1. 1 CORITHIAS 2 COMMETARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease1. When I came to you, brothers, I did not comewith eloquence or superior wisdom as Iproclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a]1. Paul is not a very good braggar, for he states not. that I am eloquent and wise, butrather, I am not these things at all. This is not the sort of thing you admit on yourresume to get into public speaking. When you hear people bragging about theirpreacher it is usually that they are really good speakers and they have wisdomabove the average. obody, except Paul, proclaims that they are not all that great,and that there are plenty of speakers with more flowery language and brilliantideas. You can just hear the Paul group in the church cringing when this is read tothe congregation. What in the world is our hero thinking of? He is ruining hisreputation and making us lool like losers for choosing to make him our idol. Hiscritics must also be in a state of shock, for they are wondering how can we put aman down who has already flattened himself?Paul's point here is not to put himself down and exalt his humility, but to make itclear that the power that saved them and made them a part of the kingdom of Godwas not anything human. His preaching won them to Christ as their Savior and hedid not need to be eloquent or especially wise for this to happen because the powerthat saved them is divine and not human.That is one of his key messages he isconveying to the Corinthians. They are all excited about human characteristics suchas human eloquence and human wisdom, which is part of their culture with Greekorators and Greek philosophers being the main headlines in their daily paper. Theheroes of their culture made them assume that these same sort of heroes were to bethe kinds of leaders they were to follow as Christians. That is why they were dividedinto factions each saying their man was the best to follow because he had greatereloquence or greater wisdom than the others. They were idolizing human gifts andcharacteristics, and it is Paul's task to show them that none of these things was thecause or basis of their salvation. They were saved by the truth of the Gospel and thepower of the Holy Spirit who made that truth real to them, and not by clever wordsand superior wisdom.The history of man is filled with eloquent speakers who can persuade men to to dojust about anything. Con men are doing it right now and succors are being duped

2. into parting with their hard earned cash as you read this. Eloquence and superiorwisdom are good things that can just as easily be used for evil as good, and they are,for they are just human values. Apollos was an eloquent speaker (Acts 18:24-28),but is was not his eloquence that saved anyone. It was a positive thing, but it wasstill only a human element. The Gospel that Paul preached is on a higher level iswhat he is stressing. And the purpose of this is to help the Corinthians see theimportance of making a distinction between the human and the divine. It is focus onthe human that is leading to division. If they will focus on the divine there will beunity, for all then will be focused on that which Paul specialized in, Christ and himcrucified. It is this simple truth that will make them one. So he is saying by this self-depreciationhere that they are to stop their idolatry of worshipping human factorsand focus on Christ and what he has done for them. He is not saying that eloquenceand human wisdom are not good, but that they are not the foundation on which youbuild the Christian life. When Christians focus on anything but Christ they divideinto factions and create conflict and competition. Jesus Christ is the only way to besaved and the only way to continue in salvation, and that is why Paul is making itclear that eloquence and human wisdom are to be taken off the high shelf of theirvalue system, and that they are to put Christ there as the supreme value.2. JAMISON, 1Co 2:1 -1Co_2:1-16. Pauls subject of preaching, Christ crucified, not in worldly, but inheavenly, wisdom among the perfect.And I So I [Conybeare] as one of the foolish, weak, and despised instrumentsemployed by God (1Co_1:27, 1Co_1:28); glorying in the Lord, not in mans wisdom(1Co_1:31). Compare 1Co_1:23, We.when I came (Act_18:1, etc.). Paul might, had he pleased, have used an ornatestyle, having studied secular learning at Tarsus of Cilicia, which Strabo preferred as aschool of learning to Athens or Alexandria; here, doubtless, he read the Cilician Aratuspoems (which he quotes, Act_17:28), and Epimenides (Tit_1:12), and Menander (1Co_15:33). Grecian intellectual development was an important element in preparing the wayfor the Gospel, but it failed to regenerate the world, showing that for this a superhumanpower is needed. Hellenistic (Grecizing) Judaism at Tarsus and Alexandria was theconnecting link between the schools of Athens and those of the Rabbis. No more fittingbirthplace could there have been for the apostle of the Gentiles than Tarsus, free as itwas from the warping influences of Rome, Alexandria, and Athens. He had at the sametime Roman citizenship, which protected him from sudden violence. Again, he wasreared in the Hebrew divine law at Jerusalem. Thus, as the three elements, Greekcultivation, Roman polity (Luk_2:1), and the divine law given to the Jews, combined justat Christs time, to prepare the world for the Gospel, so the same three, by Godsmarvelous providence, met together in the apostle to the Gentiles [Conybeare andHowson].testimony of God the testimony of Christ (1Co_1:6); therefore Christ is God.3. DUKE STOEWhich wisdom you hold to will also determine your verdict on God's spokesman. 3. Read 2:1-5. Paul didn't pass the test for what the Corinthian wise deemed anadequate public speaker. In Greek culture, rhetoricians were a major form ofentertainment. But Paul was deemed inadequate on that scale:1. They were usually impressive in appearance (HADSOMEWELL-DRESSED).Paul was unimpressive (2 Cor. 10:10). Early sources say he wasshort, bald, hook-nosed, and bow-legged and hunch-backed from his floggings.2. Their speaking style was full of bells and whistles. Plutarch says:They made their voices sweet with musical cadences and modulations of tone andechoed resonances.Paul's speech, in their view, was contemptible (2 Cor. 10:10) because he spoke ina normal voice.3. Their content was full of lofty phrases, abstract philosophy, and flattery of theaudience. But Paul focused on one message (vs 2) which confronted people withtheir need for forgiveness, and on making that message clear and understandable.They swaggered with self-confidence (PEACOCKS). But Paul was acutely aware ofhis human inadequacy for the task, so he spoke in weakness and in fear and inmuch trembling. I get the impression that Paul would been canceled by manyChristian TV shows!!!But Paul knew that on the scale that matters (God's perspective), he was effective.Paul knew that effective spokespersons for Christ are like a good PICTURE-FRAME:he focused their attention not on himself, but on Christ. He didn't speakhis own philosophy of life; he proclaimed God's message. He didn't rely on humanflash and glitter; he relied on God's Spirit to empower him and convict his audience.And people didn't go home entertained; but many went home converted to Christ!Christ's most effective spokespersons have always been this way. Your short-comingsand fears don't disqualify you from being an effective spokesperson forChrist. If you sincerely share the good news and how Christ has changed your life,and if you depend on God to empower you as you step out in faith, you will beeffective and some will come to Christ through your witness.4. BARCLAY, 1 Cor.2:1-5So, brothers, when I came to you, I did not come announcing God's secret to youwith any outstanding gifts of rhetoric or wisdom, for it was my deliberate decision toknow nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him upon his Cross. So I waswith you in weakness and in diffidence and in much nervousness. My story and myproclamation were not made with persuasive words of wisdom; it was by the Spiritand by power that they were unanswerably demonstrated to be true, so that yourfaith should not depend on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 4. Paul remembers back to the time when first he came to Corinth, and three thingsstand out.(i) He came speaking in simplicity. It is worth noting that Paul had come to Corinthfrom Athens. It was at Athens that, for the only time in his life, as far as we know,he had attempted to reduce Christianity to philosophic terms. There, on Mars' Hill,he had met the philosophers and had tried to speak in their own language (Ac.17:22-31); and it was there that he had one of his very few failures. His sermon in terms ofphilosophy had had very little effect (Ac.17:32-34). It would almost seem that he hadsaid to himself, ever again! From henceforth I will tell the story of Jesus in uttersimplicity. I will never again try to wrap it up in human categories. I will knownothing but Jesus Christ, and him upon his Cross.It is true that the sheer unadorned story of the life of Jesus has in it a unique powerto move the hearts of men. Dr. James Stewart quotes an example. The Christianmissionaries had come to the court of Clovis, the king of the Franks. They told thestory of the Cross, and, as they did, the hand of the old king stole to his sword hilt.If I and my Franks had been there, he said, we would have stormed Calvary andrescued him from his enemies. When we deal with ordinary, untechnical people, avivid, factual picture has a power that a close knit argument lacks. For most people,the way to the recesses of a man's inmost being lies, not through his mind, butthrough his heart.(ii) He came speaking in fear. Here we have to be careful to understand. It was notfear for his own safety; still less was it that he was ashamed of the gospel that he waspreaching. It was what has been called the trembling anxiety to perform a duty.The very phrase which he uses here of himself Paul also uses of the way in whichconscientious slaves should serve and obey their masters. (Eph.6:5). It is not the manwho approaches a great task without a tremor who does it really well. The reallygreat actor is he who is wrought up before the performance; the really effectivepreacher is he whose heart beats faster while he waits to speak. The man who has nonervousness, no tension, in any task, may give an efficient performance; but it is theman who has this trembling anxiety who can produce an effect which artistry alonecan never achieve.