1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Scripture: 1 Cor. 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

1 Cor. 2:2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

1 Cor. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,

1 Cor. 2:4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

1 Cor. 2:5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Teaching: Echoing his points in chapter 1, Paul makes clear that the forming of the church in Corinth, the receiving of the gospel in faith, was not because of Paul’s wise words or powerful speech. For Paul’s part, he did three things: he showed up, he proclaimed Christ and him crucified, and trusted in the Holy Spirit to bring the power. Paul emphasizes how weak, and even fearful, he was, and is, but yet, a powerful thing happened in Corinth. This, Paul asserts, should be received by the Corinthians as the power of God.

Additionally, because there were factions in the Corinthian church who had resolved to follow certain people (Paul, Cephas, Apollos, etc.), Paul makes clear in these verses that the power of the Gospel is the power of God, not men.

Takeaway: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 is a powerful reminder of the basis and rationale for ministry. Paul understood that he was the vessel that God was working through, but the power was not his. Paul did not want to be the object of their faith nor the personal proof of God’s power. Now, Paul was commissioned and gifted by the Lord to do these things, and he did not squander what had been given to him. However, we can see he was not immune to fear or being overwhelmed by the enormity of his ministry and calling. So, as he went all around the Gentile world in his day, proclaiming Christ, ministering to the saints, teaching, rebuking, writing, and the likes, Paul interpreted these daunting feelings correctly as a blessing of the Lord, that His power would be shown and those Paul reached would focus their faith rightly upon the Lord. God humbles the proud and Paul was, from his letters, thankful that the Lord kept him humble. It is worth asking ourselves: if we put ourselves in Paul’s shoes, having that much authority given to us by the Lord, could we say the same things? Paul’s statements here are reminiscent of John the Baptist’s, saying of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In following Christ in this life, we must take care not to seek glory for ourselves, followers to ourselves, or ministry accolades to ourselves. Instead, we need to focus our attention on showing up, recognizing our own complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit to enable ministry, and trusting in the Lord for His will to be done.