1Co 2 - who is the "we, us" and the "you"?

[Deleted User]

1Co 2 contains a passage which is quite often used "to prove" that Christians (as spiritual people) can understand the Bible while non-Christians (natural people) cannot. However, is this what the passages in 1Co 2 teaches.

1Co 2:2-16 (NASB95)
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much
4 and my 1message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

To whom did God reveal these hitherto unknown truth concerning this great mystery by the Spirit? To all Christians, including the believers at Corinth or believers many centuries later? or were these revealed by the Spirit to Paul and other apostles who then preached and wrote these revealed truths so that the believers could receive them by hearing and reading?

C Mc

Wolfgang,
We need to address these first:

What group was Paul apart?
What people group was 1 Cor 2 written?
What was the issue at hand or the situation that caused Paul to write to this group?
Was 1 Cor 2 to written to Gentile believers and/or Jewish-Christians believers?
What was Paul's key message to this group?

The answers to these questions lay the foundation to answer your question above - who is the "we", "us", and the ""you" 1 Cor. 2?

Do you have anything to add? Any answers to the questions? Let's work together. CM

Dave_L

@Wolfgang said:
1Co 2 contains a passage which is quite often used "to prove" that Christians (as spiritual people) can understand the Bible while non-Christians (natural people) cannot. However, is this what the passages in 1Co 2 teaches.

1Co 2:2-16 (NASB95)
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much
4 and my 1message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.

To whom did God reveal these hitherto unknown truth concerning this great mystery by the Spirit? To all Christians, including the believers at Corinth or believers many centuries later? or were these revealed by the Spirit to Paul and other apostles who then preached and wrote these revealed truths so that the believers could receive them by hearing and reading?

us = Pronoun,1st person, Dative, plural = apostles?