1 Corinthians 2:12

“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.”  (1 Corinthians 2:12 ESV). This verse is from a section where Paul is teaching us that wisdom is from the Spirit and through the Spirit we gain an understanding of spiritual things. As we read through the section our verse is in, we come to a well-known verse: “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV). That which God has prepared for us is revealed through the Spirit. By the Spirit of God, we are able to comprehend the thoughts of God.

In this context we are now ready to look at our verse. As believers, the Spirit that is from God dwells within us to give us understanding of the things freely given to us from God. To gain a fuller understanding of this, we need to read further in our section. The Spirit interprets spiritual truths to those who are spiritual (verse 13) and as a result we are able to understand and accept things of the Spirit that make no sense to the natural person (verse 14). If we are to understand God and his ways, we must have the Spirit of God living within. It is the Spirit of God that sets us apart from the natural person who is not able to understand spiritual things or accept them.

Prayer

Father, thank you that the Spirit dwells within us and provides us with evidence that we are saved and also provides us with an understanding at the spiritual level. He is also referred to as the Spirit of truth, the Helper and the Comforter. He teaches us spiritual truths, helps us in times of need and comforts us during difficult times. Lord Jesus, thank you for asking the Father to send him to us and Father, thank you for sending him.