The Spirit of God and Man, Pt. 2

October 29th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

What Paul has been saying all along has to do with the wisdom with which he speaks in contrast to the wisdom of the world. The wisdom he speaks of is for “the mature” (v. 6)—those who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This wisdom is not some obscure, cryptic knowledge that only Christians have ever heard; rather, it is the knowledge of eternal salvation found not in worldly philosophies but through the Holy Spirit who is given by God to believers in Christ. In speaking of what the Holy Spirit has given to believers, what they have not received, according to v. 12, is the “spirit of the world,” that is, a spirit of selfish ambition and worldly knowledge. What they have received is the Holy Spirit “who is from God.” So, the Spirit is not of the world. But since all believers have received God’s Spirit, the implication is that they must not act like the world, a trap that the Corinthian Corinthians had fallen into, prompting Paul’s letter of rebuke and clarification. Since most Christians will fall into this trap at some point in their walk with Christ, Paul’s words speak loud and clear to every generation.

The last clause in v. 12 reveals God’s purpose in granting Christians the gift of the Holy Spirit, namely, that “we might know the things freely given to us by God.” Of course the entire context revolves around wisdom, both the worldly and the godly. God deposits His Spirit in His people, believers in Christ, so that His wisdom will be shared by those who call on Him for salvation. Gordon Fee says, “Paul, in talking about God’s wisdom in this passage, is referring to salvation through the crucified one. And God’s people ‘understand’ that precisely because they have received the Spirit.” Let us not miss the fact that God’s Spirit is God’s gift—a gift freely given by Him and received by His children. Why? So “that they might know” the mind of God.

In v. 13, the Spirit Paul speaks of is, again, the Holy Spirit who is the underlying power behind his doctrine. The Spirit is therefore the key to the Christian’s salvation. He is also the explanation for their understanding of the spiritual. The means through which Paul speaks is the Holy Spirit, not the secular wisdom of rhetorical devices used by the Greek philosophers and Sophists. So, in teaching by means of the Holy Spirit, Paul “combines,” or better, he “explains,” the spiritual with the spiritual, that is, spiritual thoughts with spiritual words—explaining the teachings of the Holy Spirit in language suitable to the message, not worldly wisdom.

Going back to 1:17, Paul told the Corinthians that he did not come to them with “cleverness of speech.” Instead, he shared the gospel of Christ by means of the Spirit of God. The fact that Paul preached “Christ crucified” means only one thing—that he spoke by means of the Holy Spirit. For no one can accurately share the message of the cross apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. It is an absurd idea apart from God’s wisdom. No human philosophy would have ever concocted the idea of a Triune God, electing His people before time began, becoming a man, dying on a cross, and coming back to life three days later. This is godly wisdom, not worldly.

Food For Thought
We who know Christ have God’s Spirit dwelling within us. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead lives within all believers. Let us neither quench this Spirit (1 Thess 5:19) nor grieve this Spirit (Eph 4:30). But let us remember that the Holy Spirit is God, and He is given to us as a gift, indwelling us (Rom. 8:9-11). He seals all believers so that we cannot lose the salvation He gave us. That same Spirit guarantees our ultimate future redemption (Eph 1:13-14).