(iii) He came with results and not with words alone. The result of Paul's preachingwas that things happened. He says that his preaching was unanswerablydemonstrated to be true by the Spirit and by power. The word he uses is the wordfor the most stringent possible proof, the kind against which there can be noargument. What was it? It was the proof of changed lives. Something re-creatinghad entered into the polluted society of Corinth.John Hutton used to tell a story with gusto. A man who had been a reprobate and adrunkard was captured by Christ. His workmates used to try to shake him and say,Surely a sensible man like you cannot believe in the miracles that the Bible tellsabout. You cannot, for instance, believe that this Jesus of yours turned water intowine. Whether he turned water into wine or not, said the man, I do not know; 5. but in my own house I have seen him turn beer into furniture.o one can argue against the proof of a changed life. It is our weakness that toooften we have tried to talk men into Christianity instead of, in our own lives,showing them Christ. A saint, as someone said, is someone in whom Christ livesagain.2. For I resolved to know nothing while I was withyou except Jesus Christ and him crucified.1. Paul was really narrow minded, for he resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christand him crucified. This is a very limited agenda, and we cannot take Paul literallyhere, for he had to, in the 18 months he was there teching, have more subjects todeal with than Christ and the cross. It is obvious that what Paul means is that thiswas his focus and foundation and that no other subject can be allowed to detractfrom this or push it from the center of attention. This is the center which gives unityto the body of Christ, and once believers begin to make some other subject theircenter piece, they produce division. The cause for all division in the church is beingoff center. Take your eyes off Christ and the cross and focus them on some otherobject or issue and you are immediately off center and prepared to be a divisiveinfluence in the body of Christ. You do not ever hear of Christians who are ofdiffering opinions about who their Savior is, and about whether or not he dies onthe cross for their sins. These are the very center and heart of the Christian faith. Ifyou debate these you are not a Christian, for these are the essencial truths that makea Christian what he is. All believers are one when Christ and the cross are theircenter. It is only when they leave that center that they begin to debate and fight overwho is right and who is a heretic. This has happened to the Corinthians and that iswhy Paul is calling them back to the center. It is the only way to restore unity andstop the foolishness of their divisions into cults.Paul is saying that he does not want them to be impressed with him, or Apollos, oranyone else, but only Christ and what he did for them on the cross.2. Paul was a very clever and intelligent man always using his wisdom. In Acts21:37-39 we see his use of Greek to change a situation. In Acts 23:6-9 he set thePharisees against the Saducees. In Acts 22:25 he used his rights to change things. 6. He argued, debated, and persuaded, and was a man of superior wisdom. He did notcome to Corinth using these skills, however, but preached the Gospel and let Godsspirit work in mens hearts with the truth.ot always was Paul simple and easy, for even Peter had a hard time grasping all ofPauls writings. In II Peter 3:16 we see this, for Peter was a fisherman, but Paul wasan educated scholar with a much broader cultural experience. Paul did not begin tobuild with the attic, or the second story, but with the foundation. He did go on tobuild higher once that was laid.3. This text is abused if one uses it to squelch the dealing with all of the issues of life.Paul did and the Bible does, and Christians must wrestle with all of life in reading,preaching and discussion. Paul is just saying here that his priority in his ministrywith them was bringing them to Christ. All other issues are unimportant comparedto this. In the Corinthian Epistle Paul deals with profound theology, all he is sayinghere is that method is not superior to content. It is the content of the Gospel thatmatters most and not the method of its communication. You can do it witheloquence and clever argument, but the risk is that the cleverness rather than thecontent could become the basis for the response. The goal is that men trust Christand not that they be intellectually or emotionally moved. Luther said, He preachesbest who aims at being understood rather than at being admired.Those who take this as a limit of all conversation to Christ, and even that to hiscrucifixion become so narrow that neither Christian nor non-Christian could longenjoy their company. Do not blame Paul who could talk and write of everything, forthis conclusion is a perversion of his noble purpose.4. Leonardo DaVinci took a friend to see his masterpiece of the Last Supper. Thefriends first comment was the most striking thing in the picture is the cup. Theartist immediately took his brush and wiped out the cup saying, othing in mypainting shall attract more attention than the face of my master. This is what Paulis saying here. He wanted nothing to cloud the vision of Christ on the cross.Paul specialized in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The idea being that he didnot come to deal with all of the issues of life in his preaching. He gets into these inhis writing, but these were not subjects for winning the lost. Paul is not saying thereis not a million other valuable subjects, but he is saying that he laid the foundationbefore he began to build. Evangelism is narrow in its focus. Discipleship is a focuson many other issues. Spurgeon says it is possible to preach the sermon on themount and be a great teacher but not when anyone to the Christ of the cross. Thathas to be your focus first for evangelism.5. Religion is real and has a powerful impact on man. It leads to all sorts ofexperiences and many of them good, but the point is, none of it saves. Someonedefined it, Religion is an effort to conceive the inconceivable to utter theunutterable. It is a struggle of the finite to grasp the infinite. It is like a babytrying to pick up sunbeams off the floor, only to have them slip forever through the 7. tiny fingers, and leave the hands empty. Religion can be fascinating but it will notsave.Simplicity. Kiss-keep it simple stupid, and not keep it simply stupid. This is not tosay that Paul never mentioned the weather or Corinthian sports and world events,but that his supreme theme and focus was Christ crucified. Maclaren said, It isperfectly possible to know the things said about him and not to know him aboutwhom these things are said. Paul laid a solid foundation and did not build startingwith the third floor.6. CLARKE 1Co 2:2 -I determined not to know any thing among you - Satisfied that the Gospel of Godcould alone make you wise unto salvation, I determined to cultivate no other knowledge,and to teach nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified, as the foundation of all truewisdom, piety, and happiness. No other doctrine shall I proclaim among you.7. BARES, Verse 2. For I determined. I made a resolution. This was my fixed,deliberate purpose when I came there. It was not a matter of accident, or chance, that Imade Christ my great and constant theme, but it was my deliberate purpose. It is to berecollected that Paul made this resolution, knowing the peculiar fondness of the Greeksfor subtle disquisitions, and for graceful and finished elocution; that he formed it whenhis own mind, as we may judge from his writings, was strongly inclined by nature to anabstruse and metaphysical kind of discussion, which could not have failed to attract theattention of the acute and subtle reasoners of Greece; and that he made it when he musthave been fully aware that the theme which he had chosen to dwell upon would be certainto excite derision and con- tempt. Yet he formed and adhered to this resolution, though itmight expose him to contempt, and though they might reject and despise his message. 8. ot to know. The word know here ~eidenai~ is used probably in the sense of attend to,be engaged in, or regard. I resolved not to give my time and attention while among youto the laws and traditions of the Jews; to your orators, philosophers, and poets; to thebeauty of your architecture or statuary; to a contemplation of your customs and laws; butto attend to this only--making known the cross of Christ. The word ~eidw~ (to know) issometimes thus used. Paul says that he designed that this should be the only thing onwhich his mind should be fixed; the only object of his attention; the only object on whichhe there sought that knowledge should be diffused. Doddridge renders it, appear toknow.Any thing among you. Anything while I was with you; or, anything that may exist amongyou, and that may be objects of interest to you. I resolved to know nothing of it, whateverit might be. The former is, probably, the correct interpretation.Save Jesus Christ. Except Jesus Christ. This is the only thing of which I purposed to haveany knowledge among you.And him crucified. Or, even (~kai~) him that was crucified. He resolved not only tomake the Messiah the grand object of his knowledge and attention there, but EVE 9. acrucified Messiah; to maintain the doctrine that the Messiah was to be crucified for the 10. sins of the world; and that he who had been crucified was in fact the Messiah. See Barnes1 Corinthians 1:23. We may remark here,(1.) that this should be the resolution of every minister of the gospel. This is his business.It is not to be a politician; not to engage in the strifes and controversies of men; it is not tobe a good farmer or scholar merely; not to mingle with his people in festive circles andenjoyments; not to be a man of taste and philosophy, and distinguished mainly forrefinement of manners; not to be a profound philosopher or metaphysician; but to makeChrist crucified the grand object of his attention, and seek always and everywhere tomake him known.(2.) He is not to be ashamed anywhere of the humbling doctrine that Christ was crucified.In this he is to glory. Though the world may ridicule; though philosophers may sneer;though the rich and the gay may deride it, yet this is to be the grand object of interest tohim; and at no time, and in no society, is he to be ashamed of it.