1 So when I came to you, sisters and brothers, I did not come with high-sounding words of wisdom as I announced the hidden secret of God to you; 2 I resolved to stay focused on Jesus Christ the Crucified One. 3 I came to you in weakness, with sincere concern. 4 And my word and proclamation was not delivered with persuasive words of wisdom, but with the evidence of spirit and power, 5 so that your faith would not be in people’s wisdom but in God’s power.
The hidden good news revealed
6 Yet we do use wisdom among the mature— not the wisdom of this age nor of its rulers, which will amount to nothing— 7 but the wisdom of God, a hidden secret that God set up beforehand for our honor, before the ages. 8 Not one of the rulers of this age knew about this, or they would never have crucified the honorable Master. 9 As it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to anyone what God prepared for those who love him.” 10 But God reveals this to us by means of the Spirit, for the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even to the very depths of God. 11 Who can know what is in a person, except that person’s own spirit? Likewise, no one can come to know what is in God except his Spirit.
12 Now we did not receive the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God, so that we can come to know what God has graciously given us. 13 And the words we speak were not taught to us in human wisdom but spiritual; spiritual words must match spiritual wisdom. 14 Now the soulish person does not accept what comes from the Spirit of God, because such things sound ridiculous to them; they cannot fathom them because they are spiritually examined. 15 But the spiritual one examines everything, while others cannot examine the spiritual one. 16 And who has come to know the mind of the Master or been his equal? But we have the mind of Christ.