5. NOTHING BUT CHRIST CRUCIFIED - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

 

This passage is of course a continuation of the previous chapter, with Paul continuing to highlight the wisdom of God as opposed to that of human wisdom. In this passage Paul demonstrates the wisdom and power of God through His own instrumentality in preaching the gospel or the foolishness of the cross. Yet it is not he that is the focus of the passage, it is clearly God.

 

Please Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

 

Verse 1: In this verse Paul uses his own example to magnify the power and wisdom of God in the gospel and salvation of sinners. He seeks to remind the Corinthian believers of how he first approached them with the gospel message in those initial contacts in Corinth during his second missionary journey. He wants them to remember the 18 months that he ministered the gospel to them and how they embraced the gospel in those early days of Christian expansion in Corinth. How did Paul come to Corinth with the gospel message?

Since God’s will was that the wisdom of the world would be rejected (1:21,29) and His own magnified, Paul was determined to bring the gospel message in a way that recognized that will. Paul reminded the Corinthian believers that he bore testimony to the gospel message that was revealed by God’s wisdom and in a way that was not in demonstration of human or worldly wisdom (2 Tim 1:8), but with a simple declaration of the gospel message. Though he was clearly capable of matching it with the world’s wise as Mars Hill had demonstrated (Acts 17), Paul had chosen not to deliver the gospel in such a way, but to simply proclaim the message of the cross that God had revealed to him.

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What does Paul mean by knowing nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified among the Corinthians? Explain.

 

Verse 2: Paul’s responsibility was to proclaim the gospel (Rom 1:14,15) and this was what he was determined to do. He was bringing a message concerning his God on behalf of his God. The attention of his hearers was to be directed toward the message and toward his God and not toward the bearer and witness of that message. All others things were subordinate to this chief goal, indeed they did not even make an appearance in the ministry of the apostle in Corinth.

The message of a crucified Christ was the primary message of Paul to the exclusion of all else, including his own abilities and methods. This was the way that God had determined to save sinners, though the world poured scorn upon it. Salvation from sin was to be had through the crucified Saviour and in no other way, therefore this was the message that needed to be preached.

QUESTION: For what reasons did Paul determine to no nothing but Christ crucified among the Corinthians?

 

Verse 3: In this verse Paul confesses to the Corinthians his own state of mind during those 18 months of ministry in Corinth. He admits to being weak, fearful and even trembling during his ministry in Corinth. What a revealing insight into the man Paul who appears so steadfast and unmoveable in the New Testament writings. In fact it was necessary for the Lord to encourage the apostle during his Corinthian mission (Acts 18:7-11).

The population must have looked down on this trembling instrument of God, considering him to be a fool for holding to such an ‘absurd’ gospel and teaching. The Jews actively sought to destroy him during his ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:12), yet he persisted with it. We can easily understand why someone in Paul’s role would be aware of his own weakness, fearfulness and trembling.

It must be made clear though that Paul is not speaking so much of any bodily afflictions or sufferings. The context clearly indicates that Paul is thinking of ability to persuade sinners to accept his message. Therefore Paul is indicating that he had no confidence in his own brilliance or wisdom (Phil 2:12,13) in order to save sinners. So yet another reason becomes apparent as to why Paul did not come to Corinth determined to save sinners through excellency of speech and worldly wisdom - it was not up to the task, neither was he and he knew it.

QUESTION: What connection has verse three with the point that Paul is making concerning the gospel message and the use of worldly wisdom in its proclamation and propagation?

 

Verse 4: Paul now explains exactly how he presented the gospel message to the Corinthians and that without any display of human wisdom at all. Indeed no one was convinced by any gimmick or method that Paul had employed himself, for all he sought to do was simply proclaim the message of the gospel. He had no ability to persuade men to embrace it in himself.

Rather, what had occurred in Corinth was a clear demonstration of Holy Spirit power using what to human understanding appeared as useless and vanity. The simple words proclaimed by Paul had been made powerful through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:5). The Holy Spirit had made these seemingly impotent words potent with life changing power.

Verse 5: Why had Paul come with a simple message? The answer Paul gives to this question is so that the Corinthians would place their trust in God and not in him or human wisdom.

 

Individual Discovery

Describe the wisdom that Paul is speaking of in verse 6?

 

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17/10/2006

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