(3.) It matters not what are the amusements of society around him; what fields of science,of gain, or ambition, are open before him; the minister of Christ is to know Christ andhim crucified alone. If he cultivates science, it is to be that he may the more successfullyexplain and vindicate the gospel. If he becomes in any manner familiar with the works ofart and of taste, it is that he may more successfully show to those who cultivate them thesuperior beauty and excellency of the cross. If he studies the plans and the employmentsof men, it is that he may more successfully meet them in those plans, and moresuccessfully speak to them of the great plan of redemption. (4.) The preaching of thecross is the only kind of preaching that will be attended with success. That which has in itmuch respecting the Divine mission, the dignity, the works, the doctrines, the person, andthe atonement of Christ, will be successful. So it was in the time of the apostles; so it wasin the reformation; so it was in the Moravian missions; so it has been in all revivals ofreligion. There is a power about that kind of preaching which philosophy and humanreason have not. Christ is God's great ordinance for the salvation of the world; and wemeet the crimes and alleviate the woes of the world, just in proportion as we hold thecross up as appointed to overcome the one, and to pour the balm of consolation into theother.8. GILL, 1Co 2:2 - For I determined not to know anything among you,.... Thiswas a resolution the apostle entered into before he came among them, that though hewas well versed in human literature, and had a large compass of knowledge in the thingsof nature, yet would make known nothing else unto them, or make anything else thesubject of his ministry,save Christ, and him crucified: he had a spiritual and experimental knowledge ofChrist himself, and which he valued above all things else; and this qualified him to makehim known to others; and which knowledge he was very willing and ready tocommunicate by preaching the Gospel, which is the means of making known Christ asGod's salvation to the souls of men; and on this subject he chiefly insisted, and in whichhe took great delight and pleasure; he made known the things respecting the person ofChrist, as that he was God, the Son of God, and truly man. God and man in one person; 11. the things respecting his office, as that he was the Messiah, the mediator, prophet,priest, and King, the head, husband, Saviour, and Redeemer of his church and people;and the things respecting his work as such, and the blessings of grace procured by him;as that justification is by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, peace, reconciliation,and atonement by his sacrifice, and salvation alone and entirely by him. Hisdetermination was to preach none but Christ; not himself, nor man; nor the power andpurity of human nature, the free will and works of the creature, but to exclude all andeverything from being partners with Christ in the business of salvation. This was thedoctrine he chose in the first place, and principally, to insist upon, even salvation byChrist, and him, ascrucified: that which was the greatest offence to others was the most delightful to him,because salvation comes through and by the cross of Christ; and he dwelt upon this, anddetermined to do so; it being most for the glory of Christ, and what was owned for theconversion of sinners, the comfort of distressed minds, and is suitable food for faith, ashe knew by his own experience.9. MACLARE, Many of you are aware that to-day I close forty years ofministry in this cityI cannot say to this congregation, for there are very, veryfew that can go back with me in memory to the beginning of these years. You willbear me witness that I seldom intrude personal references into the pulpit, butperhaps it would be affectation not to do so now. Looking back over these longyears, many thoughts arise which cannot be spoken in public. But one thing Imay say, and that is, that I am grateful to God and to you, dear friends, for theunbroken harmony, confidence, affection, and forbearance which havebrightened and lightened my work. Of its worth I cannot judge; its imperfections Iknow better than the most unfavourable critic; but I can humbly take the words ofthis text as expressive, not, indeed, of my attainments, but of my aims. One ofmy texts, on my first Sunday in Manchester, was We preach Christ and Himcrucified, and I look back, and venture to say that the noble words of this texthave been, however imperfectly followed, my guiding star.Now, I wish to say a word or two, less personal perhaps, and yet, as you can wellsuppose, not without a personal reference in my own consciousness.Note here, the Apostolic themeJesus Christ and Him crucified.Now, the Apostle, in this context, gives us a little autobiographical glimpse whichis singularly and interestingly confirmed by some slight incidental notices in theBook of the Acts. He says, in the context, that he was with the Corinthians inweakness and in fear and in much trembling, and, if we turn to the narrative, wefind that a singular period of silence, apparent abandonment of his work anddejection, seems to have synchronised with his coming to the great city ofCorinth. The reasons were very plain. He had recently come into Europe for thefirst time and had had to front a new condition of things, very different from whathe had found in Palestine or in Asia Minor. His experience had not beenencouraging. He had been imprisoned in Philippi; he had been smuggled awayby night from Thessalonica; he had been hounded from Berea; he had all butwholly failed to make any impression in Athens, and in his solitude he came to 12. Corinth, and lay quiet, and took stock of his adversaries. He came to theconclusion which he records in my text; he felt that it was not for him to arguewith philosophers, or to attempt to vie with Sophists and professional orators, butthat his only way to meet Greek civilisation, Greek philosophy, Greek eloquence,Greek self-conceit, was to preach Christ and Him crucified. The determinationwas not come to in ignorance of the conditions that were fronting him. He knewCorinth, its wealth, its wickedness, its culture, and knowing these he said, I havemade up my mind that I will know nothing amongst you save Jesus Christ andHim crucified.So, then, this Apostle's conception of his theme wasthe biography of a Man,with especial emphasis laid on one act in His historyHis death. Christianity isChrist, and Christ is Christianity. His relation to the truth that He proclaimed, andto the truths that may be deducible from the story of His life and death, isaltogether different from the relation of any other founder of a religion to thetruths that he has proclaimed. For in these you can accept the teaching, andignore the teacher. But you cannot do that with Christianity; I am the Way, andthe Truth, and the Life; and in that revealing biography, which is the preacher'stheme, the palpitating heart and centre is the death upon the Cross. So,whatever else Christianity comes to beand it comes to be a great deal elsethe principle of its growth, and the germ which must vitalise the whole, lie in thepersonality and the death of Jesus Christ.3. I came to you in weakness and fear, and withmuch trembling.1. Self-confidence can be a danger if it leads to pride. The Christian must ever behumble in his approach to the world. To come as a superior looking down onpeople will turn them off faster than anything. Your chances of winning a man toChrist by your pride and conceit is about as great as your chance of writing theLords Prayer on a soap bubble as it floats through the air.Weakness-that is in poorness of spirit in which there is not self-confidence, but greatfeelings of inadequacy and dependence upon God. Paul did not feel able to do thework God sent him to do. It was beyond his power and gifts, and so he had to bedependent upon Gods strength. He never lost the sense of his own inadequacy.Paul knew he could not convert them with his wisdom, but that it depended uponthe spirit of God. So Paul adds more negatives to his resume, and makes it look likea joke. Imagine someone praying, Lord, let me be your speaker to the Corinthians.I am weak and fearful and have little self-confidence, and so I will go theretrembling like a teenager having to give a speech before his peers. I am really notqualified for this task and I am likely to fail, but please give me the job. And God 13. responds, You are just the man I have been looking for. The job is yours. Thissounds ridiculous, but that is the way God so often works in history. We see it allthrough the Bible as he chooses the least likely people to get his will done. If youwant to serve God do not waste your time trying to impress him with your abilitiesand qualities. You will be more impressive if you admit your inabilities and lack ofqualities, for this kind of honest humility is what God is looking for.Angelo Patre said, Education consists of being afraid at the right time. Only thefool never feels fear. There are values in fear, for fear of evil is good, and fear ofstarvation brought the Prodigal home. We try to instill certain fears in children sothey are aware of dangers to be avoided. Paul was not like a Greek orator whostepped on the stage with full confidence he could move the crowd to tears orlaughter.Balance the fear of your weakness with trust in the strength of God so yourweakness does not leave you paralyzed and unable to function. Many Christians letfear dominate. They need to see that even those who can speak often have the sameemotions as they do, but under control because they are confident God can use eventheir weakness, and so faith overcomes their fear. Fear enables them to avoid beingcareless and indifferent.Paul was not a self-sufficient character who could just step into any situationwithout anxiety. We so often think that if it is Gods will for us it will be a snap, butnot so, for God often sends us to do what we cannot do without fear and trembling.Christian witnessing must always be done in a spirit of humility. We must go withfear and trembling, for it is not us or our wisdom, and we are not better because wehave been saved. Only the grace of God and not being superior makes us servantsto the lost. Pauls weaknesses were his strength, for he could identify with andaccept others in their weakness. He is a poor teacher who has never been a weaklearner, for he cannot understand the problems of his students. It is having beenthere that helps you feel with them. Paul felt the weight of his own burden and sowas sensitive in helping others bare their burden of weakness.I can identify with Paul, for many times I would go to the Union Gospel Mission inSt. Paul and feel fear and trembling. I was going to preach to men who had terriblelives with abandonment and divorce and a history of abuse and alcoholism, and awhole history of failure and suffering. Who am I to try to preach to these men, for Ihave not experienced what they have, and so we are in two different worlds. It wasalways a nervous experience and many a time I wished I was not doing it. But Godtook my weakness and fearful efforts and many times men came forward to receiveChrist as their personal Savior. I remember one time 17 men came forward and Iran out of tracts to give them. You don't need to feel adequate to be used of God.God uses weakness and inadaquacy to achieve his purpose. It is another aspect ofGod sense of humor in that he uses poor instruments to get the job done. This isfoolishness, for all know that it is wise to use the best tools to get a quality job done.God is not so picky, for he will get the job done with tools that others would throw 14. away.Paul is like a soldier going to war without adequate weapons and with a body that isshivering and quaking with nervous fear. He is almost a basket case as he tacklesthe task of teaching the Corinthians the truth of the Gospel. They were among themost godless people in Greece, and it would be like any of us going to the worst partof town where drugs and immorality were a major part of life of everday and tryingto witness. We would be full of fear and trembling, and we would feel totallyinadequate for the job.The humor here is the humor of honesty. Paul was telling it like it really was andnot trying to hide the reality