Why God’s Wisdom Feels Like Folly to the World
Most people think they see the world clearly—but what if everything you're trusting is a lie? This message might disrupt your comfort, but it could also open your eyes.
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Wisdom from the Spirit
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[a]
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
What Revelation Does God Want Us to See?
When pilots fly through thick cloud coverage, they’re dependent on their instruments to ensure the plane flies true. It’s easy for a pilot to fly by intuition based on what’s in front of them; however, that presentation can be misleading.
The church in 1 Corinthians was no different. They had taken their eyes off the instruments and had reverted to her primal instincts. They were following the flows of culture rather than staying attuned to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. While following cultural philosophical ideations, the church began to minimize the main thing, which is the Gospel of Christ.
Because the Corinthian church was seeking generic wisdom, which in their day was made up of the cultural winds of an assortment of philosophical ideals, they felt like the gospel message that Paul had delivered to them was too simple. They were likely embarrassed about the seemingly weak idea of a crucified Messiah, and they wanted something more, so they sought out the wisdom of their culture.
Imagine being offered a choice: continue living in a comfortable illusion, or step into a reality that’s harder but true. Many would choose ease, but those who long for what’s real will risk everything for it. That’s what Paul urged the Corinthian church to do—reject the world’s false wisdom and receive the Spirit-revealed truth of God.
As Christ-followers, that’s what God offers us. He doesn’t want us to focus on the visible and temporary world around us; He wants us to focus on the invisible, but very real and eternal world, or the kingdom of God.
Because of that, we can ask the question: What revealing does God want us to see?
1) A Revealing That’s Imparted, Not Interpreted
“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7
The Apostle Paul begins verse six with the phrase, “Yet among the mature…” — suggesting that God not only wants us to know Him but also to grow in Him. Coming to know Christ is just the beginning; from that point on, God begins the work of maturing and shaping us in His wisdom.
Let’s also be clear about these verses, when Paul references “imparted wisdom,” this isn’t something coming from a guy in a tinfoil hat. This wisdom is from God, revealed through His servant, the Apostle Paul.
A.W. Tozer said, “If every man on earth became blind, it would not diminish the beauty of the sun, and if every man turned atheist, it would not diminish the glory of God.” Since God is an infinite being and the Creator of the universe, this reveals the glory of God. Not only does He want a relationship with you, but He also saved you from eternal separation. It’s through this relationship that you’re developed to grow and delight in the Lord, which enables us to experience the peace and riches of journeying with Christ.
However, remember, it’s only by His grace (John 6:44) that we’re drawn to Him. The Apostle Paul shares that if we’re to move into maturity, then we need to be grounded in the plan that God revealed through Christ and His work on the cross for us. It’s not only the entryway of every believer, but it’s also their foundation. In Christ, you are made new and given access to the mind of Christ (more on this soon). Yet, the Corinthians lost the vision of this and minimized their foundation.
“None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” 1 Corinthians 2:8
The Pharisees knew the Bible at levels that would embarrass a great deal of Christians. Yet, despite their Bible knowledge, Jesus was repeatedly disappointed in them because, through their attitudes and behaviors, they never perceived that He was the Messiah. By itself, knowledge doesn’t equate to spiritual maturity. While knowledge is essential, it must be wed with the power and person of the Holy Spirit.
In our fallen nature, we can’t understand the thoughts of God. This lack reminds us of our dire need for the Holy Spirit. It’s only by receiving the Holy Spirit through submission to God that the Holy Spirit becomes real to us (Romans 8:14).
When the Apostle Paul taught them, the Corinthian church understood him because they were experiencing the presence of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. However, now that he’s away from them, they’ve drifted. I’m not suggesting they’ve lost the Holy Spirit altogether, but they’ve become stagnant in their faith and out of touch with God.
Another reason for that is due to enculturation, which is where an individual learns the content of the culture and assimilates its practices and values in a manner that is contrary to God’s wisdom.
