The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 78

Yers. 10-lG.-The Holy Spii-it as the Reveale1·. In this section the apostle develops more folly the suhject of reYclation through the Spirit of God. The thincrs prepared by God for them that love him have not been discovered by human wisdo~, nor can they be apprehended by natural reason. As they come from God, they are made known to us by God through the operation of the revealing Spirit. I. THE COMPETENCE OF TRE REVEALING SPmIT. "For the Spirit searcheth all things," etc. He is competent to reveal to us tl1e thin"s of God because he has a thor;ugh knowled_ge of them. There is nothing in God that is hid from him 1 not even the "deep things." The nature, perfections, purposes of the .Almighty are patent to his eye. This is explained by an analogy between the spirit of a man and the Spirit of God_. "For wh~ among men knoweth the things of a man," etc.? The depths of my bemg do not lie open to the eyes of other~. They cannot observe the hidden moti-1-e, the secret desire, and all the movements that precede the formation of a purpose. They see only what is without, and from that infer what is within. But to my own spirit all that inner region is unveiled. I am immediately conscious of all that is going on within me. "Even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God." We can see a little of God's working in the universe, and from that we can gather something of his mind; but we cannot by searching find him out. We can only make dark guesses at a few truths regarding him, whilst the matters of his grace are completely hidden 'from us. llut the Spirit of God knows the things of God, as the spirit of a man knows the things of the man. He does not know them by inference. As d"·elling in God and himself God, he knows them immediately, infallibly, and perfectly. The analogy is not to be pressed beyond this particular point. '!'he apostle is not speaking of the relation between the Spirit and the Godhead, except in regard to the Spirit's perfect knowledge. From all this the fitness of the Spirit to be our Instructor in the things of God is manifest. The argument is not that he is superior to every other teacher, but that in the nature of things he is the only Teacher. He alone fully knows; he alone can fully reveal. II. THE WORK OF THE REVEALING SPIRIT. The all-knowing Spirit, proceeding from God, is imparted to believers. As" the spirit of the world" works in the sons of disobedience (Eph. ii. 2), the Spirit of God dwells and works in the children of faith. His work appears in two ways. 1. In tea,ching us to know the things of God. "That ,ve might know," etc. (ver. 12). The things prepared for them that love God are the free gifts of his grace. They have been provided at infinite cost, but to us they are given "without money and without price." These things are taught us by the Spirit, who, as "the Anointing from the Holy One," gives us to know all things (1 John ii. 20). Ilow great a privilege to have such a Teacher I How far does it raise the Christian above the wise of this world! How accurate and assured should bll our knowledge! And this knowledge is more than the apprehension of certain doctrines as true, or the persuasion that the gospel is God's way or salvation, We know his gracious gifts only in so far as we receive them. Justification and sanctification are verities only to the justified and sancLified. '!'ho way to spiritual knowledge is through faith and personal experience. 2. In teaching us to spealc the things of God. Paul has in view, first of all, his own case. It was his work as a preacher to declare the glad tidings to men, and this he did, "not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teachetb." He was not left to his own unaided skill in choosing the forms under which be presented the truth. The Spirit gave him utterance as well as knowledge, taught him the very words he was to employ. 'l.'his statement covers both his oral and bis written teaching. Apart from theories on the subject, inspiration must be held to extend to the verbal framework of apostolic teaching, as well as to the teaching itself; yet so as to give free play to the writer's own form of thought and style of expression .. He fitted spiritual truth to words suggested by the Spirit (this is one probable moaning of 11vwµ.a-rtKo"is 1rv,vµ,a,-r,Ka. crv-yKplvonu, ver. 13), and so interpreted spiritual things to spiritual men (according to another probable meaning), Does not en. u. 1-16.J THE FinST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIAXS. ,'.J