of his defects.2. GILL, weakness,.... Meaning either the weakness of his bodily presence, thecontemptibleness of his voice, and the mean figure he made as a preacher among them,both with respect to the matter and manner of his ministry in the eyes of many; or hislowly and humble deportment among them, not exerting the power and authority Christhad given him as an apostle; but choosing rather to work with his own hands, as he didat Corinth, to minister to his own necessities, and those of others; or the manypersecutions which he endured there for the sake of preaching a crucified Christ; andwhich he sometimes calls infirmities; see 2Co_12:93.WEAKESS - ASTHEIA USED 23 TIMES I .T.Definition of AstheniaAsthenia: Weakness. Lack of energy and strength. Loss of strength. The word asthenia isnot much used in medicine today, although it is a prominent part of myasthenia, a loss ofmuscle strength, as in myasthenia gravis.Asthenia is from the Greek asthenes, from a- (without) + sthenos (strength).The condition is commonly seen in patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome,sleep disorders or chronic disorders of the heart, lungs or kidneys. Differentiatingbetween asthenia and true muscular weakness is often difficult, and in time asthenia inchronic disorders is seen to progress into a primary weakness.4. JAMES HALLEBECK M.D., The most mysterious element of this triad(Cachexia, Anorexia, and Asthenia) for me is asthenia (lack of energy). Asthenia and itsopposite, vigor, are familiar to all of us. Everyday, we hope, we start the day refreshed.By the end of the day we are tired, asthenic, and ready to sleep. Even catching a cold candramatically influence our energy levels. We become weak and tired for no reasonidentifiable on a blood test. This is a part of our everyday experience. If a cold or a busyday at work can do that, think what a life-threatening chronic illness and dying can do.Clinicians, despite being very aware of their own periodic asthenia, have largely ignored 15. asthenia in their patients. Where does this weakness come from? In cancer and in manyother conditions such as advanced dementia and very old age (95), asthenia appears tobe a major cause of death. This is quite remarkable. Arguably, in chronic illnesses that donot directly destroy vital organs (such as heart, lung, kidney, brain, or liver), asthenia (orthe dwindles in common vernacular) is the leading cause of death, yet we have paidvery little attention to it.There are some correctable causes of asthenia that are familiar to most clinicians.Hypothyroidism, anemia, and depression can result in reversible asthenia and should bediagnosed and corrected when possible. Untreated pain, other metabolic abnormalitiessuch as adrenal insufficiency, hypokalemia, and steroid-related myopathy may alsomanifest as asthenia.5. GALATIAS, Some object to my explanation of Paul's thorn, saying, But didn'tPaul himself say to the Galatians that he was sick the first time he preached the gospel tothem? Wasn't he speaking of his thorn in the flesh?Here is what Paul actually wrote in his letter to the Galatians:But you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel toyou the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you didnot despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ JesusHimself (Gal. 4:13-14).The Greek word translated illness here in Galatians 4:13 is asthenia , which literallymeans weakness. It can mean weakness because of sickness, but it doesn't have to. Forexample, Paul wrote, the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor. 1:25, emphasisadded). The word that is translated weakness in this instance is also the word asthenia . Itwould not make any sense if the translators had translated it the illness of God isstronger than men. (See also Matt. 26:41 and 1 Pet. 3:7, where the word asthenia istranslated weakness and could not possibly be translated sickness ).When Paul first visited Galatia, as recorded in the book of Acts, there is no mention ofhim being ill. There is mention, however, of him being stoned and left for dead, and hewas either raised from the dead or miraculously revived (see Acts 14:5-7, 19-20). SurelyPaul's body, after he was stoned and left for dead, would have been in horrible conditionwith cuts and bruises all over it.Paul did not have a sickness in Galatia that was a trial to his listeners. Rather, his bodywas weak from his recent stoning. Most likely, he still carried the reminders of hispersecutions in Galatia when he wrote his letter to the Galatians, because he ended hisepistle with these words:From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marksof Jesus (Gal. 6:17).6. There is a Godly fear that is good and a necessity. 16. When Paul says with trembling and fear, it is this Godly fear that he is speaking of:Psalms 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.Psalms 61:5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of thosethat fear thy name.Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fearhim, and his righteousness unto children's children;And God contrasts this Godly fear with the wicked who have no fear of God and sotransgress without worry about the consequences. It doesn't bother them anymore tocontradict God because they are so use to doing it that their conscience is seared (1stTimothy 4:2). It's like having scar tissue on your body wherein you no longer have feelingthere anymore. Someone may touch that particular spot and you may not feel it anymore.That may be a bad analogy, but you get my point. It is when you have the consciencewiped out so that it doesn't bother you anymore to deny God's Word, or even wrest it.That is when there is no fear of God.Psalms 36:1 ..The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear ofGod before his eyes. Psalms 55:19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because theyhave no changes, therefore they fear not God. Romans 3:16-18 Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. That is the fear and trembling which Paul exhorts the Philippians to have that they willobey when he is not present. The fear which God says that the unsaved do not have.Paul's presence didn't save them and his leaving won't save them, they are saved by thehearing of the Word of God. And Paul says they are to be a workman unto salvation. He'ssaying, don't be slothful. They should study and rightly divide (2 Timothy 2:15) theWord. Unlike pastors today who would likely tell them you said the sinners prayer so 17. you are saved. No, Paul tells them, as they obeyed the word when he was there, work outtheir own salvation (in the word) in fear and trembling when he's gone. Study asworkman that they can Rightly divide the word of truth. i.e., it can't be divided sevendifferent ways, there is only the right way to do it. Our salvation comes from the wordand our work in the word comes from God. Faith cometh from Hearing, and Hearing bythe Word of God. That is how we work out our own salvation. By getting into the Wordin obedience, it will save us. If we are slothful in this, we haven't made our calling andelection sure.So the scenario seems pretty clear. Paul was telling them that he would not be back, andthat they should carry on in the faith that he had taught them from the scriptures just asthey did when he was in Philippi. Continue to obey the scriptures when He is gone, asthey did when He was present. Work out their own salvation through fear of God andcontinued obedience because he will not be there to lead. It is this fear and tremblingwhich will bring them knowledge of salvation through the Word:Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdomand instruction.The same principle. The Believers obey and gain knowledge because they keep the Wordof God. On the other hand the non-christian (as well as the unsaved who call themselvesChristian) despise wisdom and instruction in The Word. They will not work out theirown salvation by gleaning from the Word, because they don't have God dwelling withinthem to will and to do. They will likely think it foolish to strictly obey what God says.Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour ishumility.Pride makes a man look at God's Word saying that it is He that chooses and it's by HisWill, not the will of man, and call that private interpretation. But it is honour (honesty)and humility given of God which causes one to receive that truth and surrender towhatever the scriptures say. That is how we work our our own salvation. Throughreceiving God's Word in reverential fear of God.The phrase Work out your own salvation is not a declaration that we are either saved byour own works or that we have any part in helping Jesus Save us by our own efforts,rather it is an exhortation to the Church at Philippi (and indeed to us all) to labour inobedience in the word, in the reverential fear of God, to make sure by the Word that wetruly have salvation. Make your calling and election sure by keeping the Word of God.By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men departfrom evil. -Proverbs 16:67. TREMBLIG TROMOS 18. a trembling or quaking with fearwith fear and trembling, used to describe the anxiety of one who distrusts his abilitycompletely to meet all requirements, but religiously does his utmost to fulfil hisduty2Co 7:15 - And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst heremembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.Mr 16:8 - And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled andwere amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.Eph 6:5 - Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, withfear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;Php 2:12 - Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presenceonly, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear andtrembling.trembling (compare Phi_2:12). Not personal fear, but a trembling anxiety toperform a duty; anxious conscientiousness, as proved by the contrast to eye service(Eph_6:5) [Conybeare and Howson].8. Calvin, The term weakness he employs here, and in several instances afterwards, (2Corinthians 11:30; 2 Corinthians 12:5, 9, 10,) as including everything that can detractfrom a persons favor and dignity in the opinion of others. Fear and trembling are theeffects of that weakness There are, however, two ways in which these two terms may beexplained by us. Either we may understand him to mean, that when he pondered themagnitude of the office that he sustained, it was tremblingly, and not without greatanxiety, that he occupied himself in it; or that, being encompassed with many dangers, hewas in constant alarm and incessant anxiety. Either meaning suits the context sufficientlywell. The second, however, is, in my opinion, the more simple. Such a spirit of modesty,indeed, becomes the servants of the Lord, that, conscious of their own weakness, andlooking, on the other hand, at once to the difficulty and the excellence of so arduous anoffice, they should enter on the discharge of it with reverence and fear For those thatintrude themselves confidently, and in a spirit much elated, or who discharge the ministryof the word with