45 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. (1 Corinthians 2:1-3)

Excellence is good and to be desired. But then excellence should be the outcome and not be our crutch that we rely on. We must depend on God alone. The danger is when we focus on our performance rather than our relationship.

The early disciples experienced the raw power of God because they acknowledged their human weaknesses and frailties, and depended on God alone. In turn, God showed up in powerful ways with far greater power than any amount of their excellence could have mustered.

Paul acknowledged that he was not a man of great oratory skills. He even stated how it was common knowledge that he was weak in stature and his physical presence hardly conveyed a position of strength. “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2 Corinthians 10:10-11). What he did possess was the abundant grace of Christ and anointing of the Holy Spirit. That came from totally identifying with the resurrection power of Christ.

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

How must the Gospel be presented?

We must resist the temptation as Christians to depend on mere great sounding words to communicate the message of the gospel, rather than on the demonstration of the living presence and power of the Holy Spirit. If we don’t do this, the faith of our listeners will be based on empty statements as opposed to God’s transforming power.

Apostle Paul understood this and so he always made sure that he allowed the Holy Spirit to be the only One to validate his preaching.

which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:8)

satan thought that the crucifixion was his greatest victory, but it was actually his ultimate defeat. satan could not have touched Jesus had the Father not allowed it. But the Father allowed it for a reason. He had a glorious plan, a mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

So often in our lives, satan thinks he is doing some terrible thing to us that will finish us off, and yet God has another plan. God takes what satan meant for our harm and works it out for our good.

Who are the rulers of this age?

Another translation renders this phrase as: “the princes of this world”

Lord Jesus used this phrase on three occasions

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. (John 12:31)

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. (John 14:30)

of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:11)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Please pay attention to the word “principalities” here—they are realms over which princes rule.

Chapter 2