The things God has prepared for those who love Him
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 - The Holy Spirit reveals the mind of God to believers
Before I dive into today’s verses, I’d like to thank the Lord for making it possible for Barb and I to explore, explain, and exult in His Word. Last month, we published our 1,000th devotional, and yesterday on November 21 we reached a milestone — 100 subscribers for Heaven On Wheels. That’s a minuscule number compared to many newsletters on Substack, but for two former nonbelievers who have invited others to join us on our exploration of Scripture, it’s truly humbling.
Also, apologies for the problem with yesterday’s look at Acts. A simple button didn’t get pushed, so Substack made it a “for paid subscribers only”. We don’t charge for this devotional. It’s been republished for everyone, but in case you didn’t receive it, here’s a link.
Original photo © 2024, Steven Sande.
“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV
When Paul wrote this verse in his first letter to the church of Corinth, he began by quoting Scripture — in this case, Isaiah 64:4 (“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”). Paul is writing about the Holy Spirit, and in particular God’s wisdom as revealed by the Spirit.
When dissecting these two verses, it made a lot more sense to me to start with verse 10 (“The Spirit searches all things…”) and then work backwards to verse 9. So what is Paul saying when the says that the “Spirit searches all things”?
The ancient Greek translated here as “searches” is the word ἐραυνάω (eraunaō), more correctly translated as “a thorough investigation of something”. The Holy Spirit investigates everything, even “the deep things of God” (because He is God) and reveals those things to believers.
Earlier in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul says that his preaching of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2) does not have its roots in “eloquence or human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:1), but is a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
By knowing that the Holy Spirit investigates and reveals everything to those of faith, it is then possible for us to see, hear, and conceive of things that are not of the natural world or of human creation. GotQuestions.org explains this:
The Spirit opens our hearts and minds to understand the Scriptures, enabling us to trust and obey God’s Word (John 14:26). If the Spirit did not open the eyes of our hearts, the Bible would remain a closed book to us.
What are the “deep things of God” that are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit? Two things in particular become clear to us upon our examination of the Word — God’s plan of redemption in Christ, and God’s reward to believers for their faith. Our sinful human minds would not be able to even begin to comprehend God’s grace without the help of the Spirit!
From the same GotQuestions.org article:
The Spirit’s role in searching “the deep things of God” is significant for believers, for the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God like no other. Just as a human spirit knows the thoughts of that person, so the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God (1 Corinthians 2:11). There is a personal and intimate relationship between the Father and Holy Spirit, and the Spirit fully understands and communicates the mind of God to believers.
We can thank God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — that we receive the Holy Spirit when we receive Christ as our Savior, so we can more fully understand His plan for us.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank You that in Your infinite goodness and grace, You chose to reveal both Yourself and the powerful message of redemption found in Your Word. It is my prayer that I may continue to study Your Word for the rest of my earthly life and understand more of what is revealed through the Spirit to all who believe in You. Thank You for giving me hope in Christ! All praise and glory to Him, AMEN.