an easy mind, as though they were fully equal to the task, are ignorant atonce of themselves and of the task. 108108 Ne cognoissent ni eux ni la chose quils ontentre mains ; They know not either themselves or the thing that they have in hand.As, however, Paul here connects fear with weakness, and as the term weakness denoteseverything that was fitted to render him contemptible, it follows necessarily that this fearmust relate to dangers and difficulties. It is certain, however, that this fear was of such anature as did not prevent Paul from engaging in the Lords work, as facts bear witness.The Lords servants are neither so senseless as not to perceive impending dangers, nor sodevoid of feeling as not to be moved by them. Nay more, it is necessary for them to beseriously afraid on two accounts chiefly first, that, abased in their own eyes, they may 19. learn wholly to lean and rest upon God alone, and secondly, that they may be trained to athorough renunciation of self. Paul, therefore, was not devoid of the influence of fear, butthat fear he controlled in such a manner as to go forward, notwithstanding, withintrepidity through the midst of dangers, so as to encounter with undaunted firmness andfortitude all the assaults of Satan and of the world; and, in fine, so as to struggle throughevery impediment.4. My message and my preaching were not withwise and persuasive words, but with ademonstration of the Spirit's power,1. This does not mean they were foolish and unpersuasive words, but that this wasnot the essence of his message-that it was really a super speech that would keep thephilosopher's spell bound. If one responds to the Gospel by clever argument youmay be shaken by clever argument also. There is no escape here from the fact thatPaul says experience of direct power from God is more important than mereintellectual grasp of truth. You cannot separate Revelation and experience. It ispossible to move men by cleverness, but this is a poor foundation, for when they seeyou are still weak and not perfect their foundation begins to crumble and their faithis shaken. There is a danger of being lovers of good men as the basis of one's faith.It was the power of the Holy Spirit that was seen at work and not the power ofhuman wisdom. Paul was weak, but his message was not, for it was not a product ofhuman reason but of divine revelation. The power is in the source. Paul's powerwas like that of George Whitefield who prayed-My life, my blood, I here present,If for thy cause they may be spent.Fulfill thy soverign counsel, Lord,Thy will be done, thy name adored.Give me thy strength, O God of power;Then let winds blow, or thunders roar,Thy faithful witness will I be,Tis fixed: I can do all for thee!When men are your foundation you live in constant danger, for any man, the best ofthem can fall, and be fools, and if that is your foundation you build on sand. It isnot that we are not to love and relate to men, but that is never to be the basis of our 20. faith. It is to be Christ and no other. George Whitefield was once approached by aman who was drunk. How do you do Mr. Whitefield, don't you remember me?You converted me 7 years ago in London. Whitefield responded, I should notwonder, you look like one of my converts, for it the Lord had converted you, youwould have been a sober man.Whitefield was an eloquent powerful preacher, and like all such he had his convertswho were moved to make decisions based on human factors and not by the Spirit ofGod. That is why only 10 percent of Billy Graham's converts become trueChristians. The psychology of the crowd, the music, and films and all kinds of otherelements enter the scene, and people walk the isle for all the wrong reasons. Itcannot be entirely avoided and so the key is to follow up and make sure people gettheir faith on the solid rock of Christ.2. BARES, 21. ot with enticing words. Not with persuasive reasonings ~peiyoiv logoiv~ of the wisdom of men. Not with that kind of oratory that was adapted to captivate andcharm, and which the Greeks so much esteemed.But in demonstration. In the showing, ~apodeixei~ or in the testimony or evidencewhich the spirit produced. The meaning is, that the spirit furnished the evidence of theDivine origin of the religion which he preached, and that it did not depend for its proof onhis own reasonings or eloquence. The proof, the demonstration which the Spiritfurnished, was, undoubtedly, the miracles which were wrought, the gift of tongues, andthe remarkable conversions which attended the gospel. The word Spirit here refers,doubtless, to the Holy Spirit; and Paul says that this Spirit had furnished demonstration ofthe Divine origin and nature of the gospel. This had been by the gift of tongues, 1Corinthians 2:5-7, comp. 1 Corinthians 14, and by the effects of his agency in renewingand sanctifying the heart.And of power. That is, of the power of God, 1 Corinthians 1:5; the Divine power andefficacy which attended the preaching of the gospel there. Comp. 1 Thessalonians 1:5.The effect of the gospel is the evidence to which the apostle appeals for its truth. Thateffect was seen,(1.) in the conversion of sinners to God, of all classes, ages, and conditions, when allhuman means of reforming them was vain.(2.) In its giving them peace, joy, and happiness; and in its transforming their lives.(3.) In making them different men--in making the drunkard, sober; the thief, honest; thelicentious, pure; the profane, reverent; the indolent, industrious; the harsh and unkind,gentle and kind; and the wretched, happy.(4.) In its diffusing a mild and pure influence over the laws and customs of society; and inpromoting human happiness everywhere. And in regard to this evidence to which theapostle appeals, we may observe,(1,) that [it] is a kind of evidence which any one may examine, and which no one can 22. deny. It does not need laboured, abstruse argumentation, but it is everywhere in society.Every man has witnessed the effects of the gospel in reforming the vicious, and no onecan deny that it has this power.(2.) It is a mighty display of the power of God. There is no more striking exhibition of hispower over mind than in a revival of religion. There is nowhere more manifestdemonstration of his presence than when, in such a revival, the proud are humbled, theprofane are awed, the blasphemer is silenced, and the profligate, the abandoned, and themoral are converted unto God, and are led as lost sinners to the same cross, and find thesame peace.(3.) The gospel has thus evinced from age to age that it is from God. Every convertedsinner furnishes such a demonstration, and every instance where it produces peace, hope,joy, shows that it is from heaven.3. HENRY, He did not affect to appear a fine orator or a deep philosopher; nor did heinsinuate himself into their minds, by a flourish of words, or a pompous show of deepreason and extraordinary science and skill. He did not set himself to captivate the ear byfine turns and eloquent expressions, nor to please and entertain the fancy with loftyflights of sublime notions. Neither his speech, nor the wisdom he taught, savoured ofhuman skill: he learnt both in another school. Divine wisdom needed not to be set offwith such human ornaments4. Calvin, And my preaching was not in the persuasive words. By the persuasive wordsof mans wisdom he means that exquisite oratory which aims and strives rather by artificethan by truth, and also an appearance of refinement, that allures the minds of men. It isnot without good reason, too, that he ascribes persuasiveness ( ) 109109 Thispassage has largely exercised the ingenuity of critics, from the circumstance that theadjective , occurring nowhere else in the New Testament, or in any of the writingsof classical authors, it is supposed that there has been some corruption of the reading.Some suppose it to be a contraction or corruption of or , andChrysostom, in one or two instances, when quoting the passage, uses the adjective , while in other cases he has It is perhaps in allusion to those instances inwhich Chrysostom makes use of the adjective , that Calvin employs the phrase (persuasiveness.) Semler, after adducing various authorities, suggests thefollowing reading: taking ; as the dative of ,(persuasion.) Bloomfield considers , to be a highly probable reading, but prefers toretain . Ed to human wisdom. For the word of the Lord constrains us by itsmajesty, as if by a violent impulse, to yield obedience to it. Human wisdom, on the otherhand, has her allurements, by which she insinuates herself 110110 Secrettement etdoucement ; Secretly and softly. and her blandishments, as it were, by which shemay conciliate for herself the affections of her hearers. With this he contrasts thedemonstration of the Spirit and of power, which most interpreters consider as restricted tomiracles; but I take it in a more general sense, as meaning the hand of God powerfullyexercised in every way through the instrumentality of the Apostle. Spirit and power heseems to have made use of by hypallage, 111111 A figure of speech by which words 23. change their cases with each other. Ed . ( ,) to denote spiritual power,or at least with the view of showing by signs and effects in what manner the presence ofthe Spirit had shown itself in his ministry. He appropriately, too, makes use of the term, (demonstration;) for such is our dullness in contemplating the works of God,that when he makes use of inferior instruments, they serve as so many veils to hide fromus his influence, so that we do not clearly perceive it. On the other hand, as in thefurtherance given to Pauls ministry, there was no aid furnished from the flesh or theworld, and as the hand of God was as it were made bare, (Isaiah 52:10,) his influence wasassuredly the more apparent.5. GILL,As he determined, so he acted. As the subject matter of his ministry was notany of the liberal arts and sciences, or the philosophy and dry morality of the Gentiles,but salvation by a crucified Christ; so his style, his diction, his language used inpreaching,was not with enticing words of man's wisdom; with technical words, words of art,contrived by human wisdom to captivate the affections; and with bare probablearguments only, a show of reason to persuade the mind to an assent, when nothing solidand substantial is advanced, only a run of words artfully put together, without anystrength of argument in them; a method used by the false teachers, and which theapostle here strikes at, and tacitly condemns:but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power; partly by making use of solidproofs out of the writings of the Old Testament, indited by the Spirit of God, and whichamounted to a demonstration of the truths he delivered; and partly by signs, andwonders, and miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, those extraordinary instances ofdivine power, which greatly confirmed the doctrines he preached: and besides all these,the Spirit of God wonderfully assisted him in his work, both as to words and matter;directing him, what to say, and in what form, in words, not which human wisdomtaught, but which the Holy Ghost taught; and accompanying his ministry with hispower, to the conversion, comfort, edification, and salvation of many.5. so that your faith might not rest on men'swisdom, but on God's power.Wisdom From the Spirit1. Ironside, Christianity is a divine revelation, not a human theory.Parker, Any man who accepts Christ has the result of controversial study mayreject Christ tomorrow because of some mightier controversialist has undertaken toteach a contrary doctrine. 