Power From the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

[Transcript]

This will be the shortest portion of verses we’ll deal with at once. I believe what Paul said here speaks deeply into the heart of a Western church problem. Historically, Protestants have excelled at pointing to the sufficiency of Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and God’s glory alone. These are the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. While the Protestant Reformation ultimately birthed multitudes of denominations, generally speaking, they all continue to teach these Solas or (at least) are greatly influenced by them.

However, one thing suffered. I have witnessed and experienced it, and for years, I have been working to remedy it. From 1992 to 2012, in my faith, I neglected what Paul taught in this brief passage. So, let’s examine what he told the Corinthian church and then reflect on ourselves to see if we’re following his teaching.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. – 2:1

This is one of those spots where I believe the chapter division isn’t helpful. Paul continued his thoughts from chapter one in that he purposefully presented his teaching in simple terms. He knew his approach needed to be distinct for people who loved eloquence and clever speech. His simplicity was designed to bother his listeners – not in a bad way, but in a curious way. Imagine Paul urging people passionately with simple words, straightforward messaging, a fantastical conclusion, and a challenge to reorient all of life around this good news. It sounded foolish, but in a way that intrigued people to hear more.

We are similar in many ways. Our culture demands evidence, including a compelling argument that will stand up to rigorous debate. In fact, we have moved even farther than this into a kind of tribalism. It’s not uncommon to see people arm themselves with all the talking points of their particular tribe and enter the debate with only one objective: to outdo their opponent. There’s no intention of learning from them. Often, they focus on delivering the zingers that will make them look clever and catch their opponent with their pants down.

Paul wasn’t interested in that. The word “lofty” is defined by superiority. He rejected any delivery or vocabulary that would elevate him as an eloquent speaker. Though he was capable of robust theological discussion, he narrowed his presentation to “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).

In addition to his choice to keep things simple, Paul said that he was with them in “weakness and in fear and much trembling.” What does that mean? Was Paul sick? Was he frightened? Acts 18 gives us insight.

9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” Acts 18:9-10

When Paul arrived in Corinth, he did what he always did: he went to the synagogue and began reasoning with the Jews. However, in this case, when they rejected him, Paul declared judgment on them and resolved to go to the Gentiles with the Gospel. At some level, it seems that though Paul was having success among the Gentiles, he lived in fear of reprisal from the Jews. And who could blame him? That’s the pattern that he had experienced in other cities.

However, more than that, I think Paul was using his own weakness, fear, and trembling as an object lesson for what he’d already said in 1 Cor 1:27. The Lord chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

“and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” 1 Corinthians 2:4

Here is what I missed for so long. For twenty years, I relied heavily upon explanation and not demonstration. I did evangelism training. I studied theology. I surrounded myself with men and women who seemed to be on the same trajectory. I read books. I took notes. I taught classes. I explained and explained and explained as best as I knew how according to what I was learning. It’s not that I wasn’t bothered with the demonstration aspect, but I had limited it to the realm of obedience. Hear me, obedience is critical, and I’m not minimizing it. What I had done, though, was think that my obedience was the only demonstration that mattered. In fact, to say that I even thought of it as the demonstration aspect of my faith would be a stretch. Demonstration was far from my mind. I’m only labeling it this way as I look back on things. Put simply, I was invested in explaining people into the kingdom.

Paul’s simple method didn’t use persuasive speech. When he said he didn’t use “plausible words of wisdom,” he meant that his simple Gospel message wasn’t without support. When we share something we experienced, we often support it with eyewitness accounts. If you teach, you’ll likely support your teachings with references to other trusted sources. While we don’t know precisely what Paul said, we can make fair assumptions that he wasn’t relying on other philosophers and teachers to give credence to his teachings. Instead, his support was from a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

Explanation alone does not suffice. That’s not to suggest that the Gospel is lacking. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16). But the Holy Spirit affirms the Gospel’s authenticity through demonstrations of power. His involvement is an integral part of the Gospel. At Pentecost, Peter appealed to the prophet Joel to explain what was happening.

“And it will happen afterward thus: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your elders will dream dreams; your young men shall see visions.” Joel 2:28 (LEB)

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit takes residence within us, and there will be evidence of His presence. Joel prophesied that all people, both men and women, would prophesy, indicating that everyone—not just the prophets—would receive the Spirit and show evidence! This evidence is the demonstration that Paul spoke of. We will learn later that there are many manifestations of the Spirit, beyond prophesying, that come forth.

“so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5

I’m not sure why it took me so long to understand this. God knows. But the reason is simple. Paul didn’t want anyone to say they were a Christian simply because he convinced them. He didn’t want it to be about his rhetoric or his thorough explanation. He wanted people to believe because of the Lord’s power. That can’t be achieved through words. Words are cheap. Again, the Corinthians loved words. Paul wanted their belief to be rooted in something greater: the power of the Spirit.

Is this missing? Has the evangelical church minimized the demonstration of the Spirit to the point of losing a crucial aspect of the Gospel? This isn’t about pursuing signs and wonders. It’s about expecting evidence that can only be explained by the power of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that the high-profile “professing” Christians who have deconstructed left the faith simply because there was nothing supernatural about their practices? I’m not making any accusations; I’m just posing questions that I believe are relevant to our current situation. Because Corinth was so enamored with eloquent rhetoric, Paul was concerned they might make a false profession of faith. How are we different?

There is reason for discernment when it comes to expecting evidence. Expecting evidence can become seeking signs and wonders. Some movements within the church emphasize signs and wonders, and if there are none, the assumption is that the Lord isn’t moving. They wrongly apply passages about miracles and treading on serpents as the normative expectation for Christian experiences.

The problem with seeking signs and wonders is that it looks outward. It depends on something happening outside as evidence of the Spirit’s power. When we always look outward, we neglect the inward.

Expecting evidence starts inside. What is supernatural about my private life? What about my inner life can only be explained by the Holy Spirit’s activity? Answering these appropriate questions helps us determine whether our salvation is secured in God’s power and not in the wisdom of men.

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but even if our outer person is being destroyed, yet our inner person is being renewed day after day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 (LEB)