The operation of the Holy Spirit is aptly described in a scripture found in the Bible. “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,” reads 1 Corinthians 2:12.
By this, what does Paul mean? To grasp the chapter, let’s take a tour through it.
Keep it simple
“And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom,” according to 1 Corinthians 2:1.
Paul starts out by telling the Corinthian church again how he came to be with them. He had spent a year and a half in Corinth. For Paul, who normally moved from place to place fast, this is quite a long period. He had been establishing a local church and preaching the gospel in Corinth. He had begun in the synagogue, been expelled from it, and gone on to form a church with believers who were both Gentiles (=non-Jews) and Jews. A year and a half later, Paul was hauled before the court by the Jews who had rejected the Gospel, and he eventually fled the city.
What was Paul doing with his time? He made no effort to persuade them with pretentious arguments. He didn’t deliver deep, intellectual talks. He kept things straightforward.
Jesus alone
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” writes 1 Corinthians 2:2.
It’s important for folks to know that. Paul informed them as follows: “Have you heard about Jesus Christ?” He is the divine Son. Unlike Hercules, who is considered a demigod because he is claimed to have a deity for a father and a wife for a mother. No, [Jesus is the Son of God]. Though He has always existed, this earth was His home. He who made the earth also came to be with us. Specifically, to Israel. And it was fantastic! He was and still is the world’s light. It is evident to you His divine power. He gave the storm an order, and it stopped. He exorcised demons. He used just one phrase to heal people. He even brought some dead to life.
And how He spoke! People hung on His words. From all over the country they came to listen to Him. He told of God’s love. He rebuked hypocritical leaders. He told wonderful stories. When you heard Him, you knew: He really knows God! “That’s right,” He said, “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And then how He lived. It took some getting used to, but if you could get over your prejudices, you saw His love. He invited tax collectors, who were despised by everyone. He put His arms around children when His disciples wanted to send them away because the adults were talking. Women who had been cast out by society because of their licentious lifestyles, were given a new chance by Him.
And what did they do to Him, do you know? He was crucified by them. Naked, they nailed Him to a cross. That’s how He passed away. After this introduction, it seems like quite the shock. That a man so big and strong had to die on a cross. Even his disciples were utterly perplexed. Later on, though, they saw why things had transpired that way.
What was the purpose of Jesus’ crucifixion? For your transgressions. He was and still is the ideal offering made to God to atone for all of humanity’s sins. All of His teachings, all of His miracles, all of His love—all of it came to an end on the cross. Not as a failure, but as the accomplishment of His mission. You can approach God via the cross. Should you accept Jesus as the sinless lamb who died on the cross, you won’t need to fear God’s impending wrath on this planet. You’ll live forever.
Do you realize how certain I am about that? due to an unprecedented event that occurred. After being crucified, Jesus rose from the dead two days later. With [a body that could not die], he came from the dead. “Go and tell everyone that they must believe in Me in order to receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life,” stated Jesus before ascending back to heaven. Refer to Mark 16:15–16.
Paul was conveying this information to the Corinthians. And in the following few verses, he expands on it.
The power of the Spirit
The lines “and I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,” rather than “in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” are found in 1 Corinthians 2:3–4.
Paul claims that people did not begin to believe because of him. I have nothing to do with the founding of a church. My speeches were not masterworks of rhetoric; rather, they were weak and terrified. However, there was something essential: “Spirit and power.” (That might be interpreted as “power of the Spirit” or “spiritual power”). Paul’s lack of greatness didn’t matter because God’s Spirit was at work. And that’s what changed things.
Paul is most likely implying that because miracles occurred, people witnessed the activity of the Holy Spirit. People recovered. Visions were provided to people. The devils were banished. However, he also implies that people’s hearts were moved by his sermons about the crucified Jesus Christ. They started to wonder, “What have to we do to get saved?” They underwent [conversion]. They were given fresh life by the Spirit’s power.
Don’t imagine for a moment that the miracles are mostly caused by the Spirit’s power. The rest, on the other hand, is merely a conviction that individuals begin to hold. No, Paul believes that the second factor—believing in Jesus—is far more significant than the healings. He sees the power of the Spirit at work precisely in the process of coming to faith. We read about Paul’s teachings but not about his miracles in Acts 18, which describes his stay in Corinth. He also states clearly in this chapter: “My concern is the crucified Christ.” We are aware that those miracles also existed. 1 Corinthians 12 goes on to mention them. However, Paul considered spiritual transformations to be both more significant and miraculous than bodily ones.
Faith is spiritual
“… so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God,” says 1 Corinthians 2:5.
Paul stresses the spiritual aspect of faith in this passage. “Wisdom of men” if “faith” is only a conviction based on the overwhelming weight of evidence supporting it rather than refuting it. The important thing to remember is that God’s power transforms you.
These are the opening words in which Paul lists the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, with the assistance of the Spirit. That is Jesus first, and everything that He has accomplished for us.