24. 2. There is more than one foundation for faith to rest on. Faith does not just hang inmid air but has a basis. Faith is not a haphazard fly by night emotion that comesand goes with no identifiable reason. If you have faith it is because you feel youhave a basis for trust. It can be because you are persuaded by human reason andwisdom. And so you trust and make decisions based on this. The evidence says gointo the stock market and so by faith you go. The other basis is the power of God.You see God at work, and even if you do not have the human explanation youbelieve. God is working and you act in faith to cooperate with that working. Bothare legitimate foundations for acts of faith, but the Christian should be one whosefaith in God is based on what God has done rather than upon what man has said. Ifthis is the case, your faith then always goes back to the cross and not to humanwisdom.In winning men to Christ the stress should never be on the better life of theChristian, or the wisdom of being a Christian, or the impact of Christians on historyetc. All of this is good and important, but it can lead to people becoming Christiansbecause it sounds like its better than any other club or philosophy to follow. Thefocus must be on Christ and the cross so that they become Christians because theysee their need of a Savior and put their trust in Jesus.Paul is not anti any of the other values of the Christian life. He just wants to makeit clear that the foundation is in one's relationship to Christ and not all of the othergood things. Sad indeed is the man who becomes a Christian because he ispersuaded that the Sermon on the Mount is better than the Ten Commandments.That is true and biblical, but it is human wisdom that would be his foundation andnot the love of God revealed in Christ and the cross.3. BARES, Should not stand. Greek, should not be; that is, should not rest uponthis, or be sustained by this. God intended to furnish you a firm and solid demonstrationthat the religion which you embraced was from him; and this could not be if its preachinghad been attended with the graces of eloquence, or the abstractions of refinedmetaphysical reasoning. It would then appear to rest on human wisdom.In the power of God. In the evidence of Divine power accompanying the preaching of thegospel. The power of God would attend the exhibition of truth everywhere; and would bea demonstration that would be irresistible, that the religion was not originated by man, butwas from heaven. That power was seen in changing the heart; in overcoming the strongpropensities of our nature to sin; in subduing the soul, and making the sinner a newcreature in Christ Jesus. Every Christian has thus, in his own experience, furnisheddemonstration that the religion which he loves is from God, and not from man. Mancould not subdue these sins; and man could not so entirely transform the soul. Andalthough the unlearned Christian may not be able to investigate all the evidences ofreligion; although he cannot meet all the objections of cunning and subtle infidels;although he may be greatly perplexed and embarrassed by them, yet he may have thefullest proof that he loves God, that he is different from what he once was, and that all 25. this has been accomplished by the religion of the cross. The blind man that was made tosee by the Saviour, (John 9) might have been wholly unable to tell how his eyes wereopened, and unable to meet all the cavils of those who might doubt it, or all the subtle andcunning objections of physiologists; but of one thing he certainly could not doubt, thatwhereas he was blind, he then saw, John 9:25. A man may have no doubt that the sunshines, that the wind blows, that the tides rise, that the blood flows in his veins, that theflowers bloom, and that this could not be except it was from God, while he may have nopower to explain these facts, and no power to meet the objections and cavils of those whomight choose to embarrass him. So men may know that their hearts are changed; and it ison this ground that no small part of the Christian world, as in everything else, depend forthe most satisfactory evidence of their religion. On this ground humble and unlearnedChristians have been often willing to go to the stake as martyrs--just as a humble andunlearned patriot is willing to die for his country. He loves it; and he is willing to die forit. A Christian loves his God and Saviour; and is willing to die for his sake.4.Zodhiates, I am by birth, said a converted Hindu, Of an insignificant andcontemptable caste; so low, that if a Brahmin should chance to touch me, he must goand bathe in the Ganges to purify himself. Yet God has been pleased to call me, notmerely to the knowledge of the Gospel, but to the high office of teaching it toothers. Then addressing a number of his countrymen, My friends, do you knowthe reason of God's conduct? It is this: If God had selected on of you learnedBrahmins, and made you the preacher, when you were successful in makingconverts, people would say it was the amazing learning of the Brahmin, and hisgreat weight of character, that were the cause. But now, when anyone is convincedby my instrumentality, no one thinks of ascribing any of the praise to me, and Godgets all the glory.5. If God can make of any ugly seed,With a bit of earth and air,And dew and rain, sunshine and shade,A flower so wondrous fair,What can he make of a soul like you,With the Bible and faith and prayer,And the Holy Spirit, if you do His will,And trust His love and care.6. THE ACTIVITY OF GOD'S POWER - v. 5The gospel is not a wisdom, but a power - it is not a system, but a person.To convert a person to being religious or moral or Christian, you've converted a mind, 26. not a soulHowever, to present the Gospel in its simplicity, depending on the power of God'sSpirit who converts a man to faith in Jesus Christ has not converted the mindalone, but the soul.To be solid, salvation must be the work of the power of God, and in order to be that, itmust proceed from a conviction of sin and a personal appropriation of the gift ofChrist's salvation offered through the cross, which the Spirit of God alone canproduce in the human soul.7. Calvin, That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men. To be is used here asmeaning to consist His meaning, then, is, that the Corinthians derived this advantage fromhis having preached Christ among them without dependence on human wisdom, andrelying solely on the Spirits influence, that their faith was founded not on men but onGod. If the Apostles preaching had rested exclusively on the power of eloquence, itmight have been overthrown by superior eloquence, and besides, no one would pronouncethat to be solid truth which rests on mere elegance of speech. It may indeed be helped byit, but it ought not to rest upon it On the other hand, that must have been most powerfulwhich could stand of itself without any foreign aid. Hence it forms a choicecommendation of Pauls preaching, that heavenly influence shone forth in it so clearly,that it surmounted so many hindrances, while deriving no assistance from the world. Itfollows, therefore, that they must not allow themselves to be moved away from hisdoctrine, which they acknowledge to rest on the authority of God. Paul, however, speakshere of the faith of the Corinthians in such a way as to bring forward this, as a generalstatement. Let it then be known by us that it is the property of faith to rest upon Godalone, without depending on men; for it requires to have so much certainty to go upon,that it will not fail, even when assailed by all the machinations of hell, but willperseveringly endure and sustain every assault. This cannot be accomplished unless weare fully persuaded that God has spoken to us, and that what we have believed is no merecontrivance of men. While faith ought properly to be founded on the word of God alone,there is at the same time no impropriety in adding this second prop, that believersrecognize the word which they hear as having come forth from God, from the effect of itsinfluence.6. We do, however, speak a message of wisdomamong the mature, but not the wisdom of this ageor of the rulers of this age, who are coming tonothing. 27. 1. The wisdom of this age may be fine if all there is, is now, but this wisdom hasnothing for the future. The only wisdom that makes sense for an eternal life iseternal wisdom. Only the humanist who goes around once can get any satisfactionout of such short range wisdom. There are always different levels in any group, andso it is in the church. There are babes and there are the mature who get into deeperthings, for there are all kinds of treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.Here we see the balance that prevents folly as a conclusion. Paul in all his denials ofwisdom is not implying that nonsense was the key to his ministry. He used wisdomalso with those who were mature enough to get into this area and use for the glory ofGod. There is nothing that the Christian cannot use if he is mature enough. Paulhad the highest level of wisdom. He rejects only that wisdom of the world which isthe knowledge of God and divine things that men get by reason alone. It isrevelation and not reason that gets us in on the true wisdom.Men do come up with some truth and insight, but Paul's point is nothing fromreason can ever lead to salvation, even if it is correct, for it falls so far short. OnlyGod's revelation in Christ can ever save. Reason is worthless as a means ofsalvation. These worldly philosphers have no place in the proclamation in theGospel because they are not good news. Only Christ has this and so Paul said hesought to know only Christ. But for those in the kingdom who have come to Christthere is value in wisdom and pressing on into all areas of the mind. The unsavedneed to cross only, but the saved who have the cross can move on to other things forthey have the solid rock foundation for their faith.Perfect are the mature as destinct from the infant Christians. When dealing withthese people Paul feels free to set forth the treasures of wisdom in Christ, for in himare hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge-Col. 2:3. Perfect means completeand a Christian can be complete at any stage of growth. The farmer can look at hiscrop and say it is perfect even though nothing is yet ready to harvest. It is justwhere it ought to be at this point and so it is right on schedule.2. Though the wise philosophers among the Gentiles accounted the Gospel foolishness; andthough the apostle, by an ironical concession, had called the ministry of it the foolishness ofpreaching, and the foolishness of God, and had thought best, for wise reasons, to deliver itin a plain and simple