Portland Biblical Community

1 Corinthians 2:10b-16 For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that (purpose/result) we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. (understanding) 13 And we speak about these things, NOT with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those (words) taught by the Spirit, (Spirit’s role in teaching [understanding] and in communication) explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

The Spirit of God in the one who believes:
1. Knowledge (of what has been given to us by God)
2. Understanding (taught by the Spirit)
3. Communication (explaining as taught)

14 The (1) unbeliever (truth) does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Four people listed in this passage:
1. Unbeliever
A. Does not receive (the things of the Spirit of God)
1. Can not understandThey are foolishness to him
2. They are spiritually discerned (role of the Spirit)

15 The (2) one who is spiritual (truth) discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one.

2. Mature (spiritual) believers
A. Discern all things, but what is discerned is not understood

Question: In this passage who is it that does not understand? The unbeliever.

The spiritual believer is a mature believer (cf. 3:1). One of the things the spiritual person is able to do is appraise or make judgments regarding all things. In other words, the spiritual person has discernment. This affects his values and decisions. For this very reason he is a puzzle to the natural man. The profane person cannot understand holiness, but the holy person can understand the depths of evil.

16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ.

To summarize his thought, Paul again cited Isaiah (40:13). Isaiah marveled at the mind of God. Who can fully understand what God understands? No one can. However, mature believers can understand because they have the Spirit of God in them and He controls them. The mature Christian has the mind of Christ. That is, he/she views life to some extent as Jesus did, understanding things from God’s perspective.

B. Have the mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 3:1-4 “So, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you (in the past) milk, NOT solid food, (reason) for you were not yet ready. In fact, (reproof in the present) you are still not ready, 3 (reason) for you are still influenced by the flesh.

3. Infants in Christ (recent converts)
A. Fed milk because…
B. They were not yet ready
C. Influenced by the flesh

4. Fleshly, immature believers
A. Not spoken to though spiritual (mature), but…
1. …as people of the flesh
2. …infants in Christ
B. They are still not ready (Why?)
1. Still influenced by the flesh (behaving like unbelievers v.3)

When Paul had been with them they were new converts, so he gave them the milk of the Word, the gospel of their salvation and the impact it was to have on their lives. Now, when they should have been able to take in more advanced teaching, they were not able to do so. Their flesh still dominated them. As believers they were making provision for the flesh to fulfill its desires rather than following the leading of the Holy Spirit. They were immature, fleshly believers.

One is not to receive blame for struggling with the flesh when he/she is an infant (young in the faith). However, if a person has been a follower of Christ for a substantial length of time and is still immature, he/she is to blame (cf. 2:6).

(examples within the community) For since there is still (1) jealousy and (2) dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?”

2. Examples within the community:
a. Jealousy (intense negative feelings over another’s achievements or success, jealousy, envy)
b. Dissension (engagement in rivalry, esp. positions taken in a matter, strife, discord, contention)

Paul let the Corinthians diagnose themselves. He reminded them of his teachings about the flesh such as that written to the Galatians, “Are not jealousy and strife the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:20 ‘hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying…’)?” Did these qualities not indicate that they were conducting themselves as unbelievers, as people who do not even possess the Holy Spirit? Their inability to get along with other Christians showed that their flesh (sinful human nature) controlled them.

Self-check:
Are you jealous or envious of other believers and their achievements or success (life/ministry)?
Are you regularly the source of dissension over “positions” taken on a matter? (1 Tim 3:3, uncontentious, not given over to controversies, quarreling, and debate)
Do you have significant struggles getting along with or living in unity with other believers?

What is your track record?

4 For whenever someone says, (verbal allegiance/schism) “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” are you not merely human?

All the philosophical schools in Greece had their chief teachers. There was keen competition among these teachers, and there were strong preferences among the students as to who was the best. This attitude, this poison had seeped into the church in Corinth. They were aligning themselves with who they perceived to be the “best teacher” - Paul, Apollos, etc… However, this attitude is totally inappropriate when it comes to evaluating the servants of Christ.

Self-check:
Do you compare those whom God has given to teach you the Word with others?
Do you compare pastor/teachers or align yourselves with the teaching of a mere man?
I wish I had the kind of biblical teaching in our church like that other church…
I don’t know what you believe, but I hold to the teachings of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (fill in the name of a pastor or theologian).

Much of the modern church organizes itself around the “personality” of a man when only Jesus Christ should have the place of preeminence (Col. 1:18). It is sin when believers compare pastor/teachers or follow human leaders as disciples of men rather than disciples of Jesus Christ.