2 KORINTIËRS 2
Paulus se prediking
1 Wat my betref, broers, toe ek na julle toe gekom het om die geheimnisvolle waarheid van God aan julle te verkondig, het ek nie met hoë woorde of groot geleerdheid gekom nie. 2 Ek het my voorgeneem om met julle oor niks anders te praat nie as oor Jesus as die Christus, en wel oor Hom as die gekruisigde. 3 Bewus van my swakheid, en met groot angs en huiwering, het ek na julle toe gekom. 4 Die boodskap wat ek verkondig, het julle oortuig, nie deur geleerdheid en welsprekendheid nie, maar deur die kragtige werking van die Gees. 5 Dus is julle geloof nie op die wysheid van mense gegrond nie, maar op die krag van God.
Die openbaring deur die Gees van God
6 Tog is wat ons verkondig wysheid, maar net vir dié wat daarvoor ryp is, en dan 'n wysheid wat nie van hierdie wêreld is of van die heersers van hierdie wêreld nie. Hulle is buitendien aan die ondergaan. 7 Wat ons verkondig, is die wysheid van God, die verborge waarheid wat bedek was en wat God van ewigheid af vir ons voorbestem het tot ons ewige heerlikheid. 8 Nie een van die heersers van hierdie wêreld het hierdie wysheid geken nie. As hulle dit geken het, sou hulle nie die Here van die heerlikheid gekruisig het nie. 9 Maar soos daar geskrywe staan: “Wat die oog nie gesien en die oor nie gehoor het nie,”t en wat in die hart van 'n mens nie opgekom het nie, dit het God gereed gemaak vir dié wat Hom liefhet.
10 Aan ons dan het God dit deur die Gees bekend gemaak, want die Gees deursoek alle dinge, ook die diepste geheimenisse van God. 11 Watter mens ken die verborge dinge van 'n mens behalwe die gees van die mens wat in hom is? So ook ken niemand die verborge dinge van God nie, behalwe die Gees van God. 12 Die Gees wat ons ontvang het, is nie die gees van die wêreld nie, maar die Gees wat van God kom. So weet ons wat God ons uit genade geskenk het. 13 Dit verkondig ons ook, nie met geleerde woorde wat die menslike wysheid ons leer nie, maar met woorde wat die Gees ons leer. So verklaar ons geestelike dinge aan mense wat die Gees het.
14 Die mens wat nie die Gees van God het nie, aanvaar nie die dinge van die Gees van God nie. Vir hom is dit onsin. Hy kan dit ook nie verstaan nie, omdat dit geestelik beoordeel moet word. 15 Die mens wat die Gees van God het, kan die waarde van alle dinge beoordeel, maar self kan hy deur geen mens beoordeel word nie. 16 Daar staan geskrywe: “Wie ken die gedagtes van die Here? Wie sal Hom raad gee?”t Maar ons, ons het die Gees van Christus.
1 Corinthians 2
1 AS FOR myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.3 And I was in (passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [after I had come] among you.4 And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],5 So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God--[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]. 10 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].11 For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man’s thoughts except the man’s own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.13 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.