I CORINTHIANS 2:1-7

To illustrate the utility of a good Bible reference book, the above passage was chosen as a random example to show what one such book, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (IVP, 1993), has to say in its individual articles on these verses.

I Corinthians 2:1-5 Winter comments on these first five verses of this section: “Paul explained why he had renounced in his modus operendi all formal conventions whereby a foreign rhetor established his credentials when he first came to a city (1 Cor 2:1-5). He tells why he would not proclaim the gospel using the superior presentation of rhetoric or wisdom (1 Cor 2:1). While rhetors sought topics from their audience on which to declaim in order to demonstrate their prowess in oratory, Paul was concerned only to proclaim Jesus the crucified Messiah (1 Cor 2:2)...It was a radical and costly step on the part of Paul to refuse to use much admired rhetoric of his day in preaching. His renunciation was motivated by the desire that his converts' faith must not rest on his own wisdom but on the power of God (1 Cor 2:5).”

Arnold adds: “The Corinthians...were tempted to be more impressed with the form and style of delivery...rather than the content of the message. Paul thus calls them to focus on the content of the preaching – Jesus Christ and him crucified – and the demonstration of the Spirit's power in his preaching, evident in the transformed lives of the converts (1 Cor 2:1-5).”

And to counter those who may feel that Paul could not hold his own with more rhetorically trained opponents, Yamauchi says, “Though Paul eschews the more florid displays of Greek oratory (1 Cor 2:1-4), his letters nonetheless employ [numerous] rhetorical devices.., and he meets his sophistic opponents (in 2 Cor 10-13) by using their techniques and procedures.”

And Hafemann says that “rather than questioning the legitimacy of his apostleship because of his suffering, Paul considered suffering to be a characteristic mark of his apostolic ministry (Gal 6:17; 1 Cor 2:1-5, etc.), and an aspect of his own moral life concerning which he was content...Paul's suffering also functioned to make it clear...that the power and knowledge of the gospel was God's and not his own, so that those who encountered Paul would place their faith in the power of God and not in the person of the apostle...”

I Corinthians 2:1-2 “It has been argued that the small number of converts in Athens caused Paul to change the character of his preaching, and that this is reflected in such passages as 1 Corinthians 2:1-2. But the situations in Athens and Corinth were radically different and called for different emphases.” (Gempf)

I Corinthians 2:1 Trites explains that “the noun for 'testimony' (martyrion) appears in Paul's letters as a synonym for the gospel. Paul speaks of 'the testimony about God' (1 Cor 2:1 NIV, if this is the correct textual reading), 'our testimony about Christ' (1 Cor 1:6 NIV) or simply 'our testimony' (2 Thess 1:10).”

I Corinthians 2:2 Greidanus: “Contemporary recommendations to use Paul's letters to preach biographical sermons on Paul are obviously contrary to his intentions.”

Travis says, “Two main word groups occur frequently in Paul's letters [referring to 'judgment']. Like the English verb to judge, the Greek krino can mean 'form an opinion,' 'decide' (1 Cor 2:2), but commonly refers to the assessment of human beings by others (1 Cor 4:5; 6:1) or by God (Rom 2:16).”

“Paul claims that the Corinthians misunderstood the power and freedom of the gospel because they failed to understand the significance of the cross when they were baptized into Christ and his death (cf. Rom 6:3). He reminds them, however, that when he was among them he 'knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified' (1 Cor 2:2; see also 1 Cor 1:18,23). Prior to the consummation of all things, the Christian life, and particularly Christians' conception of true power and authority are characterized by the cross.” (Fowl)

I Corinthians 2:3 Bruce says, “He [Paul] left Macedonia in deep depression and arrived in Corinth, as he confessed 'in weakness and fear and much trembling' (1Cor 2:3). If Macedonia had shown itself so unwelcoming Corinth would surely be more so: its public reputation promised no receptive soil for the gospel seed. But nevertheless Paul was able to spend eighteen months in Corinth, preaching the gospel and building up the church, with no serious molestation.”

“The phrase 'fear and trembling' is unique to the Pauline writings in the NT (1 Cor 2:3; 2 Cor 7:15; Phil 2:12; Eph 6:5).” (Porter)

I Corinthians 2:1,4 “A number of commentators have taken en sophia logou as a reference to a formal characteristic of skillful speech...Paul reiterates that he did not come in such a way as to distinguish himself in eloquence or wisdom (1 Cor 2:1; cf. 1:7). What is primarily at stake is Paul's speaking. Paul is adamant in restating in 1 Corinthians 2:4 that his speech and proclamation were not with eloquence and rhetorical skill.” (Blue)

I Corinthians 2:3 Black: “Anthropologically, weakness presupposes that a person's whole being is dependent upon God and is subject to the humiliations of all creation (1 Cor 2:3). Weakness also involves the inability of human beings to attain God's favor by themselves (1 Cor 9:22).”

