And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom(A) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.(B) I came to you(C) in weakness(D) with great fear and trembling.(E) My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,(F) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,(G) so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.(H)

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature,(I) but not the wisdom of this age(J) or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.(K) No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery(L) that has been hidden(M) and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age(N) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(O) However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—(P)

10 these are the things God has revealed(Q) to us by his Spirit.(R)

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts(S) except their own spirit(T) within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit(U) of the world,(V) but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom(W) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God(X) but considers them foolishness,(Y) and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit(Z) makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”[d](AA)

But we have the mind of Christ.(AB)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Some manuscripts proclaimed to you God’s mystery
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:9 Isaiah 64:4
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:16 Isaiah 40:13

Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit

And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I (A)did not come as someone superior in [a]speaking ability or [b]wisdom, as I proclaimed to you (B)the [c]testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I also was with you in (D)weakness and (E)fear, and in great trembling, and my [d]message and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of [e]wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not [f]rest on the [g]wisdom of mankind, but on (H)the power of God.

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory; the wisdom (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory; but just as it is written:

(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the human heart,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 [h](T)For to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the (W)spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have not received the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, (Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [i]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

14 But [j]a (AA)natural person (AB)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (AC)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is (AD)spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is [k]discerned by no one. 16 For (AE)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But (AF)we have the mind of Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Lit speech
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:1 Or cleverness
  3. 1 Corinthians 2:1 One early ms mystery
  4. 1 Corinthians 2:4 Lit word
  5. 1 Corinthians 2:4 Or cleverness
  6. 1 Corinthians 2:5 Lit be
  7. 1 Corinthians 2:5 Or cleverness
  8. 1 Corinthians 2:10 One early ms But
  9. 1 Corinthians 2:13 Or interpreting spiritual things for spiritual people
  10. 1 Corinthians 2:14 Or an unspiritual
  11. 1 Corinthians 2:15 Or judged

El mensaje acerca de Cristo crucificado

Pero hermanos, cuando yo fui a hablarles del designio secreto de Dios, lo hice sin hacer alardes de retórica o de sabiduría. Y, estando entre ustedes, no quise saber de otra cosa sino de Jesucristo y, más estrictamente, de Jesucristo crucificado. Me presenté ante ustedes débil y temblando de miedo, y cuando les hablé y les prediqué el mensaje, no usé palabras sabias para convencerlos. Al contrario, los convencí haciendo demostración del Espíritu y del poder de Dios, para que la fe de ustedes dependiera del poder de Dios y no de la sabiduría de los hombres.

Dios da a conocer sus secretos por medio del Espíritu

Sin embargo, entre los que ya han alcanzado la madurez en su fe sí usamos palabras de sabiduría. Pero no se trata de una sabiduría propia de este mundo ni de quienes lo gobiernan, los cuales ya están perdiendo su poder. Se trata más bien de la sabiduría oculta de Dios, del designio secreto que él, desde la eternidad, ha tenido para nuestra gloria. Esto es algo que no han entendido los gobernantes del mundo presente, pues si lo hubieran entendido no habrían crucificado al Señor de la gloria. Pero, como se dice en la Escritura:

«Dios ha preparado para los que lo aman
cosas que nadie ha visto ni oído,
y ni siquiera pensado.»

10 Éstas son las cosas que Dios nos ha hecho conocer por medio del Espíritu, pues el Espíritu lo examina todo, hasta las cosas más profundas de Dios.

11 ¿Quién entre los hombres puede saber lo que hay en el corazón del hombre, sino sólo el espíritu que está dentro del hombre? De la misma manera, solamente el Espíritu de Dios sabe lo que hay en Dios. 12 Y nosotros no hemos recibido el espíritu del mundo, sino el Espíritu que viene de Dios, para que entendamos las cosas que Dios en su bondad nos ha dado. 13 Hablamos de estas cosas con palabras que el Espíritu de Dios nos ha enseñado, y no con palabras que hayamos aprendido por nuestra propia sabiduría. Así explicamos las cosas espirituales con términos espirituales.

14 El que no es espiritual no acepta las cosas que son del Espíritu de Dios, porque para él son tonterías. Y tampoco las puede entender, porque son cosas que tienen que juzgarse espiritualmente. 15 Pero aquel que tiene el Espíritu puede juzgar todas las cosas, y nadie lo puede juzgar a él. 16 Pues la Escritura dice: «¿Quién conoce la mente del Señor? ¿Quién podrá instruirle?» Sin embargo, nosotros tenemos la mente de Cristo.