In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul declared, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The resurrection is the power behind the Christian’s faith, for it was by the resurrection that Jesus overcame sin and death; and through our faith in Christ, we too overcome sin and death by the power of the resurrection. But we must never forget His sacrifice on the cross. Paul said it was the cross in which he boasted.
The cross is where Jesus made atonement for our sins. “Atonement” means He satisfied the debt that we owe. According to Romans 3:23, each and every person in the world is a sinner; and Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death,” referring to eternal separation from God. But Jesus paid our debt, so that we can have spiritual life. He died on the cross for each of us; for “our” sins. In Colossians 2:14 we read that “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
When we preach the cross we remind people of the consequences of their sin and how they need a Savior. So, the cross should be central to our preaching, or witnessing efforts. In our passage today, Paul speaks about “preaching” the cross; but let me remind you that when the New Testament talks about preaching, it is simply referring to “witnessing,” “sharing our faith,” or rather “evangelism.” Therefore, Paul’s references to preaching are not just directed at pastors; but to every believer who has made a commitment to pick up the gauntlet of the Great Commission.
In our sermon this morning, we are going to learn some things from Paul about how to better testify and share the message of the cross. So, let us stand at this time in honor of God’s Word as we read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The first thing that Paul said is “when I came to you” (v. 1). Paul’s arrival in Corinth is described in Acts chapter 18. He came there and met a Christian couple named Aquila and Priscilla who were tentmakers, and he joined them in their work. Paul ministered in Corinth for more than a year and a half, supporting himself by tentmaking, or by holding down a regular job. Tentmaking was something that Paul “chose” to hopefully eliminate a possible excuse that this pagan audience might have in refusing to listen to his message – and money is often a huge stumbling block. Now, some of you here today hold down a regular job; and so, Paul’s words may be of some help to you.
Paul began describing how he did evangelism. He said, “I did not come with excellence of speech” (v. 1). He did not come to people as a philosopher or a salesman; he came as a “witness” declaring to the Corinthians the testimony of God. Paul was someone who could reason and debate persuasively, being a Pharisee and basically a seminary-educated man, but he did not use that approach in sharing the message of the cross. You see, Paul was an ambassador, not a salesman.
Commentator William Barclay says, “Paul had come to Corinth from Athens. It was at Athens that . . . Paul had attempted to reduce Christianity to philosophic terms. There, on Mars Hill, he had met [with] the philosophers and had tried to speak in their own language, and to use their own terms, and to quote their own authorities (Acts 17:22-31); and it was also there that Paul had one of his very few failures. His sermon, in terms of philosophy, had very little effect (Acts 17:32-34). It would almost seem that Paul had said to himself, ‘Never again!’ From [now on] I will tell the story of Jesus in all its utter simplicity.”(1)
In verse 2, he said, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” When he said “I determined” (v. 2), this meant that he made a conscious decision to put the emphasis on Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. In taking this approach, Paul understood that he was not catering to what his audience wanted. In the workplace, the marketplace, or even in the pulpit, I am sure that people would rather become engaged in a philosophical debate, rather than hear about Jesus; but Paul gave people the message of the cross anyway.
“Corinth put a premium on the veneer of false rhetoric and thin thinking.” Paul already knew the Jews requested a sign and the Greeks sought after wisdom, according to what he stated in 1 Corinthians 1:22, but he did not let that sway him. He would still preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now, this application also pertains to those sharing from the pulpit.
A certain church had a beautiful stained-glass window just behind the pulpit that depicted Jesus on the cross. One time a shorter minister came as a guest preacher, and because of his small stature a little girl could finally see the cross on the window behind him. The little girl then leaned over to her father and asked, “Where’s the man who usually stands there so we can’t see Jesus?” If a preacher is not careful (whether that be a pastor or a witness), he will get in the way of the gospel instead of being a servant of the gospel. If we are not careful, we can obscure Jesus by our message.(2)
When Paul said, “I determined not to know anything” (v. 2), he basically meant, “I determined to cultivate no other knowledge, and to teach nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, as the foundation of all true wisdom, [religious belief], and happiness. No other doctrine shall I proclaim among you.”(3) The gospel, with its crucified Messiah, was his singular focus and passion while he was among the Corinthians.
He also said, “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (v. 3). Paul was not brimming with self-confidence. Some commentaries will suggest that Paul’s weakness, fear, and trembling could have been the result of an illness that he suffered while in Corinth, his thorn in the flesh as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7; or it is suggested that maybe it was because of the threat of persecution. But Paul’s feelings likely grew out of the gravity of situation and in realizing his shortcomings.
Knowing the need – and his own limitations – made him weak and afraid. Yet, it kept him from the poison of self-reliance and allowed God’s strength to flow through him. So great was his sense of weakness and fear, and so profound his lack of trust in himself that he quaked and trembled. It is said that those are the secrets of strength in all preaching. Allow me to elaborate with a quote from Barclay.
He says, “It is not the man who approaches a great task without a tremor who does it really well. The actor who is really great is the actor who is [shaken] before the performance; the preacher who is really effective is the preacher whose heart beats faster while he waits to speak. The man who has no fear, no hesitancy, no nervousness, no tension in any task, may give an efficient and competent performance; but it is the man who has this trembling anxiety, who has that intensity, which is the essence of real greatness, who can produce an effect which artistry alone can never achieve.”(4)
Paul testifies in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Keep in mind that when we are feeling weak or inadequate, the Lord can use us in mighty power; so, let us go ahead and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ even if we feel afraid!
