1 Corinthians 2:13, commentary and pictures

Divine truth is spoken not in words taught by human wisdom, learning, or eloquence, but in words taught by the Holy Spirit, joining spiritual truth to spiritual truth and interpreting spiritual realities through Spirit-given understanding. It stands in a contrast between human wisdom and God's wisdom revealed in Christ, leaving no ground for pride in human learning, status, or success. The Spirit searches the deep things of God and makes known what God freely gives, giving both the understanding of spiritual truth and the words to express it so that faith rests in God's power rather than human wisdom. The natural mind, occupied with worldly things, does not receive these things and cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned, while the one who is spiritual, having the mind of Christ, judges all things. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual means comparing Scripture with Scripture, diligently tracing how its subjects relate to uncover deeper meaning and hidden treasure through humble, prayerful study under the Holy Spirit's light. The writers of Scripture were directed by the Spirit in the truths they shared and the language they used so their words express God's mind and will, while those who held a distinct explanation taught that the Spirit impressed divine thoughts on their minds to be expressed in their own human language.

Words and Immediate Context

The chapter sets human wisdom against the wisdom of God revealed in Christ, opposing the standard of the Bible to the standard of the world. It calls for seeking wisdom given by God rather than making human learning the measure of truth or success, with its truths to be understood with God's help and put into practice. Knowledge that displaces knowledge of God, prayer, or spiritual life is harmful, while true knowledge leads to holiness, and education must not crowd out God's word but lead to knowing Him and living His truth. People have no ground for pride in their own wisdom, status, learning, or success, because God is the source of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

The things spoken are the things God freely gives, known by those who have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God. Only the Spirit of God knows the things of God, as only the spirit within a person knows the things of that person, and the nations do not know they are lost nor the things belonging to salvation. What is spoken about those gifts is taught not by human wisdom but by the Holy Spirit, with spiritual things explained through spiritual things. This speaking stands apart from the natural person, who does not receive the things of the Spirit of God because they are foolishness to him and can be known only by spiritual discernment, while the one who is spiritual judges all things and is judged by no one, having the mind of Christ. In Fresno this testimony was reflected in genuine repentance, humble confession, and restitution bearing witness that God was working on hearts. This is a great lesson calling for vigilant work in prospect of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and those waiting and watching and working will speak sound words among those like themselves who wait and watch.

Comparing spiritual things with spiritual means joining spiritual truth to spiritual truth and interpreting spiritual realities through understanding taught by the Spirit. The Spirit reveals the deep things of God and enables believers to know the gifts God freely gives. The message is not shaped by human wisdom but by the Holy Spirit teaching how to speak about spiritual things. That Spirit-taught speech belongs to labor at the foot of the cross, preaching Christ crucified as the power and wisdom of God, presenting eternal truths plainly and human peril in neglecting eternal interests rather than pleasing ears, keeping self out of sight while lifting up Jesus, lest work stand in human wisdom instead of God's power and produce no harvest.

Its setting declares that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. God chose the foolish things to confound the wise, and the weak things to confound the mighty, and base and despised things and things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no flesh should glory in His presence. Christ Jesus is made to believers wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that whoever glories must glory in the Lord. To those given to worldly pursuits and a worldly order of life the preaching of the cross is foolishness because they are too worldly-wise to receive it, but to those being saved it is the power of God, for in God's wisdom the world by wisdom knew not God, yet it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

Its wider instruction in the first three chapters is of greatest importance to all who have entered the Lord's army. That instruction exposes envy and strife as carnality and the cause of weakness in the church. It condemns dividing over human ministers and withdrawing from some and binding up with others for imaginary reasons, teaching that ministers are only servants by whom people believed, one planting and another watering with differing emphases but the same object while God gives the increase. Discord, prejudice, jealousy, and evil surmising against brethren must therefore be put away in order to receive the Spirit.

Momentous truth is conveyed through reading the Scriptures, where every word carries weight like a valuable pearl that must not lose its virtue and force. Changing one word injures the thought and destroys the lesson taught. Incorrect punctuation can greatly alter the meaning of the word of God.

