The apostle reminds the Corinthian Christians that when he first came to them he did not come with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, but with "the Word of the Cross." Yet there must be no foolish imagining that there is no wisdom, or that the Christian teacher has no deep and sublime subjects with which to deal. The apostle says, "We speak wisdom, however." And yet the wisdom was such as could be taught only among those who were full grown. Babes and feeble ones in Christ could not be led into the deep things of God. For them there must be the simple proclamation of the word of wisdom, without its explanation and unfolding.
What, then, is this wisdom? It is a mystery, hidden from the world's wisdom, but known of God and revealed by His Spirit. It could come to man only through the direct and distinct revelation of the Spirit of God. It is pre- eminently important that this should ever be borne in mind. "The Word of the Cross" is not the ultimate of human reasoning. All mere philosophies of the mind have failed to explain it, as the wisdom of the world had failed to discover it. It is the Word of God hidden from ages, and spoken at last only by that Spirit of God "who searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." This revelation, moreover, could not be received by the natural man.
Here it is well to understand Paul's meaning by his use of the term "natural." He invariably speaks of man unregenerate as the natural man, putting him in contrast with man regenerate, who is the spiritual man. Thus the reason why "the wisdom of words" is folly becomes apparent.