do not understand what it is
saying. The Holy Spirit of God {our teacher} has to teach us the
meaning, or we do not understand. The spiritual things are so far
above this earth that they can only be understood by the Holy Spirit.
We will find, as we go on in these lessons, that it is the spirit that
Jesus quickens, not the flesh of man.

     I Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned."

     This is just what we were saying above. The natural man looks
with physical eyes and understands with a carnal mind, so he does not
understand the Spirit at all. The Holy Spirit which dwells in us is
{if we are true believers} teaches us the things of the Spirit. I have
said, over and over, in these lessons on the various books, the spirit
must rule over our flesh if we are to understand things of the Spirit.
The physical {carnal} man believes only what he can see, touch, or
taste. The spiritual man understands secrets that cannot be seen,
touched, or tasted.

     I Corinthians 2:15 "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things,
yet he himself is judged of no man."

     I believe that this is speaking of a man who has been baptized
with the Holy Spirit of God and has the gift of discernment. We must
try the Spirits and see whether they be of God or not. We do not judge
people lost or saved, but we do make judgements on the actions of
people. Jesus is the final Judge of all. The only Judge the Christian
will stand before is Jesus. All of the people who are making carnal
judgements about you should not affect you at all. Jesus is our Judge.

     I Corinthians 2:16 "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that
he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

     Saying that we have the mind of Christ just means that He has
revealed to us His will. In the following Scriptures there is an even
better description of what I am trying to say. John 15:15 "Henceforth
I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord
doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard
of my Father I have made known unto you."  John 16:13 "Howbeit when
he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
[that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."



































                      1 Corinthians 3 Questions

1.  In verse 1, Paul says that he came not with what kind of speech?
2.  Paul was a learned scholar, but his message he brought was ____
    and ________.
3.  How had Paul separated them?
4.  What do many scholars believe that verse 3 is speaking of?
5.  What does the author believe is the problem?
6.  Paul's words were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
    what?
7.  Who was speaking through Paul?
8.  Your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the
    _______ of ___.
9.  Who does he speak wisdom among?
10. Paul said he spoke the wisdom of God in a __________.
11. Why did Jesus speak in parables?
12. How long had this mystery of God been hidden?
13. What is the mystery?
14. If the princes of this world had known the mystery, they would not
    have done what?
15. A ________ knowledge of the Word is a dangerous thing.
16. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9.
17. Where can we find a Scripture in the Old Testament saying the same
    thing, basically?
18. What does this show about the Old and the New Testament.
19. How does God reveal to the believers what He has in store for
    them?
20. What is the hope the Christian has that the world does not have?
21. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11.
22. What do we know about God?
23. What is the last will and testament for the believers?
24. Why do many people attempt to read the Bible, and cannot
    understand what it is saying?
25. What does Jesus quicken in man?
26. The natural man looks with ____________ eyes.
27. What does the carnal man believe in?
28. Why must we try the spirits?
29. Who is the final Judge?
30. We have the mind of ________.