John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 2:11

"For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God." — 1 Corinthians 2:11 (ASV)

For what man knoweth? He intends to teach two different things here: first, that the doctrine of the Gospel cannot be understood other than by the testimony of the Holy Spirit; and secondly, that those who have a testimony of this nature from the Holy Spirit have an assurance as firm and solid as if they felt with their hands what they believe, for the Spirit is a faithful and unquestionable witness.

This he proves by an analogy drawn from our own spirit: for everyone is conscious of his own thoughts, and on the other hand, what lies hidden in anyone’s heart is unknown to another. In the same way, what God’s counsel is, and what His will is, is hidden from all humankind, for “who hath been his counselor?” (Romans 11:34). It is, therefore, a secret place, inaccessible to humankind; but, if the Spirit of God Himself introduces us into it, or in other words, makes us aware of those things that are otherwise hidden from our view, there will then be no more reason for hesitation, for nothing that is in God escapes the notice of the Spirit of God.

This analogy, however, may seem to be not entirely appropriate, for as the tongue reflects the mind, people communicate their thoughts to each other, so that they become aware of each other’s thoughts. Why then can we not understand from the word of God what His will is?

For while people, by pretenses and falsehoods, in many cases conceal their thoughts rather than reveal them, this cannot happen with God, whose word is certain truth, and His genuine and living image.

We must, however, carefully observe how far Paul intended to extend this comparison. A person’s innermost thought, of which others are ignorant, is perceived by himself alone. If he afterwards makes it known to others, this does not alter the fact that his spirit alone truly knows what is in him.

For he may not persuade; he may even not properly express his own meaning. But even if he succeeds in both, this fact does not contradict the other: that his own spirit alone has the true knowledge of it.

There is this difference, however, between God’s thoughts and human thoughts: people mutually understand each other, but the word of God is a kind of hidden wisdom, the loftiness of which cannot be reached by the weakness of the human intellect. Thus the light shineth in darkness (John 1:5), yes, and until the Spirit opens the eyes of the blind.

Concerning the spirit of a man: observe that the spirit of a man is understood here as the soul, in which the intellectual faculty (as it is called) resides. For Paul would have expressed himself inaccurately if he had ascribed this knowledge to human intellect, or in other words, the faculty itself, and not to the soul, which is endowed with the power of understanding.