Spirit Teaches, Not Human Wisdom

What is spoken about God is spoken not in words taught by human wisdom, advanced education, excellency of speech, enticing words, worldly ability, or human theories, but in words taught by the Holy Ghost. The message comes from the Spirit rather than from human shaping, and spiritual realities are explained and understood through spiritual things. The contrast sets the Bible's standard against the world's standard.

The Holy Spirit reveals the deep things of God and makes known the things freely given by God, enabling believers to know those gifts. He who knows the deep things of God gives both the understanding of spiritual truth and the words used to express it. He impresses truths essential to salvation and makes the way of life plain. Spiritual truths are understood by the Spirit's teaching, not by relying on worldly learning, which cannot replace a sound knowledge of God.

This Spirit-taught speech joins spiritual truth to spiritual truth and is in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Faith is thus made to stand not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. That power transforms character through Jesus Christ and His cross, through Christ crucified as the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Natural and Spiritual Discernment

No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God, just as no one knows the things of a person except the spirit of that person within him, and the nations of the earth do not know that they are lost nor the things that belong to their salvation. There is a knowledge for every follower of Christ that the world cannot receive, belonging to those who have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God so that they may know the things freely given to them by God. What is spoken about those freely given things is spoken not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Holy Ghost, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, regards them as foolishness, and cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned. Occupied with worldly things and lacking vital connection with God, and giving life to worldly pursuits with a cultivated worldly order of life and character, he is too worldly-wise to receive the preaching of the cross, which to him is foolishness while to those being saved it is the power of God. Hearing explanations and evidence alone does not make such persons see or believe when they are unwilling or unable to discern spiritual things. By contrast the one who is spiritual judges all things and is judged by no one, having the mind of Christ through learning in Christ's school.

The wisdom of the world was fully tested at the first advent of Christ and weighed in the balances and found wanting, for in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, yet it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Advanced education and magnified human ability, worldly business ability and sharp worldly traits, cannot take the place of a sound knowledge of God, and putting them in that place gives incorrect ideas and unfits for the work. Even Moses, though learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, had to unlearn much of it through humble experience until its impression was blotted out by forty years of caring for sheep and tender lambs and his heart became tender, fitting him to be a faithful shepherd of God's heritage. Not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God chose the foolish things to confound the wise and the weak to confound the mighty, with base and despised things and things which are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no flesh glories in His presence, and Christ Jesus is made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that boasting is in the Lord.

A mind trained only in worldly science or worldly knowledge cannot discern the deep things of God, cannot grasp elevating truth, and cannot read rightly the lessons of nature and Scripture or understand the spiritual lessons placed in the material world. Human reason alone cannot explain them, though reason is a gift from God and human words have value when they echo God's words without taking the place of the divine word. A mind converted and sanctified by the Spirit, cleansed, freed from influences that distort it, and reshaped daily by God's power working upon understanding and observation, can recognize divine power in the Word, receive Christ's lessons, understand the godliness revealed in the natural world, perceive the spiritual character of God's kingdom, and discern heavenly things. That daily reshaping enables perception of duty toward others, which pride and self-love resist because they oppose the change of heart required to see it.

Comparing Scripture with Scripture

To compare spiritual things with spiritual is to compare Scripture with Scripture, joining truth to truth by diligently tracing how one biblical subject relates to another rather than relying on human wisdom or another person's testimony. The truths of the Bible necessary for salvation are clear to ordinary people who study for themselves, while those who follow their own judgment instead of God's revealed will lose their way. Careful research, prayerful reflection, and persevering study uncover valuable truths that are not apparent to a careless or hurried reader.

Searching out those relationships enlarges the mind, exercises and strengthens its powers, and develops breadth of thought, noble character, and steadiness of purpose. That enlarged mind grasps deeper meanings, hidden treasures, and rich blessings in God's truth that superficial study fails to receive.