Paul went on to say, “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words” (v. 4). “Had [Paul] depended on human wisdom, and presented the plan of salvation [in] a philosophical [and systematic way], then the Corinthians would have put their trust in an explanation,”(5) but Paul wanted them to put their faith instead in a demonstration; that is, “the demonstration of the Spirit,” as the Holy Spirit did the convicting of a person’s heart. Paul was rejecting a reliance on the evangelists’ ability to persuade with human wisdom.
Paul said in verse 5 that “your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” Back in verse 4, he said that his preaching was done “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Paul knew it was the evangelists’ job to “preach,” and that it is the Holy Spirit’s job to “demonstrate.” Paul’s preaching may not have been impressive or persuasive on a human level, but on a spiritual level it had the power to convince, convict, exhort (2 Timothy 4:2) and cause genuine and lasting heart-change.
Allow me to share a real-life illustration, as told by commentator Warren Wiersbe: An unbeliever attended our church and “many [people] prayed for him as he continued to listen to the Word. One day a Christian friend of his decided to win him to Christ, or else! He spent several hours presenting argument after argument, and finally the man prayed the sinner’s prayer. Then he stopped attending church! Why? Because he had been ‘talked into’ something that was not real.”(6)
“Later on, he did trust in Christ and, through the Spirit, have the assurance of salvation. Up to that point, if anybody asked him if he were saved, he would reply, ‘Sure – Tom told me I was saved!’ What a difference [it makes] when the Spirit gives the assurance!”(7) “Never try to [convince or] tell them that they are saved . . . It is the job of the Holy Spirit to witness to people that they are saved. Unless He is at work, there can be no salvation.”(8) True conversion can only occur “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (v. 4) and by “the power of God” (v. 5).
Pastors are sometimes guilty of persuading through human methods, rather than depending on the simple gospel message and the Holy Spirit. Commentator David Guzik says, “Preaching or witnessing strategies that center around the wisdom of men – around emotion, entertainment, and human personality – these may yield ‘response,’ but not ‘results’ for the kingdom of God. Many people use slick, entertaining, or even deceptive means to lure people into the kingdom, and to justify it by saying, ‘we’re drawing them in and then winning them to Jesus.’ But the principle stands: What you draw them ‘with’ is what you draw them ‘to.’”(9) Meaning, they are often only there for the entertainment.
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said that to speak words that entertain or please people “in the hope of making converts is to do evil so that good may come; and this is never to be thought of for an instant!” “If someone’s faith is founded in the wisdom of men and not the power of God; if someone can be ‘persuaded into’ the kingdom by human wisdom, they can be ‘persuaded out of’ the kingdom by human wisdom”(10) as well. So, let us make sure that what we preach or witness is not based on the power of persuasion, but on the power of God – and this power comes from the gospel. In Romans 1:16, Paul declared, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”
Time of Reflection
In Galatians 6:14, he said, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 1:12, Paul elaborated more on what he boasted in. He said, “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.” Paul boasted in the basic message of the cross, which left him having a clear conscience. Had he tried to persuade people with crafty language or through the wisdom and methods of men, he would have been guilty of standing in the way of the work of the Spirit. But his conscience was clear, because he had shared with them in simplicity and sincerity.
There are a couple of things we should take away from this passage. First, pastor and author John Piper says, “Without the cross, there could be no valid preaching, because there could be no hope for sinners. God’s righteousness could not be upheld in forgiving sinners without the cross.”(11) You see, the cross provides a “segue” (segway) into sharing about the hope of the resurrection. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.” All preaching and all faith are empty apart from the resurrection, but the same can be said of the cross. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul said, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Our message must contain an emphasis on the cross if it is to unleash the full power of God!
The second thing we should take away from this passage is encouragement. We should be encouraged to know that we do not have to memorize huge chunks of Scripture, or be able to debate science and philosophy, or have all the answers to people’s questions. Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Our sole responsibility is to share the basic gospel message; “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). That is it! But, that is a lot! For in that one statement is contained the remedy as to how the debt of our sins can be satisfied and paid for.
Jesus paid the price by dying for “our” sins. Jesus also rose from the grave victorious over sin and death. Paul said in Romans chapter 6, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life . . . Our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with” (vv. 4, 6a). If you will confess your sins and allow your sinful nature to be put to death, to be crucified; and confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and believe that He rose from the grave (Romans 10:9), then you will be raised into newness of life with Him.
NOTES
(1) William Barclay, “Letter to the Corinthians,” The Daily Study Bible (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1956) p. 26.
(2) Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, Il: Victor Books, 1989), p. 573; adapted and reworked.
(3) Adam Clarke, “Romans to the Revelation,” Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 6 (Nashville: Abingdon Press), p. 197
(4) Barclay, p. 27.
(5) Wiersbe, p. 573.
(6) Ibid., p. 574.
(7) Ibid., p. 574.
(8) Ibid., p. 574.
(9) David Guzik, “Real Wisdom from God, Blue Letter Bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/1-corinthians/1-corinthians-2.cfm (Accessed March 13, 2025).
(10) Ibid.
(11) John Piper, “The Ground of Preaching: The Cross of Christ,” https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-ground-of-preaching.
