Devotional 1 Corinthians 2: The Wisdom of the Holy Spirit Reflection on 1 Corinthians 2: why true wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit, the humility of heart, and valuing the spiritual over the worldly. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional 1 Corinthians 2: The Wisdom of the Holy Spirit

Today’s devotional is found in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, and this was what happened.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Paul continues explaining in the letter addressed to the Corinthians that true wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit.

Observations

These were my observations.

1. Wisdom coming from the Holy Spirit. Paul already, in the previous chapter, spoke about how people who do not accept Jesus Christ view spiritual things—they think it is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). But this should not startle us as Christians. For Jesus already told us that the world only accepts things that come from itself. Everything belonging to the spiritual realm is rejected by the world. That is why the world did not receive the prophets God sent, much less Jesus Christ (John 15:18–19). Because to the world, the wise person is the eloquent speaker with intellectual knowledge, the rich person is the one with lots of money, and the powerful person is the one in a position of authority to command others. These are the archetypes of people considered of great value in society. But God does not value people in the same way society does, because God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). For to God, the people of great value are those with pure hearts turned toward Him. That is why God chooses what is weak according to society’s standards, but has a pure heart and faith in Him (1 Corinthians 1:27–29). God exalts these because they are not arrogant and do not boast of their talents (Luke 14:11). In other words, God seeks the humble because they recognize that it was thanks to God that they were able to do good things with their talents. Meanwhile, the arrogant think they succeeded by their own merit and therefore think they do not need God (Revelation 3:17). But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). For only when we believe in God (and, consequently, in Jesus Christ, whom He sent) do we begin to acquire wisdom. For our hearts are open to receive the Holy Spirit, and He guides us and gives us wisdom (Acts 2:38 and John 14:26). This is true wisdom, for it allows us to understand far beyond the material world (i.e., the universe in its fullness). Furthermore, only the Spirit of God knows the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). Therefore, only He can guide us and give us the necessary wisdom to follow God’s paths—which is the most important thing in the world. For God is the creator of the universe and our salvation depends on our faith in Him (Genesis 1:1 and John 3:16).