1 Corinthians 2:10 Commentary and Bible Study

What does it mean: ‘the Spirit searches’? Surely, it doesn’t make sense to say the Spirit searches the deep things of God; the Spirit doesn't need to search. The Holy Spirit, the eternal, almighty, divine Holy Spirit, is equal with the Father and the Son. He knows all things, what is he doing searching? Yes, but the word ‘search’, as it is used by the apostle Paul, is used in a very deep sense in this case when applied to God. It would not be an exact translation, but it opens up the understanding to express it like this: the Spirit penetrates all things, knows all things. This is not like an internet search engine. Every website must be searched every day, so that if you google something, you will find out where it is on the entire system. But that is no use as an illustration, because a search engine is hopping from website to website with its tunnel vision, looking at each one in turn. The Holy Spirit knows all things all the time. Then why is this word employed? What it means is this: the Holy Spirit, as God, knows all the truth of God. He knows everything that has ever and will ever happen. The word ‘searcheth’ tells us that his mind, the divine mind, is actively apprehending these things all the time. We cannot take that in; our mind works in tunnel vision. The Holy Spirit knows everything all the time, but not in a dormant way. His mind is on everything all the time. ‘Why’, says Paul, ‘do you want to import Greek philosophy and oratory? Why do you want to refer to those people who do not know about God and about man's nature and about salvation? Why do you want to refer to the princes of this world? Don't you know that the Holy Spirit who illuminates the believer and is the eternal God, who knows everything actively appreciating everything all the time. He is my teacher. The Spirit knows all things, so that he can reveal them in the gospel. ‘The deep things’: that translates the Greek for the profoundest things of God: the deep things of God, the things unseen, the eternal things. The apostle has both in the verse. We might add a word ‘even’ – ‘yes, even the most profound, the as yet unseen things, and blessings of God.’ The deep things of God are the gospel. There are advanced teachings for us, but there is nothing deeper than the gospel. Christ in his amazing love has died for me; there is redemption in him. We are out of our depth. Our salvation rests on and is entirely dependent on something that we can only begin to understand. Amazingly, as I trust in him, his righteousness is imputed to me, and I stand in his righteousness before God. Why did Christ pay such a price for a creature like me? What did Christ do on Calvary? He died for my sin. But what does that mean? How deep was the punishment? Just how terrible, I cannot measure; I cannot tell. Here are things we cannot register, things we cannot adequately appreciate, and the apostle Paul puts them in this wonderful term: ‘The Spirit searches all things.’ The same Spirit who has begun to show us some things knows infinitely more. God has revealed these things to the apostle Paul and to others by his Spirit giving them the revelation of the New Testament. And he has revealed them to all those who will be saved by opening up our hearts and illuminating us.