manner, without the embellishments of human wisdom; yet hevindicates it from the charge of folly: it was not folly, but wisdom, which he and his fellowministers preached, and that of the highest kind, as appears from what follows. Though itwas not esteemed so by all men, yetamong, or withthem that are perfect; adult, at age, opposed to babes and children; such who have their 28. understandings enlightened by the spirit of wisdom and revelation; who have their sensesexercised to discern between divine and human wisdom; and who are perfect in acomparative sense, having more spiritual knowledge and understanding than others; fornone, in the present state of things, are absolutely perfect in knowledge; they that knowmost, know but in part: now to such the Gospel and the doctrines of it appear to be thehighest wisdom; for the apostle's sense is not that he and other Gospel ministers preachedthe more sublime doctrines of it to a select set of persons that had more judgment and abetter understanding of things than others: if this could be thought to be the apostle'smeaning, he might be supposed to allude to a custom among the Jews, not to deliver thesublime things of the law, but to persons so and so qualified.Says R. Ame (r), they do not deliver the secrets of the law, but to him who has the fivethings or characters in Isa_3:3''So they did not suffer the first chapter of Genesis and the visions of Ezekiel to be read untilthirty years of age (s); and from them the Pythagoreans took their notion of not declaringtheir mysteries but to , perfect ones, the word here used (t); but the apostle's senseis, that to such that were perfect, and even to everyone that had the least degree of spiritualknowledge, the Gospel was wisdom. Some refer this clause not to persons, but things; andso the Arabic version reads it, we speak wisdom concerning things that are perfect; asthe things of the Gospel are, such as a plenteous redemption, perfect righteousness, fullpardon, plenary satisfaction, and complete salvation and happiness:yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:meaning not the idolatry, superstition, curious and magic arts introduced by demons,which principalities and powers, with all their works, are spoiled and destroyed by Christ;but either the political wisdom and crafty schemes of the civil governors of the world,against Christ and his Gospel, who were by this time most, if not all of them, dead; or thevain philosophy of the wise and learned among the Gentiles, who every day were less andless in vogue, through the quick and powerful spread of the Gospel; or rather the highestpitch of wisdom and knowledge in divine things, which the doctors and Rabbins among theJews attained to in the age before the Messiah's coming; called this world in distinctionfrom the times of the Messiah, which in Jewish language was, the world to come, as Dr.Lightfoot observes; who with all their wisdom were confounded and brought to nought bythe superior wisdom of the Gospel.3. ZEISLER, STEVE, Paul in verse 6, is distinct in that it is unlike the wisdom of therulers of this age who are passing away. The wisdom of the world is short-lived; it doesnot have any staying power. God's wisdom, on the other hand, will never pass away, isthe inference here. It is eternal; its truth will never fade but will grow more and moreimpressive with time.Do you remember the pet rock craze of a number of years ago? There was an enterprisethat illustrates Paul's idea here that the wisdom of this world is doomed to pass away.Despite the fact that we are daily besieged with prophecies that certain thoughts,philosophies, and even material things--like the pet rock diversion-- are here to stay, thesethings are doomed to quickly fade away. I heard an interview with the editor of Webster'sDictionary the other day as he shared some of the difficult decisions he had to make in hisjob. Proper names seem to present the most problems, he said. Names such as George 29. Washington and Abraham Lincoln would always find their place in any dictionary, butthat is not true of many of the notables of our own day we hear so much about. Whoknows, he said, if we will even care to be reminded of many of today's prominent figureseven five or ten years in the future? Many who seem important today will interest no onebut the trivia buffs a few years from now.That is just what the apostle is saying here. Today's leaders of thought, who holdinfluence over so many, will soon pass away and will be supplanted by others. But thatwill not be the fate of the wisdom that comes from God. That is a wisdom that is eternal.It will never pass away. Nothing can supplant it.The most extraordinary example of the lack of good judgment by the worldly wise, ofcourse, as Paul points out, was the crucifixion of Christ. The rulers of Jesus' day put himon trial, listened to testimony concerning him, observed his behavior at his trial, and thencondemned him to death. It would be impossible to come up with a more profoundmisjudgment. To judge the Messiah himself as an outcast and a criminal--what could bemore lacking in good judgment? asks Paul. As terrible as it was to condemn a merelyinnocent man, the man they condemned was, in the apostle's description, the Lord ofglory. How could they have missed that? They had heard of Christ's healings, hiscompassion for people, his meekness, his gentleness, his authority, and still they crucifiedhim.But the wisdom that comes from God, declares Paul, judges things as they really are andembraces that which is worthwhile. The wisdom that comes from God, therefore, teachesus what is important and lasting, what is glorious and worthy, and which things weshould reject.4. JAMISON, 1Co 2:6-7 -Yet the Gospel preaching, so far from being at variance with true wisdom, is awisdom infinitely higher than that of the wise of the world.we speak resuming we (preachers, I, Apollos, etc.) from we preach (1Co_1:28),only that here, we speak refers to something less public (compare 1Co_2:7, 1Co_2:13,mystery ... hidden) than we preach, which is public. For wisdom here denotes notthe whole of Christian doctrine, but its sublimer and deeper principles.perfect Those matured in Christian experience and knowledge alone canunderstand the true superiority of the Christian wisdom which Paul preached.Distinguished not only from worldly and natural men, but also from babes, who thoughin Christ retain much that is carnal (1Co_3:1, 1Co_3:2), and cannot thereforeunderstand the deeper truths of Christianity (1Co_14:20; Phi_3:15; Heb_5:14). Pauldoes not mean by the mystery or hidden wisdom (1Co_2:7) some hidden traditiondistinct from the Gospel (like the Church of Romes disciplina arcani and doctrine ofreserve), but the unfolding of the treasures of knowledge, once hidden in Gods counsels,but now announced to all, which would be intelligently comprehended in proportion asthe hearers inner life became perfectly transformed into the image of Christ. Compareinstances of such mysteries, that is, deeper Christian truths, not preached at Paulsfirst coming to Corinth, when he confined himself to the fundamental elements (1Co_2:2), but now spoken to the perfect (1Co_15:51; Rom_11:25; Eph_3:5, Eph_3:6).Perfect is used not of absolute perfection, but relatively to babes, or those less ripe in 30. Christian growth (compare Phi_3:12, Phi_3:15, with 1Jo_2:12-14). God (1Co_2:7) isopposed to the world, the apostles to the princes [great and learned men] of this world(1Co_2:8; compare 1Co_1:20) [Bengel].come to naught nothingness (1Co_1:28). They are transient, not immortal.Therefore, their wisdom is not real [Bengel]. Rather, translate with Alford, Which arebeing brought to naught, namely, by Gods choosing the things which are not (theweak and despised things of the Gospel), to bring to naught (the same verb as here)things that are (1Co_1:28).5. Calvin 6. We speak wisdom Lest he should appear to despise wisdom, as unlearnedand ignorant men (Acts 4:13) condemn learning with a sort of barbarian ferocity, he adds,that he is not devoid of that wisdom, which was worthy of the name, but was esteemed assuch by none but competent judges. By those that were perfect, he means not those thathad attained a wisdom that was full and complete, but those who possess a sound andunbiased judgment. For , which is always rendered in the Septuagint by meanscomplete 112112 Thus we read, ( Genesis 25:27,) that Jacob was , a perfectman, i.e. without any manifest blemish. See also Job 1:1, 8. The corresponding word , is frequently applied to the sacrificial victims, to denote their being withoutblemish Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3. Ed He twits, however, in passing, those that hadno relish for his preaching, and gives them to understand that it was owing to their ownfault: If my doctrine is disrelished by any of you, those persons give sufficient evidencefrom that very token, that they possess a depraved and vitiated understanding, inasmuchas it will invariably be acknowledged to be the highest wisdom among men of soundintellect and correct judgment. While Pauls preaching was open to the view of all, itwas, nevertheless, not always estimated according to its value, and this is the reason whyhe appeals to sound and unbiased judges, 113113 Il ne sen rapporte pas a vn chacvn,mais requiert des luges entiers ; He does not submit the case to every one, butappeals to competent judges. who would declare that doctrine, which the worldaccounted insipid, to be true wisdom. Meanwhile, by the words we speak, he intimatesthat he set before them an elegant specimen of admirable wisdom, lest any one shouldallege that he boasted of a thing unknown.Yet not the wisdom of this world He again repeats by way of anticipation what he hadalready conceded that the gospel was not human wisdom, lest any one should objectthat there were few supporters of that doctrine; nay more, that it was contemned by allthat were most distinguished for intellect. Hence he acknowledges of his own accordwhat might be brought forward by way of objection, but in such a way as not at all to giveup his point.The princes of this world By the princes of this world he means those that havedistinction in the world through means of any endowment, for sometimes there arepersons, who, though they are by no means distinguished by acuteness of intellect, arenevertheless held in admiration from the dignity of the station which they hold. That,however, we may not be alarmed by these imposing appearances, the Apostle adds, thatthey come to nought, or perish. For it were unbefitting, that a thing that is eternal shoulddepend upon the authority of those who are frail, and fading, and cannot give perpetuityeven to themselves: When the kingdom of God is revealed, let the wisdom of this worldretire, and what is transient give place to what is eternal; for the princes of this world 31. have their distinction, but it is of such a nature as is in one moment extinguished. What isthis in comparison with the heavenly and incorruptible kingdom of God?7. MACARTHUR THE PROFITS OF HUMAN WISDOMPlease don't misconstrue what is being said here. Man has developed some amazingthings