It's about time I read the Bible again. Here we go! 👍

"When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
(2:1-2)
"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power."
(2:4-5)

My Note: An accurate summary of the previous chapter. Paul states the worthlessness of human knowledge compared to knowing Jesus Christ and what He did for humanity. Sometimes people get so distracted by what humans do/know that they forget everything God can do(or did)/everything God knows.

"...The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." (2:10)

My Note: The Holy Spirit is a confusing concept to grasp when discussing the Holy Trinity. In his verse, it seems like the Holy Spirit is not simply God the Father, since the Spirit itself is searching the deep things of God, showing that the Spirit is unique and a different aspect of God. I do believe in the Holy Trinity, and perhaps more information about the nature of the Holy Spirit will present itself as I keep reading.

"For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." (2:11)

My Note: This verse brings up two great points. Who are we to know or judge a person's thoughts? No one really knows what is going on inside a person's head. Only God knows the thoughts that motivate a person's actions.

In the same way, how could we even begin to comprehend the thoughts going on in God's great mind? Overall, we should not judge God or other people, since we can never be certain of what God or another person is thinking.

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us." (2:12)

My Note: As I continue to read this chapter, I'm beginning to further understand what the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit enters us and allows us to understand and communicate with God the Father.

"The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (2:14)

My Note: It seems that we need the Holy Spirit in order to accept and comprehend God's gifts, wisdom, etc. I see the Holy Spirit as a telephone, since It allows us God and us to communicate information to each other. Without the Holy Spirit, we aren't able to see the greatness that comes from God.

"The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments." (2:15)

My Note: Though we constantly judge on a day to day basis, we can prevent ourselves from becoming hateful due to our judgements. With the Holy Spirit, we avoid judging people or things in petty and trivial way. Instead, we are given the gift of God's holy and righteous judgement.

Conclusion:

This chapter was quite short in my opinion. The beginning of the chapter was mainly a summary of the previous chapter, explaining the foolishness of human knowledge and how God's knowledge allows us to effectively share His Word.

However, this chapter delves into the topic of the Holy Spirit, describing what the Holy Spirit is and what It allows us to do. The Holy Spirit acts like a telephone as I mentioned earlier, allowing us to effectively communicate with God in order to receive His knowledge and spiritual gifts.

Without the Holy Spirit, we are left without access to God's knowledge. We would have to rely on human knowledge, which turns God's knowledge into foolishness in our minds. As Paul wrote before, human knowledge often prevents us from understanding and following God, just like it prevented people from realizing Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

This chapter clearly explains the purpose of the Holy Spirit, which is a subject I didn't know much about. I'm thankful that God allowed me to read and understand His Word, and I hope you analyze the book of Corinthians for yourself!