The Apostle Paul shares that we need God’s Spirit if we are to:
Understand the gospel
Have the message of the gospel
Make the right response to the gospel
Amid difficult circumstances, our initial reaction is often to ask God to change our circumstances. While that’s not a bad prayer, the problem with asking God to change what’s happening around us is that He always wants to start by changing what’s going on inside the individual.
In Corinth, they had many problems, including dissension, arguing, brokenness, immorality, and more. I’m confident that at some point, they prayed, “God, will you fix this?” But God was interested in working inside people’s hearts, especially the people of the Corinthian church. That was the great need of the day; Christians who thought biblically, not culturally, and it’s no different for us today.
For a surgeon to do open heart surgery, they have to study for more than five minutes a day. For a pro golfer, they have to swing their clubs for more than five minutes a day. For the believer, it’s impossible to mature in Christ by only opening God’s Word for five minutes a day.
I share those anecdotes because that’s part of the problem at Corinth. Culture had spoken more profoundly to them than God’s voice. The truth doesn’t change, instead, the truth changes us. The philosophy of culture always has voices that don’t align with God’s perspective.
Culture: “Life is short, you better enjoy it.”
Christ: “Eternity is long, you better prepare for it.”
Culture: “This life is all there is.”
Christ: “I have died for you, and there’s a hidden wisdom that I have opened for you.”
Culture: “Center your life on Me, My and I—that’s reality.”
Christ: “Center your life in my glory—that’s Ultimate Reality.”
What God intended to reveal to the Corinthian church, as well as our lives, is by revealing what’s imparted, which is what Christ has done for you. It’s God’s revelation of what He’s imparted through the person of the Holy Spirit.
2) A Revealing of the Depth of God and Not Merely the Surface
“‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him,’ these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10
This verse is a quotation from Isaiah 64:4. The immediate context relates it to Israel in captivity, awaiting God’s deliverance. The nation had sinned and had been sent to Babylon for chastening. They cried out to God that He would come down to deliver them, and He did answer their prayer after 70 years of their exile. God had plans for His people, and they did not have to be afraid (Jeremiah 29:11); He was developing them.
Jeremiah 29:11 can be used out of context, but the point is that God wanted to remind Israel that while they were in a point of pain, He was in control and at work. He was reassuring them that there is hope, and that’s true of us as well.
But the Apostle Paul kept going and shared, “These things God has revealed to us through His Spirit.” The reality is present tense. It applies to your life today. Right now. God has revealed His wisdom. He’s revealed that His son died for you. He’s revealed the person of the Holy Spirit. He’s revealed all the riches of His glory, including the gifts, grace, and fruit of the Spirit. Our passage shares that the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. Thus, we can see that this revealed the depth of God, not merely the surface.
Years ago, Titanic was a huge box-office success. One of the sparks that led to that movie was that the Titanic was actually found at the bottom of the ocean. Even though we knew approximately where the Titanic went down, the ocean is so deep and dark that we couldn’t see where it was. Because of the cold water and extreme pressure, it would also be dangerous for anyone to attempt to approaching finding it.
What they used to find the Titanic were small, remotely controlled submarines with cameras and special equipment. These submarines were able to establish the relationship with the depths of the ocean floor to see what is there. They also had a relationship through electronic signals with those on the surface. It was because of these relationships that they were able to give the message to those on the surface of what exists in the depths.
God has given us His word and Spirit so that we might be able to see beyond our normal range of vision and know Him. If we have come to know Him, it’s not because we are smarter or more insightful than those who do not; it’s only by the work of the Holy Spirit, by God’s grace. There is no place for pride on our part. The Holy Spirit has inspired the words of Scripture so that through them and His work, we may come to know God and grow in our relationship with Him.
3) A Revealing of the Difference Between the Natural and Spiritual
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16
When Paul refers to the “natural person” in verse 14, some translations, such as the New International Version (NIV), share “the man without the Spirit.” The Natural Person is the word for one who lives purely on the material plane, without being touched by the Spirit of God. He lives under the influence of sinful human nature, rather than the Spirit.
