God’s Word for You

1 Corinthians 2:15-16 The mind of Christ

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Friday, November 18, 2022

15 But the spiritual man examines all things, but he himself is not examined by anyone. 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Who will instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

“All things” are known to the truly spiritual man, because knowing Christ he knows the will of God. He has insight into everything in the world. He understands that the heavenly Father, not “mother nature,” truly is the one who takes cares of the birds, the fish, the animals, the weather, the air, the rain, the snow, and all things for the benefit of the crown of creation, which is man. “In the Lord’s hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). The worldly person can’t examine or understand the truly spiritual person, because the worldly person cannot penetrate the matters of grace, faith, and forgiveness. These are things that any child can understand, but that the mind darkened by unbelief can never penetrate. “The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand” (Psalm 92:6).

And so the godly man is not understood or examined by anyone without the Holy Spirit. “For,” Paul asks, quoting Isaiah 40:13, “who has known the mind of the Lord?” The answer is no one, at least no one without the spirit of Christ, and faith in Christ. This means that “the preaching of Christ crucified is the highest wisdom.”

Because Paul is quoting from Isaiah, some translations (like the TEV and the Worldwide English NT) add “As the Scripture says.” This isn’t part of the text, but in cultures where the Bible is primarily read out loud in worship and not in homes, this isn’t an improper addition, although it would merit a footnote or an end note explaining the addition.

This brings to mind a question about Bible translations and how reliable they can be. While it’s possible for a translator to try to impose his own theology into a translation, the fact that there are so very many translations to compare makes it more likely that a heavily biased translation will be found out and will go unused. There are some good charts online of the ‘spectrum’ of translations, with more literal (and harder to read) on one end, and more paraphrased (and easier to read) on the other. It’s likely that translations that try to maintain a balance in the middle will be more useful to most people. This middle-balance, which Luther recommended, is known today as “functional equivalence.” This means that when the meaning of a word or phrase can be understood with a literal translation, it should be used. But if it can’t, then an equivalent phrase or word in the receiving language should really be used. An example of this is when the Hebrew text tells us that God’s “nose got hot” (Numbers 11:10, Judges 10:7, and so on). This means that the Lord became very angry, but it makes more sense to translate with an idiom that people will understand. This includes versions like the NIV, ESV, CSB, EHV, and others like them. The NASB (New American Standard Bible) is more literal and word-for-word, but that makes it harder to use in worship or to memorize verses. But it’s great for comparison.

Let’s remember Paul’s wonderful words: “We have the mind of Christ.” How is that possible? It’s because God, in his grace, has shown us his plan to save mankind, all who do not reject him. “Fools despise wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7), but “the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright” (Proverbs 2:6-7). He has taught us to listen to him and not to those who don’t know him, or don’t love him, or don’t trust in him. Listening to God our Father and to his Son Jesus Christ is having the mind of Christ. This is how we think like him, and how we understand God. Look through the whole word of God, and indeed the whole world, through the lens of the cross. This truly is godly wisdom.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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