By Heny Albert Erdmann

Chapter 5

THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION

I Corinthians 2:6-16

6. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

7. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

8. Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

In this chapter we are considering the work of the Holy Spirit, the Source of mental illumination and the indwelling Sanctifier. We have Him presented to us as the Illuminator of our minds in this, the second chapter of First Corinthians, and as the sanctifying Indweller of the heart in the sixth chapter. Be sure to read the sixth chapter.

The last verse of the wonderful second chapter expresses the particular truth of which the whole chapter is an unfolding: "We have the mind of Christ." This is the secret of the whole mystery. The Spirit is here represented as the Quickener of the mind -- the Revealer of spiritual truth.

There are three distinct and important truths in the second chapter of First Corinthians. In the first place, the Spirit is the Revealer of spiritual knowledge, for "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit."

There is much of wonder that eye has seen; but there are truths beyond our natural vision, that are more wonderful than any sights in the world of light and beauty, when it is suddenly revealed to one who has always been blind. The writer once knew a young lady who had been blind until she was nearly twenty years of age. At that time a surgeon decided that an operation could be performed that would give her sight. The operation was performed and in due time the bandages were removed. This young lady had previously visualized in her mind everything that had come into her knowledge and experience; but now that she had her sight and saw things in their true beauty and reality, she almost went beside herself with joy and delight. She exclaimed over and over, "Oh, I could never imagine that anything could be so beautiful!"

And so there are spiritual truths which God has in store for the quickened spirit. There is a world of higher intelligence which our natural senses never could discover.

Ear has heard words of wisdom and eloquence, beautiful notes of melody and harmony, whispers of affection and human love, words of warning and words of encouragement. But there is a higher realm whose messages of heavenly truth and divine love ear has never heard.

There are words of wisdom and tenderness which the Shepherd's voice is waiting to speak to him "that hath an ear" to "hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." They are the deep things of God; the unutterable truths of the Almighty; the rich and unearthly treasures of the heavenly kingdom; the transcendent wonders of the coming age; the supernal realities of spiritual life, immortality, and ineffable glory.

There are truths which human hearts have conceived -- wonderful creations of the human imagination, wonderful conceptions of the human soul, wonderful inductions from human observation, wonderful Systems of human thought and philosophy. But there are deeper and higher truths for the heaven-taught soul which will fill the ages to come with wonder and rapture. In God "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

There is a false teaching that we must die to receive these wonderful revelations. "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit."

Here we are plainly told that the wonderful, invisible, inaudible, and inconceivable glories, referred to in verse nine, are actually within our reach at the present time. But the Spirit cannot speak of them to us until we are able to hear. These wonders which are unutterable and indescribable in human language can be revealed to the human spirit only by the Holy Spirit. They are too heavenly to be uttered or communicated by mortal language. All language is utterly impoverished in the attempt to reveal these infinite beauties, majesties, wonders, sweetness, and glory.

"For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." These "deep things" of God have captured and recaptured the saints of all ages. For them the martyr has gladly hugged the burning stake; for them the dungeon of Madam Guyon appeared so bright that the very stones shone like rubies. They inspired John Knox to pray Bloody Mary off the throne of England.

Now we have another truth revealed: We must have more than a supernatural truth presented to us. We need a supernatural mind to receive it. So the next thought to which we shall call attention is that the Holy Spirit's ministry gives to us the mind of Christ, and a supernatural power of reception. "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." And the "things of God" cannot possibly be received by human intellect, because the intellect can only cognize human resources, which are utterly alien and infinitely inferior to the Divine.

Here is the source of so many false doctrines and isms which fail in their designs to lift men from the pit of sin. Men try to understand and explain the things of God without having the mind of Christ. Human intellect, unilluminated by the Holy Spirit, can never rightly understand the things of God.

You may repeat your thoughts to your canary bird that sings in your chamber, and he may bend his little head in earnest attention, apparently trying to take in your meaning, but he does not grasp it. His little mind is not equal to your higher thought. He has only the mind of a bird, while you have that of a human being. In order for him to understand you, you would need to put your mind into his brain. That is impossible. Just so it is when we attempt to bring our little minds up to the great thoughts of God.

Your canary may have a bigger head than your neighbor's canary; it may know one or two more notes of song; it may even have a few little tricks that others have not learned; it may be an educated, a cultured, a professional bird -- but it is only a bird.

And so your philosopher, your man of science, your scholar, may know a few intellectual tricks; but he has only a human mind and he cannot take in the thoughts of God without divine illumination. Your theologian may memorize the Bible, he may have several mental tricks "up his sleeve," he may know several psychological stunts -- but unless he has the illumination of the Holy Spirit he is no more than any other man, in so far as understanding the things of God is concerned. So we see the utter impossibility for anyone to know "the things of God," except the Spirit who dwells in him and those to whom He makes the revelation. It is utterly impossible for us to receive them by our intellect, because the intellect can cognize only human resources.

In the twelfth verse of our text the Apostle tells us that "we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." And the next verse informs us that expositions of spiritual things are available only to spiritual people -- and these are so few in proportion to the population, that in the average community we d0 well to find a band of a few dozen who are spiritual enough to receive the Word of God, appreciate it, and utilize it, profiting thereby. It is absolutely useless to expound deep spiritual truths to the wicked, or unspiritual, just as it would be useless to set before a dead man a delicious dinner. For very little of spiritual truths can be comprehended by the unsanctified just as the fatted calf cannot be masticated by toothless babes.

Verse fourteen shows us the utter insufficiency Of human wisdom to grasp the things of God. It is not for want of education that men cannot know the truths of God, but it is for want of spiritual powers. It is a deplorable fact that scholarship and genius fail to grasp the deeper spiritual truths of the Gospel, and even oppose and hold up to ridicule the things that God has revealed to them that love Him.

There is in the human spirit a faculty which may be designated the God-sense. It is an organ of the soul on which God operates by the agency of the Holy Spirit; it is that part of our being which comes into immediate contact with divine truth. As there is an incomprehensible, indefinable link, connecting the soul with the body, where the mind and the brain are mysteriously connected, so there is an unfathomable link in our spiritual being, where the divine Spirit and the human spirit join each other. And in like manner, as it is essential for the soul to be united to the body in order that the organs of the body live and perform their functions, so it is essential that the divine Spirit and the human spirit be united in order that the spiritual faculties be alive and perform their proper functions. All men have a latent divine sense, just as dead men have nerve and brain tissue, but this latent sense of men's spirits must be made alive by the divine Spirit in regeneration, and intensified by the Holy Spirit in sanctification. The Word of God will then be truly alive and apprehended as a living, spiritual force. When the soul is really alive to God, the very reading of God's Word will attract the attention. The soul will perceive its spiritual accuracy; it will feel its penetration in the heart, and be inwardly sensitive to its every expression.