THE NATURAL MAN RECEIVETH NOT THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT

Photo provided by Karen Boston Fain

And I, brethren, when I came to 

you, came not with excellency 

of speech or of wisdom, declaring 

unto you the testimony of God.  

For I determined not to know any 

thing among you, save Jesus Christ, 

and him crucified.  And I was with 

you in weakness, and in fear, and 

in much trembling.  And my speech 

and my preaching was not with 

enticing words of man’s wisdom, 

but in demonstration of the Spirit 

and of power:  That your faith 

should not stand in the wisdom 

of men, but in the power of God.

Howbeit we speak wisdom among 

them that are perfect: yet not the 

wisdom of this world, nor of the 

princes of this world, that come 

to nought:  But we speak the 

wisdom of God in a mystery, 

even the hidden wisdom, which 

God ordained before the world 

unto our glory:  Which none of 

the princes of this world knew: 

for had they known it, they would 

not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not 

seen, nor ear heard, neither have 

entered into the heart of man, the 

things which God hath prepared 

for them that love him.  But God 

hath revealed them unto us by his 

Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all 

things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things 

of a man, save the spirit of man 

which is in him? even so the things 

of God knoweth no man, but the 

Spirit of God.  Now we have received, 

not the spirit of the world, but the 

spirit which is of God; that we might 

know the things that are freely given 

to us of God.  Which things also we 

speak, not in the words which man’s 

wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy 

Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual 

things with spiritual.  But the natural 

man receiveth not the things of the 

Spirit of God: for they are foolishness 

unto him: neither can he know them, 

because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all 

things, yet he himself is judged of no 

man.  For who hath known the mind 

of the Lord, that he may instruct him? 

But we have the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 2:1-16