Acts 17:20

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.

the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.

For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.

Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying,

and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

having a good conscience. Thus, while you are spoken against as evildoers, they may be disappointed who curse your good way of life in Christ.

because the mind of the flesh is hostile toward God; for it is not subject to God’s law, neither indeed can it be.

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God;

However that which is spiritual isn’t first, but that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.

For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved and in those who perish:

and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.

As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need for anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, you will remain in him.

These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit.

He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”

Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”

At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Behold, aren’t all these who speak Galileans?

Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.

But certain men joined with him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again; and I would heal them.’

making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”

and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and you don’t seek the glory that comes from the only God?

because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.

We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.

It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is also a spiritual body.

For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake,

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason.

The friendship of Yahweh is with those who fear him. He will show them his covenant.

A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of your law.

A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.

Wisdom is too high for a fool. He doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.

Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”

so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.

I wrote for him the many things of my law; but they were regarded as a strange thing.

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

He asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”

But they didn’t understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

He said to them, “Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”

that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”

He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

I know that you are Abraham’s offspring, yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you.

But though he had done so many signs before them, yet they didn’t believe in him,

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.

Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?”

praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.

‘Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which you will in no way believe, if one declares it to you.’ ”

A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us. The Lord opened her heart to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”

As he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are crazy! Your great learning is driving you insane!”

For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, then I would heal them.’

Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”

by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,

I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake.

having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.

They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming.

But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”

They sing a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousand, those who had been redeemed out of the earth.

Then he began to denounce the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they didn’t repent.

They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the “rising from the dead” meant.

Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?”

They were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood before the gate,

They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about?

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks,

Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing.