1 Corinthians 2

Notes

Ver. 1. The glorification of the divine power, wisdom, loving mercy, and other divine perfections, and the humiliation of men, being the great end of the gospel, I laboured to preach to you in the plainest manner without any affected parade of eloquence or philosophical reasoning. 2. And counting all but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, I determined to employ all the talents which God has given me chiefly to make him known in his person, offices, and work; particularly in his obedience and suffering, in which all the lines of the gospel meet. 3. And in preaching on this subject, I conducted myself with the utmost meekness and deepest concern, lest, through your prejudices, or the agency of Satan, ye should, to your eternal perdition, reject and despise my message. 4. And encouraged and directed by Jesus Christ, I laboured to publish and inculcate the doctrines of redemption through his blood, not with any tickling arts of human invention, or soothing language, but with the convincing light and persuasive evidence of the Holy Spirit himself on your minds and consciences, and attended with his miraculous gifts and operations. 5. That the faith, by which he assented to the gospel, and embraced Jesus Christ in it, might not so much as seem to be wrought in you by the authority, arts, or arguments of men, but might be solely produced by the efficacious power of God, and built on his authority and faithfulness manifested in his Word. 6. Nevertheless, we preach the infinitely wise plan of the redemption of sinners, and explain the transcendent mysteries thereof, especially to such as have attained some considerable measures and degrees of knowledge and grace:—not indeed the wisdom of philosophical or political schemes of learned men or princes;—7. But we publish and inculcate that mysterious doctrine which is the wonderful product of the infinite wisdom of God, which has been long hid from the Gentile world, and but obscurely revealed to the Jews, and can never be fully comprehended by creatures; and which God from all eternity determined at this time to reveal with transcendent light and evidence, for the honour of the gospel dispensation, its ministers and subjects, and the eternal happiness of every believer. 8. Which important scheme of salvation the rulers and great men concerned in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and others so disposed, had no just notion of, their minds being blinded, and their hearts hardened, against all the means of conviction afforded them, otherwise they had never concurred in the shameful, ignominious, deliberate, and public murder of the divine Messiah, who has all infinite glory in himself as the Son of God, and is the author, fountain, and bestower of all the glory of the gospel dispensation and heavenly state; 9. And who, as Isaiah foretold, has brought in that incomparably and inconceivably glorious, delightful, and advantageous gospel state, and all the transcendent blessings thereof, which God, of his infinite wisdom and grace, had provided, adjusted, and secured: and which he bestows upon them who, in the faith of his great love to their souls, do sincerely esteem, desire, and delight in him. 10. Yea, God hath now manifested them to us by the immediate revelations and gracious internal illuminations of his Spirit, who has a perfect and comprehensive view of the divine nature and love. 11. For as none but a man's own soul can know his secret thoughts and designs, so none but the Holy Ghost, who has the same essence and will with the Father and Son, can penetrate into or comprehend the deep love of God. 12. And it is this all-knowing Spirit of God, not the boasted wisdom and learning of the world, which we have received, in order that we may savingly understand the great and glorious blessings of the gospel, freely prepared for, offered to, and bestowed upon us; 13. Which glorious mysteries and benefits we, being taught of God ourselves, represent to others, not in the foppish gildings of human language, but in a plain, grave, and majestic style, suited to their nature, dignity, and beauty, even in the words and figures in which the Holy Ghost has represented them, carefully comparing them together. 14. But no unregenerate men, be as learned and sagacious as they will, can truly approve or know these spiritual doctrines and blessings; nor can they, for want of an understanding illuminated and rectified by the Spirit of God, discern their divine truth, spirituality, excellency, and glory, in a truly spiritual and affecting manner, suitable to their transcendent worth and importance. 15. But he who is really renewed in the spirit of his mind can search into, discern, and form a right judgment about everything necessary to be known in order to salvation, and perceive the glory and feel the transforming power of divine truths; though his views thereof, and satisfaction therein, cannot be certainly judged of by any other man; far less by such as are destitute of the Spirit of God and the true experience of these things. 16. For what unregenerate man ever penetrated into the deep love or revealed truths of God, so as to be able further to instruct a spiritual man in what he before knew, or to prove what is contrary to his views? Nay, we apostles, and other Christians, are, by the Holy Ghost, instructed in the doctrine of Christ in everything respecting the glory of God and the salvation of men.

Ver. 6. By 'perfect' some understand those 'who are advanced in Christian knowledge,' as distinguished from the 'babes,' and corresponding to the 'spiritual,' ch. 3. 1; others, the Christians, as distinguished from the Jews; and others, that higher mode of teaching exemplified in the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, in which Christ is fully set forth as 'the end of the law for righteousness,' by the perfect exposition of the Jewish dispensation. This last opinion seems to receive decisive support from apparent contrast between ἐν πειθοῖς λόγοις (ver. 4) and ἐν τοῖς τελείοις (ver. 6); which last expression appears to apply, not to persons, but to correspond with the things that once were 'hidden,' but now 'revealed' by the Spirit, as things fulfilled and perfected, ver. 7, 10. See the similar expression, Ep. 2. 6. C.

Reflections.—Great is the native beauty of the gospel as God's own testimony concerning Jesus Christ crucified for men. And it is absurd and hurtful to souls to vail and stain its illustrious simplicity, wisdom, and grace by human oratory. The faith of Christians must be the effect of divine operation, and of human persuasion. It is impossible for carnal men to understand the gospel, or to make it comport with their worldly schemes. And not merely an external revelation, but the inward illumination of the Holy Ghost, who is perfectly acquainted with the whole mind of God, can give us just and impressive conceptions of spiritual things. Thrice happy are they who have him to lead them into all necessary truth, and to make them know what inexpressibly great and glorious things God has prepared for, and freely given to them! Judicious and experienced Christians discern admirable wisdom, power, and grace in the gospel method of their salvation. And while they have the greatest satisfaction, experience, and hope in themselves, relating to it, no natural man is able to correct or refute them.