2 Christian friends, I came to tell you God's true message. I did not use clever words when I spoke to you. I did not try to make you think that I was very wise. 2 While I was with you, I decided to teach you only about Jesus Christ. I taught you about his death on a cross. I wanted to forget everything else.
3 I lived among you as someone who felt weak. I was very afraid. 4 When I spoke to you and when I taught you God's message, I did not use clever words. I did not want you to believe me because you thought I was wise. Instead, it was the power of God's Holy Spirit that showed you that my message was true. 5 As a result, you now believe because of God's power. You do not believe because of human ideas.
6 But we do speak about wise thoughts to those of you who know Christ very well. But those wise thoughts do not belong to this world. They are not the ideas that the rulers of this world think are important. Those rulers will not be powerful for long. 7 No, the wise thoughts that we speak about belong to God. He has hidden them from people until now. But before God made the world, he decided to let us know these secrets. He wanted us to enjoy his glory. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood God's wise plan. If they had understood, they would not have killed Jesus on a cross. He is the Lord who rules heaven and earth. 9 This is written in the Bible:
‘Nobody ever saw or heard anything about this.
Nobody ever thought that it could happen.
But these are the things that God has prepared for his people who love him.’ [ a ]
10 But God has sent his Spirit to show these secrets to us. God's Spirit looks carefully into everything. He even knows God's secret thoughts. 11 Only a person's own spirit can know everything that is in his thoughts. And it is the same with God. Only God's Spirit knows everything that is in God's thoughts. 12 We have received God's own Spirit, not a spirit that belongs to this world. As a result, we can understand all the good things that God has given to us. 13 Those are the things that we speak about. We do not use clever words to speak about human ideas. Instead, we speak the message that God's Spirit has taught us. In that way, we explain a spiritual message to people who have God's Spirit.
14 If someone does not believe in God, they cannot accept the message that comes from God's Spirit. They think that God's message is silly. They cannot even understand those things. Only God's Spirit can explain them to people. 15 But we have God's Spirit with us. So we can understand the true value of all things. But other people cannot truly understand us, who belong to God. 16 As it says in the Bible:
‘Nobody can know what the Lord God is thinking.
Nobody can tell him what he should do.’ [ b ]
But we think about these things in the same way that Christ thinks.
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I told you the secret truth of God. But I did not use fancy words or great wisdom. 2 I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. 4 My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. 5 I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in human wisdom.
6 We teach wisdom to people who are mature, but the wisdom we teach is not from this world. It is not the wisdom of the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 But we speak God’s secret wisdom that has been hidden from everyone until now. God planned this wisdom for our glory. He planned it before the world began. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood this wisdom. If they had understood it, they would not have killed our great and glorious Lord on a cross. 9 But as the Scriptures say,
“No one has ever seen,
no one has ever heard,
no one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him.” ( A )
10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit.
The Spirit knows all things. The Spirit even knows the deep secrets of God. 11 It is like this: No one knows the thoughts that another person has. Only the person’s spirit that lives inside knows those thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows God’s thoughts except God’s Spirit. 12 We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.
13 When we say this, we don’t use words taught to us by human wisdom. We use words taught to us by the Spirit. We use the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help. 15 We who have the Spirit are able to make judgments about all these things. But anyone without the Spirit is not able to make proper judgments about us. 16 As the Scriptures say,
“Who can know what is on the Lord’s mind?
Who is able to give him advice?” ( B )
But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.
2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
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:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
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:
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
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.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
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.
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.
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.
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.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.
2 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. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except ( C ) Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I also was with you in ( D ) weakness and ( E ) fear, and in great trembling, 4 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, 5 so that your faith would not [ f ] rest on the [ g ] wisdom of mankind, but on ( H ) the power of God.
6 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; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a ( M ) mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ( N ) predestined before the ( O ) ages to our glory; 8 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; 9 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.
2 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 ] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ( B ) 3 I came to you ( C ) in weakness ( D ) with great fear and trembling. ( E ) 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, ( F ) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ( G ) 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. ( H )
6 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 ) 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery ( L ) that has been hidden ( M ) and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age ( N ) understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ( O ) 9 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,
But we have the mind of Christ. ( AB )