This understanding comes only by receiving the Scriptures as the oracles of God and the rule of life, studied in humility and faith with unwavering confidence in their supreme authority and with earnest prayer for divine aid and the Holy Spirit's light. It requires thoughtful, earnest, diligent, and patient study with careful research, prayerful reflection, persevering effort, and an open and honest heart that sets aside preconceived ideas and prejudices. The Holy Spirit impresses on the mind the truths essential to salvation, makes the way of life plain, unfolds the deep meaning of God's truths, and makes Scripture's treasures appreciated.

Superficial, careless, or hurried study misses those rich blessings and valuable truths. An isolated passage can be given a false meaning that further comparison with other Scripture exposes. Diligent study of every point received as truth exposes errors in interpretation and uncovers precious truth.

Human sayings, inventions, theories, and interpretations cannot take the place of God's word or reveal its eternal meaning; only the Spirit's power explains spiritual things, and Scripture unlocks Scripture. When thus studied in humility, faith, and prayer, the word exerts a molding influence upon both the mental and the moral powers, quickening and ennobling the intellect, purifying the soul, and erecting a mighty barrier against iniquity.

Inspiration of Bible Writers

The verse means that the writers of the Bible were directed and impressed by the Holy Spirit, who taught them which truths to share and what language to use to express them, so they did not write in words taught by human wisdom but in words given to them by God. Momentous truth is conveyed through reading the Scriptures, where every word is as a valuable pearl that must not lose its virtue and force. Changing even one word injures the thought and destroys the lesson taught, and incorrect punctuation can greatly alter the meaning of the Word of God. Scripture so given expresses God's mind and will and stands as a perfect rule for faith and practice, guiding and counseling God's people.

By the Spirit Christ guided the pens of the sacred historians to present to the world the precious record of the sayings and works of Jesus. The imparted Spirit enabled the apostles to stand firmly against every form of idolatry and to exalt the Lord alone. Inspiration works by the Spirit impressing divine thoughts upon the writers' minds rather than by dictating the exact words or style. The writers express those impressed thoughts through their own minds and in human language, so that the wording and expression reflect the individual writers while their utterances are God's Word.

The Bible was written by holy men under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, and the aid of that same Spirit is indispensable to understanding its teachings. Spiritual things can be discerned only by those who receive the Scriptures as the oracles of God and their rule of life, studying them in humility and faith with unwavering confidence in their supreme authority and with earnest prayer for divine aid. When thus studied, the word exerts a molding influence upon both the mental and the moral powers, quickening and ennobling the intellect, purifying the soul, and erecting a mighty barrier against iniquity.

Preaching and Ministry

Workers for God must learn their message at the foot of the cross and then speak truth revealed by His Spirit in speech taught by the Spirit that joins spiritual truth to spiritual truth. They bring sheaves to Jesus Christ by preaching Christ crucified as the power of God and the wisdom of God, keeping self out of sight while Jesus Christ is ever lifted up and exalted. They present eternal truths plainly and keep before people their peril in neglecting eternal interests, rather than preaching to please ears.

Ministers must speak not with excellency of speech or enticing words of man's wisdom, worldly wisdom, human oratory, philosophy, or human theories, but in words which the Holy Ghost teaches, in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that faith stands not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Even one able to meet oratory with oratory and philosophy with philosophy lays them aside to preach only Jesus Christ and Him crucified. God can use a poor, unlearned man who can give no reasoned proof but only repeats the message of the Bridegroom's coming, and the Spirit resting on those simple words brings a learned man to his knees to confess pomp and pride, showing human oratory, philosophy, and worldly wisdom made foolish and that only God transforms character through the mighty power of the cross of Calvary.

Ability to compare spiritual things with spiritual belongs to the minister whose heart is sanctified through the truth, who has drawn near to God in earnest, fervent, effectual prayer, with lips touched as with a live coal from the altar, who has felt the Spirit's heavenly power and vital fire in the soul, and who has humbled himself to learn of Christ. The Holy Spirit fallen upon him makes him a true teacher who has been with God. Then the Spirit gives his words spiritual power as living realities to himself and to others.

