November 2 2025, Sunday School Lesson

Power to Impart Wisdom

Lesson Text: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

Related Scriptures: Proverbs 8:12-31; Isaiah 63:15-64:4; John 3:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:4; Ephesians 1:15-21

TIME: between A.D. 54 and 56

PLACE: from Ephesus

GOLDEN TEXT: - “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory” (1 Corinthians 3:7)

INTRODUCTION

The word for “wisdom” occurs about fifteen times in the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians and only twelve other times in all of Paul’s writings. Wisdom was something of an obsession with the Corinthians, prompting Paul to address and correct their thinking using their own favorite terms.

Wisdom in the Greco-Roman world was closely associated with the worldly philosophers who delved into deep speculations about the divine nature and other convoluted controversies. In contrast, in Christian thinking, wisdom has more to do with the practical: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7)

LESSON OUTLINE

1. WISDOM AMONG THE MATURE – 1 Cor. 2:6-11

2. WISDOM AND THE MIND OF GOD - 1 Cor. 2:12-16

QUESTIONS

1. Why did the Corinthians not recognize the wisdom of Paul’s message about the cross?

2. Who were the “princes of this world” (1 Cor. 2:8)?

3. What comparison did Paul make between the Holy Spirit and a person’s knowledge of his or her own thought?

4. What is the purpose of our experience of the Holy Spirit?

5. How did Paul’s recent experiences before coming to Corinth likely influence his reaction to the Corinthians’ love for the wisdom of the world?

6. What does it mean to “know the things that are freely given to us of God’ (vs. 12)?

7. What was the content of Paul’s “spiritual” message (vs. 13)?

8. What doctrine is taught in verse 14?

9. Does every true believer exhibit perfect spiritual wisdom? How do we know that from the context of 1 Corinthians?

10. Why might Paul have been eager to point out the inability of the spiritually immature to judge those who are spiritual (vs. 15)?

ANSWERS

1. He did, in fact, preach a message full of wisdom but of a kind completely unfathomable to the Corinthians in their present immaturity. (vs. 6)

2. The comment makes clear that Paul was speaking about the rulers and influencers who brought about Jesus’ crucifixion.

3. Accordingly, only the Holy Spirit can truly know the thoughts of God, just as only individual persons understand their own thoughts (vs. 11).

4. It was meant to impart an understanding of God’s will, leading them into Christian maturity.

5. That was Paul’s recent experience when he came to Corinth, where he undoubtedly modeled the same cruciform life and servant’s heart. Therefore, the news that the Corinthians were now pursuing and celebrating status distressed Paul, prompting him to emphasize Jesus, the crucified Messiah who gave His life for others.

6. Rather, God’s Spirit enabled them to understand the gospel. That is what Paul meant when he wrote that they received the Spirit in order to “know the things that are freely given to us of God” (vs. 12).

7. Paul’s message was that God sent Jesus Messiah to be crucified and save sinners.

8. That inability of unbelievers to grasp spiritual truth reflects the doctrine of human depravity.

9. Paul was speaking ideally; while Spirit-controlled believers discern everything, the Corinthian believers were not living up to the ideal.

10. Paul then added, perhaps to chide the Corinthians for their judgmental attitude toward him, that spiritually led people, who thoughtfully discern all things, are not to be judged by those who are spiritually immature.