1When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God,* I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.a 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.b 3I came to you in weakness* and fear and much trembling, 4and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive [words of] wisdom,* but with a demonstration of spirit and power,c 5so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.d

The True Wisdom.* 6Yet we do speak a wisdom to those who are mature, but not a wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age who are passing away. 7Rather, we speak God’s wisdom,* mysterious, hidden, which God predetermined before the ages for our glory, 8and which none of the rulers of this age* knew; for, if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But as it is written:

10f this God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. 11Among human beings, who knows what pertains to a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. 13And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.*

14Now the natural person* does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. 15The spiritual person, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment* by anyone.

16For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.g