For a period of time Israel will be set aside until the gathering of the Gentiles is complete. The Apostle Paul made known the mystery of God in the Gospel of Grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:1-7 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
Ephesians was written from a Roman prison where Paul was imprisoned for revealing the Gospel of grace to the Gentiles. The mystery revealed to the Apostle Paul began a new period of time given until the fullness of the Gentiles would be fulfilled.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Paul was given the Gospel of Grace directly from the risen Christ. The truth of the salvation in Jesus Christ to all who would believe in Him was hidden until then. That the Gentiles could be on equal standing to the Jews was forbidden until this time. Christ died for the sins of mankind. In His shed blood our debt is paid in full. The Apostle Paul suffered greatly for preaching the Gospel of Grace directly to the masses.
1 Corinthians 2:13-14 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Only Holy Spirit, through faith, can give us understanding of the spiritual things of God. They cannot be understood any other way. He takes the spiritual teachings of God and gives them life in our lives. Carla
Paul emphasized that the intellectuals of this world could not teach the knowledge he was giving to the Corinthian believers. Note that the Spirit did not simply dictate words to Paul and the other apostles; He taught them. The apostles related with their own vocabulary and style what they had learned from the Spirit. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual are words difficult to translate and interpret. The Greek term translated comparing may also mean “to combine” or “to interpret.” The two references to spiritual may mean interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual persons, or else combining spiritual truths with spiritual words. The latter seems better. In other words, the phrase teaches that the spiritual truths of God are combined with the spiritual vocabulary of the apostles (2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16).
The natural person does not have the Spirit of God, in contrast to the Christian who does have the Spirit (15:44–46). Receive here means “to welcome.” This verb does not pertain to discovering the meaning of a passage, but applying the meaning to life. The NKJV Study Bible
Without God’s help through the Spirit people lack the ability to understand His plans or work. In words taught by the Spirit, Paul is likely referring to the gift of prophecy, which involves speaking on behalf of God.
The Spirit (pneuma) is the one who truly explains and reveals the ways of God to people—believers are just messengers and instruments of the Spirit’s message. The natural man refers to a person who cannot grasp the things of God. Paul again stresses that a true understanding of spiritual things occurs only with the aid of God’s Spirit.
Additionally, Paul might be referring to the spiritual gift of distinguishing between spirits or the gift of wisdom. The gift of distinguishing between spirits fits contextually because of Paul’s earlier comments about rulers of this age and the spirit of this world. This spiritual gift would have been vital to the success of the Corinthian church because of their tendency to elevate people with certain spiritual gifts to positions of authority and to favor the gift of tongues (chapter 13). However, Paul may be referring to the spiritual gift of wisdom, which involves distinguishing between God’s preferred plan and that of the world; this seems to fit Paul’s emphasis in this verse. In addition, Paul discusses wisdom throughout 1:17–2:16, emphasizing that believers derive their understanding from God, not commonly held beliefs. Whichever spiritual gift Paul refers to here, his point is that God grants believers what they need; these gifts don’t come any other way. This gifting empowers them to follow Christ without having to worry about the judgment of others. Those who belong to the Spirit do not need to subject themselves to human condemnation or approval; they recognize that God is their only judge (4:3). Paul says this to combat the Corinthians’ suggestion that he should somehow justify who he is or his actions; his authority comes from Christ and the Spirit’s work in his life.
Paul draws from Isaiah 40:13 to emphasize the gift of the Spirit. Since Christ has no need of an advisor, this quotation suggests that God’s wisdom is incomprehensible—yet He has enabled believers to understand the wisdom of His salvation through the crucified Messiah, Jesus. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God provides believers with the understanding they need). The Mind of Christ probably refers to God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to His people. The presence of the Spirit grants believers the ability to discern God’s will and works within them to make them more like Christ. Like Christ, believers can understand the difference between right and wrong and are empowered to seek God’s will over and against sin and their own natural desires and inclinations. Faithlife Study Bible
1 Corinthians 1:17–18 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
…I raise a glass and say thank you to the men and women who make human helping choices. Often, at what feels like a cost.
Men and women who plant small seeds of compassion and justice, and kindness and restitution, and mercy and grace and healing in our world. Sabbath Moments
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