¹⁰ “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

Beginning with verse 10 to the end of the chapter, Paul shows three ways the believer can know God:

1. 1. Revelation – 2:10-11
   2. Inspiration – 2:12-13
   3. Illumination – 2:14-16

2:10

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.

First, we can know God by revelation. “Revealed” (unveiled) here refers to Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture. He used human agents to place Scripture in written form, but it was the Holy Spirit who disclosed Scripture to the human author. The Holy Spirit is the agent of unveiling God in written form.

The Greek stresses the word “to us”– believers in contrast to the rulers of the world. Leaders of the world use science and philosophy but cannot come to ultimate truth. They can only find human perspectives of truth. The believer finds eternal, absolute truth in Scripture because the Holy Spirit is the revealer.

For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

The Greek word for “searches” is the search of a professional searcher’s report. This searcher or researcher investigated custom issues for the government, for example. The Holy Spirit searches the attributes, work, and counsels of God and selects from “all things” truth appropriate for the believer. He does not search to discover but to select what is appropriate for the writing of Scripture. He searches the “deep things of God.” There is nothing that He does not penetrate to formulate Scripture.

2:11

For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?

Paul set up an analogy of the Holy Spirit’s revelation of Scripture to a person knowing himself in a self-conscious sense. We can never know another person as we know ourselves. We cannot even know our mate as we know ourselves. The Spirit of God can know God thoroughly because He is God. He knows Himself.

Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

The human authors of Scripture were not left to themselves to write Scripture. The Holy Spirit knows everything about God because He is God.  

PRINCIPLE:

God imparted His wisdom supernaturally through the Holy Spirit to the human writers of Scripture.

APPLICATION:

The Word of God is the product of God Himself. He used human agents, but He supernaturally superintended the writing of every word of Scripture to be fully inspired by God. There is a distinction between revelation and inspiration. Revelation is the process whereby the Holy Spirit gave the content of Scripture, whereas inspiration was the superintending process of the Holy Spirit to ensure that every word of Scripture is without error and accurate.

2 Timothy 3:16-16, ¹⁶AllScripture (that which is written down) is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.