He presents God's love in a way that melts and breaks hearts, lifts up Jesus as the sinner's only hope, tears down Satan's strongholds, turns souls from idols to serve the living God, and leads many to seek salvation and inquire what they must do to be saved. This Spirit-taught work imparts unity of the Spirit and strength for duty through the quickening influence of the Holy Spirit striving in human hearts. It produces deep, thorough, substantial results in the conversion of souls with abundant fruit, while all work of human agencies and human energy without the Holy Spirit is of no value, produces no harvest, and deceives souls.

The Spirit of God dwelling in a person enables that person to receive the things of God and reveal them to others. Those not taught by the Spirit cannot discern spiritual things even with great advantages and remain ignorant, but those taught and worked by the Spirit become wise and can understand the things of God. This understanding belongs to those who partake of the divine nature by receiving and obeying Christ's word, described as eating His flesh and drinking His blood.

Those who lead the church need this spiritual understanding and discernment to reason correctly, for spiritual things are discerned spiritually. The chapter carefully read and studied gives true spiritual discernment of a person's present condition when discernment is not wholly perverted, breaking the heart on the Rock while mercy still lingers so Jesus Christ can build the broken one up into His own likeness and stop him from leading other souls in false paths.

Learning and Daily Living

Believers are to seek wisdom that God gives rather than making human learning the measure of truth or success, understanding the truths of this chapter with God's help and putting them into practice. Knowledge that crowds out the word of God and displaces the knowledge of God, prayer, or spiritual life is harmful, while true knowledge leads to holiness and to living out the truth. Human wisdom, status, and learning give no ground for pride, for God in Christ is the source of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Advanced education and magnified human ability cannot take the place of a sound knowledge of God or give true knowledge of Him. Knowledge and science serve their highest purposes and are rightly valued only when the Spirit of God gives them life, and true piety with knowledge of the Creator enables a person to understand what creation reveals. Worldly wisdom was fully tested at the advent of Christ and weighed and found wanting, for the world by wisdom knew not God, though it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Even Moses, though learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, had to unlearn much of it through humble experience until its impression was blotted out. By forty years of caring for sheep and tender lambs his heart became tender, fitting him to be a faithful shepherd of God's heritage.

Christ was the only perfect Educator, and His instruction and method require receiving the Spirit which is of God in order to know the things freely given by God and to speak them in words the Holy Spirit teaches. The Holy Spirit is the greatest Teacher, and educators are to allow Him to work on hearts and to use knowledge to share the knowledge of God with those in spiritual darkness rather than treating extensive study as complete knowledge. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual requires close seeking of God and study of the Word in order to have the spiritual knowledge and spiritual experience needed to face the future, meet opposition, and be prepared for transfer to future life. That counsel helps people discern readiness for the Lord's coming and know God's will, so they can leave hindrances behind, follow the right path, and come out of darkness into Christ's light.

The second chapter belongs to eternal interest and should be read at home and applied personally, leaving the state of babes in Christ and carnal Christians to labor into right relation to truth and close connection with God. Searching the Word feeds the soul with heavenly manna as Christ reveals Himself day by day to those who seek Him. This is a great lesson calling for vigilant work in prospect of the Lord's coming, and those who are waiting and watching and working will speak sound words among those like themselves who wait and watch. Every person is to receive light and knowledge from the highest authority, and no one dare set himself as judge of another's experience and conscience or define another's duties by human judgment, lest he interrupt the Lord's plans.

The verse means a well-balanced mind under the subduing influence of the Holy Spirit, with reason keeping control over impulse instead of domineering, arbitrary action. It comes by a radical change of thoughts and heart that makes a person happy and carries correct influence, habituating the mind to observe carefully, to weigh spiritual things with spiritual things, and to reason sensibly. Genuine reception of this Spirit-taught testimony is reflected in repentance, humble confession, and restitution that witness to God working on hearts, as seen at Fresno. The Spirit is the promised grand helper to those wrestling for victory, endowing human agents with supernatural powers and instructing the ignorant in the mysteries of the kingdom. He constantly draws attention to the cross, unfolds God's love, opens precious things in Scripture to convicted souls and darkened minds, convinces of sin, produces godly repentance, inspires faith, withdraws affections from perishable things, implants desire for the immortal inheritance, and recreates, refines, and sanctifies people to transform character as children of the heavenly King.