Spiritual Wisdom

We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature,(A) but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers(B) of this age, who are coming to nothing.(C) On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined(D) before the ages for our glory.(E) None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.(F) But as it is written,

What no eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him.[a](G)

10 Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything,(H) even the depths of God.(I) 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts[b] except his spirit(J) within him? In the same way, no one knows(K) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. 13 We also speak these things, not in words(L) taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 2:9 Is 52:15; 64:4
  2. 2:11 Or things
  3. 2:13 Or things with spiritual words

The True Wisdom of God

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed.(A) But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—(B)

10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.(C) 11 For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God.(D) 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.[a](E)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.13 Or interpreting spiritual things spiritually or comparing spiritual things with spiritual