I Corinthians 2:3-4 Barton says that “Paul's authority depended upon his ability to mediate effectively the message of the cross along with its cultural and socio-economic corollaries. This he attempted to do by preaching it (with whatever lack of rhetorical finesse, cf. 1 Cor 2:3-4), teaching and writing letters about it, and by embodying it in his own apostolic lifestyle and person.”

I Corinthians 2:4 Kim states that “when Paul speaks of 'the signs of the apostle' in terms of 'signs and wonders and mighty work' (2 Cor 12:12; Rom 15:18-19; Gal 3:5; 1 Cor 2:4; 1 Thess 1:5), he seems to reflect Jesus' words of apostolic commission (Mk 6:7-8; cf. Mk 16:17-18).”

“Righteousness and Spirit, together with closely related concepts like life (2 Cor 3:6), freedom (2 Cor 3:17) and power (cf. 1 Cor 2:4), form a matrix that constitutes the eschatological glory revealed in Christ.” (Gaffin)

Twelftree states that “the compelling power of Paul's message was not in his rhetoric but in the demonstration 'of Spirit and of power' (1 Cor 2:4). As 'Spirit' and 'power' can be interchangeable in Paul's writing (cf. Rom 15:1,19; 1 Thess 1:5), the words here are likely to signify the same reality.”

I Corinthians 2:4-5 “Paul inherits from the OT and intertestamental Judaism the concept of the Spirit as the power of God. He attributes his evangelistic success to the Spirit's effective presence, and suggests more than once that miracles attended his own preaching, though he does not enumerate these (1 Thess 1:4-6; 1 Cor 2:4-6; Rom 2:4-5; Rom 15:18-19; Gal 3:2).” (Paige)

“The Spirit is...spoken of as the power of resurrection existence made operative in the Christian's ethical life (as in Rom 8:1; 1 Cor 2:4-5) (Kreitzer)

I Corinthians 2:4-7 “Paul emphasized the dissimilarity between the word of the cross and

'wisdom of speech' (1 Cor 1:17) which is the 'wisdom of the world' (1 Cor 1:20), 'human wisdom' (1 Cor 2:5), the 'wisdom of this age,' which is the wisdom of the earthly 'rulers of this age' (1 Cor 2:6) – mere 'human wisdom' (1 Cor 2:13)...the message of the gospel is 'God's wisdom' (1 Cor 2:7)...Thus the proclamation of the gospel of Christ who is God's wisdom has the power to lead to faith and the bestowal of the gift of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:4-5).” (Schnabel)

I Corinthians 2:5 Guthrie and Martin explain: “So glorious a being [as God] could never be impotent (cf. Rom 4:21; 11:23; 1 Cor 2:5; 2 Cor 9:8). Indeed the description 'the power of God,'

which is used absolutely, aptly indicates this dynamic aspect of God's character (cf. 2 Cor 6:7; 13:4; 2 Tim 1:8).”

I Corinthians 2:6 Reid comments on the term “rulers” found in verses 6 and 8: “This term commonly referred to human rulers, a sense Paul himself used when he spoke of rulers as civil authorities (archontes) in Romans 13:3...Interpreters are divided over whether 1 Corinthians 2:6,8 refers to human or to spiritual powers, with some suggesting a dual reference.”

“Paul alludes to the Corinthians as 'perfect' or 'mature' (1 Cor 2:6) because to them God's Spirit revealed his wisdom that is 'not of this age' (1 Cor 2:6,10). The Corinthians stand in contrast to those without the Spirit (1 Cor 2:12,14), who possess no spiritual discernment.” (Klein)

Kreitzer says, “The adjective teleios can...take the sense of 'mature' or 'adult' and is so used in 1 Corinthians 2:6; 14:20; Philippians 3:15...”

I Corinthians 2:6-7 “Paul understood the death and resurrection of Jesus in the past as cosmic eschatological events that separate 'this age' (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 1:20; 2:6), or 'this present evil age' (Gal 1:4), from 'the age to come.' This present age is dominated by rulers, demonic powers who are doomed to pass away (1 Cor 2:6-7).” (Aune)

Painter: “Ephesians 1:4 envisages the plan and action of God before the foundation of the world (pro kata boles kosmou). This Jewish expression is found four times in the Gospels (Mt 13:35 = Ps 78:2; Mt 24:21; Mk 10:6; 13:9) and with 'before the ages' (proton aionon, 1 Cor 2:7) means 'before the creation'...The urgency of the moment calls for denial, not because the physical world is evil in itself (1 Cor 10:26) but because the form of this world is passing away (1 Cor 2:6; 7:31) and the new age is dawning. Attachment to 'things of this world' is not appropriate.”