scientifically and technologically that have been to our benefit. When I say weshould reject human wisdom, I don't mean that we're to reject every possible applicationof human wisdom; rather, we're to object to human philosophy. We're only to reject thatpart of man's reasoning which attempts to answer ultimate questions.Christians aren't saying they have the answer to everything. For example, if my wife'swashing machine breaks down, just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I can fix it. Ihave to call someone to fix it--perhaps an unsaved person. There are some things thathuman wisdom provides for me that I don't have. If I need my car fixed, I'm not soconcerned about whether a Christian fixes it as I am that a good mechanic does it. Someof the greatest teachers I've ever had, and some of the most influential people in my lifehave been non-Christians who knew their area of education or technology very well. Butwhen the world tries to understand where man came from, why he's here, where he'sgoing, and what his meaning is, it can't do it. When men try to define God, morality, realjoy, real peace, and real happiness, they fail. That's what philosophy is: the study ofwisdom, and the search for ultimate wisdom.Christians are not denying that man's wisdom has made great contributions. In fact, insome ways, worldly people are lot smarter than Christians are. You say, Are youkidding? No, that's what Jesus said in Luke 16:8: . . . the sons of this age are in theirgeneration wiser than the sons of light.In other words, the world is smarter about somethings in their own domain than Christians are about other things in their domain. This isthe principle: If the Christian would apply himself to the gaining of godliness in the sameway that the worldly man applies himself to the gaining of worldly things, God would beable to do much greater things through the church.Paul says, . . . we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. . .(1 Cor. 2:6a). Only thesaved have this wisdom. The word perfect [Gk. teleios] in this verse means full grownand mature.Whenever teleios is used to mean perfect ones, it has to be interpreted inits context because it can mean a Christian who's very mature, or it could just mean aChristian.Because Paul is saying that a Christian is one who has true wisdom, and onewho is complete in Christ, we know that the phrase them that are perfect refers toChristians in general. Paul is not contrasting mature Christians with infantile ones; he'scontrasting Christians with unbelievers. So Paul is saying, We are speaking wisdomamong those who are believers. 8. CLARKE, 1Co 2:6 -We speak wisdom among them that are perfect - By the , amongthose that are perfect, we are to understand Christians of the highest knowledge and 32. attainments- those who were fully instructed in the knowledge of God through ChristJesus. Nothing, in the judgment of St. Paul, deserved the name of wisdom but this. Andthough he apologizes for his not coming to them with excellency of speech or wisdom,yet he means what was reputed wisdom among the Greeks, and which, in the sight ofGod, was mere folly when compared with that wisdom that came from above. Dr.Lightfoot thinks that the apostle mentions a fourfold wisdom.1. Heathen wisdom, or that of the Gentile philosophers, 1Co_1:22, which was termedby the Jews chokmahyevanith, Grecian wisdom; and which was soundervalued by them, that they joined these two under the same curse: Cursed ishe that breeds hogs; and cursed is he who teaches his son Grecian wisdom. BavaKama, fol. 82.2. Jewish wisdom; that of the scribes and Pharisees, who crucified our Lord, 1Co_2:8.3. The Gospel, which is called the wisdom of God in a mystery, 1Co_2:7.4. The wisdom, , of this world; that system of knowledge which theJews made up out of the writings of their scribes and doctors. This state is called haolamhazzeh, this or the present world; to distinguish it from haolamhabba the world to come; i.e. the days of the Messiah. Whether we understand the term,this world, as relating to the state of the Gentiles, cultivated to the uttermost inphilosophical learning, or the then state of the Jews, who had made the word of God ofno effect by their traditions, which contained a sort of learning of which they were veryfond and very proud, yet, by this Grecian and Jewish wisdom, no soul ever could havearrived at any such knowledge or wisdom as that communicated by the revelation ofChrist. This was perfect wisdom; and they who were thoroughly instructed in it, and hadreceived the grace of the Gospel, were termed , the perfect. This, says the apostle,is not the wisdom of this world, for that has not the manifested Messiah in it; nor thewisdom of the rulers of this world - the chief men, whether philosophers among theGreeks, or rabbins among the Jews (for those we are to understand as implied in theterm rulers, used here by the apostle) these rulers came to nought; for they, theirwisdom, and their government, were shortly afterwards overturned in the destruction ofJerusalem. This declaration of the apostle is prophetic. The ruin of the Greciansuperstition soon followed.9. BARES, Verse 6. Howbeit. But, ~de~. This commences the second head orargument in this chapter, in which Paul shows that if human wisdom is wanting in hispreaching, it is not devoid of true, and solid, and even Divine wisdom.--Bloomfield.We speak wisdom. We do not admit that we utter foolishness. We have spoken of thefoolishness of preaching, 1 Corinthians 1:21; and of the estimate in which it was held bythe world, 1 Corinthians 1:22-28; and of our own manner among you as not laying claimto human learning or eloquence; but we do not design to admit that we have been reallyspeaking folly. We have been uttering that which is truly wise, but which is seen andunderstood to be such only by those who are had explained and defended--the plan ofsalvation by the cross of Christ. 33. Among them that are perfect. ~en toiv teleioiv~. This word perfect is here evidentlyapplied to Christians, as it is in Philippians 3:15: Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect,be thus minded. And it is clearly used to denote those who were advanced in Christianknowledge; who were qualified to understand the subject; who had made progress in theknowledge of the mysteries of the gospel; and who thus saw its excellence. It does notmean here that they were sinless, for the argument of the apostle does not bear on thatinquiry; but that they were qualified to understand the gospel, in contradistinction fromthe gross, the sensual, and the carnally-minded, who rejected it as foolishness. There is,perhaps, here an allusion to the heathen mysteries, where those who had been fullyinitiated were said to be perfect--fully instructed in those rites and doctrines. And if so,then this passage means, that those only who have been fully instructed in the knowledgeof the Christian religion will be qualified to see its beauty and its wisdom. The gross andsensual do not see it, and those only who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit are qualifiedto appreciate its beauty and its excellency. 34. ot the wisdom of this world. Not that which this world has originated or loved. 35. or of the princes of this world. Perhaps intending chiefly here the rulers of the Jews. See1 Corinthians 2:8. They neither devised it, nor loved it, nor saw its wisdom, 1 Corinthians2:8. That come to nought. That is, whose plans fail; whose wisdom vanishes; and whothemselves, with all their pomp and splendour, come to nothing in the grave. Comp.Isaiah 14. All the plans of human wisdom shall fail; and this which is originated by Godonly shall stand.10. BARCLAY, 1 Cor.2:6-9True, we speak wisdom among those who are mature--but it is a wisdom which does notbelong to this world, nor to the rulers of this world whose extinction is inevitable. But wespeak the wisdom of God in a way that only he who is initiated into Christianity canunderstand, a wisdom which up to now has been kept hidden, a wisdom which God fore-ordainedbefore time for our eternal glory, a wisdom which none of the leaders of thisworld knew; for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; butas it stands written, Things which eye has not seen, which ear has not heard and whichhave not entered into the heart of man, all these God has prepared for them that lovehim.This passage introduces us to a distinction between different kinds of Christianinstruction and different stages of the Christian life. In the early Church there was a quiteclear distinction between two kinds of instruction. (i) There was what was calledKerygma (GSN2782). Kerygma means a herald's announcement from a king; and this wasthe plain announcement of the basic facts of Christianity, the announcement of the factsof the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and his coming again. (ii) There was what wascalled Didache (GSN1322). Didache means teaching; and this was the explanation of themeaning of the facts which had already been announced. Obviously it is a second stagefor those who have already received kerygma (GSN2782). 36. That is what Paul is getting at here. So far he has been talking about Jesus Christ and himcrucified; that was the basic announcement of Christianity; but, he goes on to say, we donot stop there; Christian instruction goes on to teach not only the facts but the meaning ofthe facts. Paul says that this is done amongst those who are teleioi (GSN5046). The KingJames Version translates that word as perfect. That is certainly one of its meanings; but itis not appropriate here. Teleios (GSN5046) has a physical sense; it describes an animal ora person who has reached the height of his physical development. It has a mental sense.Pythagoras divided his disciples into those who were babes and those who were teleioi(GSN5046). That is to say it describes a person who is a mature student. That is thetranslation given in the Revised Standard version, and that is the sense in which Paul usesit here. He says, Out in the streets, and to those who have just newly come into theChurch, we talk about the basic elements of Christianity; but when people are a littlemore mature we give them deeper teaching about what these basic facts mean. It is notthat Paul is hinting at a kind of caste distinction between Christians; it is a difference ofthe stages at which they are. The tragedy so often is that people are content to remain atthe elementary stage when they should be going on strenuously to think things out forthemselves.Paul uses a word here which has a technical sense. The King James Version has it, Wespeak the wisdom of God in a mystery. The Greek word musterion (GSN3466) meanssomething whose meaning is hidden from those who have not been initiated, but crystalclear to those who have. It would describe a ceremony carried out in some society whosemeaning was quite clear to the members of the society, but unintelligible to the outsider.What Paul is saying is, We go on to explain things which only the man who has alreadygiven his heart to Christ can understand.He insists that this special teaching is not the product of the intell