1 Corinthians 2:2 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 2:2

Comments

The Greek, ‘I determined’: the Greek word which is translated determined here has the idea of judgement and choice in it. It is difficult to translate but ‘I determined’ is very good, as long as you understand the word. ‘I thought about it and I made a decision’, because the Greek has something like, I chose not, I judged not – I chose not to know, to focus on, to propound anything save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now there are two meanings to this, and I think there's little doubt the apostle intends both of them. First of all, when he preached the gospel, when he preached for souls he never left out Christ crucified. That was the hub, the core, the centre of it all: always Christ crucified. But there’s something else here. ‘I determined, I chose not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.’ In other words, ‘When I came among you, whatever I did; if I had to work making tents; if I had to be persecuted; if I had to withstand things being thrown at me, being arrested, bundled off; if I was fearful that I would be received in a violent manner when I was speaking or even when I was just there; all the time, I did what I did with one thing in my mind: Christ and him crucified. He went on the cross of Calvary for me’, Paul would think. ‘He suffered and died for me; he purchased my redemption. I will do anything for him. I will go through anything for him. I wasn't thinking of myself whether people would think well of me, whether they would like my preaching. I wasn't showing off and using devices so that they would think I was a great personality, or highly eloquent; I was thinking of one thing: Jesus Christ and him crucified. In the light of all he's done for me, I do this for him, not for me. I do this, for his glory and for his cause, and for his church.’ So his choosing not to know anything save Jesus Christ and him crucified has regard to the subject matter of his preaching and the motivation for all his work. It is about Christ being the centre of his preaching and it is about his attitude in everything he does. He does it for Christ and gratitude and obedience to him.

Application

We can take that in our daily lives. Do you owe your husband an apology; do you owe your wife an apology? Do you have to repent of some word or deed that was unworthy and re-establish proper affection and appreciation and kindness? Have you got a climb down and it is a hard thing to do? ‘I choose in life says the apostle not to know anything save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.’ If he is in your mind, what he has done for you, then you will do what is right by him, and you will honour him, and do that hard thing.

If you are shrinking from witness to someone near to you and the opportunity has come, what are you thinking of? What you are going to buy next? What you are going to do later? What you are going to have for lunch? Ah, but if uppermost in your mind is Christ and him crucified, then for him you will do the thing that is hard for you to do. So it is that sense also in the apostle's words, and it is precious to us.

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1 Corinthians 2:2 Commentary and Bible Study