Since the natural person doesn’t have the Spirit of God, he does not receive the things of the Spirit, i.e., the message of the gospel and salvation, because they are foolishness to him. It is foolish to him that God would become a man, and suffer and die on a cross, and that that one would be the Savior of God’s people.
In 1 Corinthians 2:14, the Apostle Paul wrote that a man without the Spirit does not know the things of the Spirit, but he cannot, because they are spiritually discerned. Man in his natural, sinful state, cannot understand and respond to the message of the gospel which is revealed by the Spirit. Without the Spirit’s work, his response is to reject it and consider it foolishness.
But “the spiritual person,” who has the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul writes in the next verse, 1 Corinthians 2:15, “judges all things.” The word for “judges” is the same word translated as “discerned” in the previous verse and may be better translated that way here. The root word for “judges” here isn’t that he or she becomes judgmental, but that they are able to discern what is true.
Thus, we can determine that although the one without the spirit is unable to discern the things of the Spirit, the one with the Spirit is able to discern all things of the Spirit, though he himself is discerned by no one. Though the man with the Spirit understands the things of the Spirit, he is misunderstood by those without the Spirit; He seems very strange to them. As he understands the things of the Spirit, he gains more of the mind of God Himself.
The Apostle Paul once again quotes from Isaiah (Isaiah 40:13) in 1 Corinthians 2:16:
“‘For who has understood the mind of the LORD so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”
That’s a bold statement! You, the believer, have the mind of Christ. This is only possible because you have the Spirit of God and His Word digested into your heart and mind. The person without the Spirit cannot know the mind of the Lord nor discern the things of the Lord. It’s as if he is trying to judge a symphony and cannot even hear the music!
The Apostle Paul is bold to declare that he and his fellow apostles, and those with the Spirit of God who receive His teaching, have the mind of Christ. Thus, we can infer that this is the response we need: To receive the message of the Holy Spirit, gain salvation, and the mind of Christ. It is a response for which we need the Holy Spirit’s work.
The Corinthian church would worship together weekly on the Sabbath, but what got them in trouble was when the Apostle Paul left them; they didn’t fuel their walk with Christ on their own. Instead, they drifted. It’s no wonder they became enculturated.
When a person fuels their walk with Christ and begins to mature, it’s a symptom of following Jesus’ words when He said things like “Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that process from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Just as we eat three square meals a day for nourishment, this a picture of communion with God.
The picture at Corinth is that they had received the gospel, been enlightened by the person of the Holy Spirit, and experienced the joy and newness of being in Christ. They were even propagating the gospel in Corinth and beyond.
The problem at the Corinthian church was what happened on the other days of the week, outside of the Sabbath. Enculturation began to permeate the church through this, and the reminder is straightforward: if it can happen to them, it can also happen to us.
Perhaps, in your daily walk, it’s time to reprioritize your life and time. Many Western pulpits say that following Jesus doesn’t involve any cost, but is that the gospel?
Once, I got to chat with a leader in the Chinese church who had led a movement where hundreds of thousands of people came to know Christ. He was part of a movement that saw people in China lay down their lives for the sake of propagating the Gospel and moving into a healthy relationship with Jesus. So, I asked him, What principles and advice would you give to share how that happened? He replied simply, “Die to self.”
Jesus desires communion with you. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus shared: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” That’s a picture of experiencing fellowship with Jesus.
God was knocking at the door of the Corinthian church. He was waiting to come inside. Is He knocking at your door?
TL;DR
1 Corinthians 2:6–16 challenges believers to reject worldly wisdom and embrace the Spirit-led reality of God’s truth.
The Corinthian church had grown out of touch with the Holy Spirit, replacing divine wisdom with cultural ideals.
The Holy Spirit reveals what is hidden and imparts the mind of Christ—something the natural person cannot grasp.
We’re called for a renewed spiritual discernment rooted in Scripture, obedience, and the pursuit of eternal, not temporal, reality.
