1 Corinthians 2:1 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

Navigator

1 Corinthians 2:1

Comments

We must never eclipse the Spirit: that is the sum of this second chapter. Paul has spoken of God turning the whole order of things upside down, so that the mighty and the proud, the celebrated, the people who count in this world, will be blind to the things of the gospel. He has said that the gospel will be proclaimed and witnessed to, as well as received and believed, by the comparatively lowly and insignificant. God will rejoice to turn round the order in the proclamation of his truth so that the glory is all the Lord's. He does this so that it becomes evident and obvious that, when the gospel is preached and conversions result, it is not due to human ability or eloquence, but it is by the power of God. Of course, preachers preach, and believers witness as effectively as they can, but we never eclipse the Spirit. We never add to the Lord's methods of preaching and praying. We never think these are insufficient on their own, or that the Holy Spirit is weak. We must not think that the gospel needs our embellishments and gimmicks to make it effective. We never eclipse the Spirit, because then the Spirit then withdraws. Human devices may draw crowds sometimes, may build up seemingly large churches, but the Scripture teaches us that the likelihood is that they are wood, hay, and stubble, largely, because the Holy Spirit is eclipsed and set aside. So chapter 2 is really reinforcing the chapter 1, but the apostle goes now into detail. He speaks of himself: ‘And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech.’ The Greek translated ‘excellency of speech’ indicates superior speech. Fundamentally there is nothing wrong in being excellent, in fact it is right and proper to be as effective and as clear as you can possibly be. But the word Greek word really has in mind brilliance or powers of eloquence, and the modern versions tend to choose something along those lines: ‘I came not with eloquence’, whereas our ‘excellency’ perhaps is not quite the perfect word. Paul did not come with excellency of speech: earthly learning, earthly philosophy, earthly reasoning which impresses those who admire human eloquence. Rather, it was spiritual reasoning and argumentation that the apostle Paul used. He did not adopt techniques of teaching to impress; they are very popular in some circles, where the preacher studies very closely his presentation. One-minute he is colloquial, then he is emotional, the next minute he is shouting, and he is constantly adopting all kinds of techniques.

Application

Nowadays, especially in Charismatic circles, you get a lot of pacing up and down from the preacher, rushing up and down the platform. Now that pulpits are out, and lecterns are little used, it has all got to be activity, action. It seems sometimes what is done today is going as far away as you can from the Scripture. In New Testament times the Lord Jesus Christ followed the Jewish habit in the synagogues; he sat when he preached, but not all sat. The very first sermon of the Christian church in the book of Acts on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter stood with the other apostles. That was a marvellous thing that all eleven apostles – one had gone, the son of perdition, but the eleven apostles that were left – were one minute terrified to be seen as those who associated with Christ, and afraid for their lives, but now at the very first sermon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost they all stand together quite willing to be seen and observed giving witness to Christ Jesus. The apostle Peter stood and preached and declared. But you never see anywhere in the New Testament rushing up and down, and action and movement. Here is the apostle: he did not use excellency of speech or any kind of physical gimmick that might be suggested by that. Rather he determined not to know anything among them, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Questions

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

1 Corinthians 2:1 Commentary and Bible Study