1 Corinthians 2:11-12 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man… l: — There are many free gifts which one man seeks to present to another, which the other cannot receive without spiritual sympathy with the giver. Sometimes the recipient has no spirit to understand the kindness that has dictated it, or to appreciate the gift itself; and so the gift is thrown away. I. THERE ARE MANY THINGS FREELY GIVEN TO US BY GOD. "The great things of His law" are "free gifts." Pardon, holiness, "heaven upon earth," are free gifts. Christ is "the unspeakable gift," and "eternal life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord." II. THESE FREE GIFTS MUST BE KNOWN AND APPRECIATED, OR THEY WILL NOT BE RECEIVED BY US. Allowing that some free gifts of Providence can be physically received by the thankless and fleshly mind, they are only partially received by such. If I do not understand, or appreciate, the labour of the artist, he may have given me some sheets of canvas and some ounces of paint, but he cannot give me his picture. The musician may freely give me the treasures that have enriched his soul, and yet my inner self, through my lack of knowledge, fail to receive a single emotion: so, the Divine Harmonist may freely give the harmony of heaven, but these joys are only received by those who know them. "This is life eternal, that they may know Thee," &c. "We know that the Son of God is come." III. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S FREE GIFT IS DEPENDENT ON THE SPIRIT THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED. It depends on the spirit of a man what is the truth that is forced upon him. Imagine the truths conveyed to a group of men before any given scene. There are the scientific spirit, the spirit of the historian, of the politician, of the artist, of the soldier, of the philanthropist; each receives different things, because perceiving different objects. The same thing occurs in respect of spiritual life. If our spirit is haughty or selfish, how can we know, or receive, free gifts that require for their appreciation self-condemnation and self-forgetfulness? If our spirit is false, how can we receive, or know, that which depends on the faithfulness and truthfulness of God? "The natural man receiveth not," &c. If there is no spirit of self-dissatisfaction, how can we appreciate the promise of pardon and life? The spirit of a man is open to influences from other spirits. One man may pour his spirit into another's, communicate it to society, enshrine it in the common motives and aspirations of the race. And, just as every man has a spirit of his own, so societies, communities, nations, the world itself, may have a spirit which reacts upon the individual spirits which compose them. We speak correctly of the spirit of the age, of a system, of a class, and of the world. IV. THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD IS UTTERLY INSUFFICIENT FOR THE PURPOSE HERE INDICATED. This spirit has differed at different times in the world's history. Some day the spirit of the world will be the Spirit of God. Ignorance identifies them now, and philosophy tries to prove it. The apostle was not deluded by the false philosophy of Greece. We must not be deceived by the dicta of either France or Germany. Note some characteristics of this spirit in the days of Paul. 1. Sensuality. If not sensual now, still it is sensuous and materialistic. But the things given by God are spiritual and eternal. "Therefore," &c. 2. Selfishness. This blinds the eye to God's gifts. We suffer as much from the selfishness of trade, politics, religion, art, and even philanthropy, as Paul did, though it may be more subtle in its manifestations. "Therefore," &c. 3. Cruelty. The harsh repression of natural instincts — parental, filial, conjugal; e.g., the amphitheatre, modes of warfare, court intrigues. The spirit of the world is materially changed in this respect, but its traces are still to be seen, and they war with God's free gifts. 4. The love and lust of conquest. 5. The love of money. 6. Enterprise. But in all these respects, in proportion as we catch and embody the spirit of the world, we incapacitate ourselves for knowing or receiving the things freely given to us of God. V. THE RECEPTION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD WILL STRIKE A RELATION AT ONCE BETWEEN OUR UNDERSTANDING AND THE TRUTH — between our hearts and the Divine appeals to our feelings — between our wills and the calls of duty and self-sacrifice. "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." We may have this Spirit if we will; we have quenched and resisted more of this Spirit than is enough to do for us all we want. Receive the Spirit. Pray for an abundance of it. "If ye, being evil," &c. (H. R. Reynolds, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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