Select Page
Read Introduction to 1 Corinthians

 

“that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

 

Now Paul explains why he rested in the “demonstration of the Spirit” (2:4). He did not want to depend on a human facility, but the power of God.

that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men

Paul came in the “demonstration of the Spirit” rather than in the power of his speaking ability. The word “that” indicates Paul’s basis for coming to Corinth in the “demonstration of the Spirit” – faith does not rest on the human facility but God’s power.

but in the power of God

The Corinthians came to Christ by God’s power, not Paul’s power. God’s power rests in the gospel message.

Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

PRINCIPLE:

We trust God’s message, not His messenger, to win people to Christ.

APPLICATION:

The principle is clear – all human ability and power in the world cannot persuade one person to trust Christ as Savior. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can break through to the soul. Faith comes from Christ, not from the ingenuity of philosophy, oratory, or human persuasion.

This refutes the idea that the witness must be a success before he can witness. Human attraction does not bring people to Christ. It is not necessary to be intellectual to bring intellectuals to Christ. We do not have to know all philosophies to win them to Christ; all we need to know is the gospel message. If faith is founded on a philosophical argument, it can be refuted by philosophical argument.

Share