1 Corinthians 2:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

NIV: so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.

NASB: so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.

CSB: so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God's power.

NLT: I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

KJV: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

NKJV: that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul concludes the thought from the previous two verses. He has emphasized that when he first came to Corinth, he himself was not very impressive. Not only were his presentations marked by weakness, fear, and trembling, Paul also made a choice not to try to impress the people with his own vast knowledge or skill with words. Instead, he presented the truth about Jesus as clearly and simply as he could. This would have been a major contrast to entertainers of his era, who were known as skilled speakers.

In addition, God somehow accompanied Paul's teaching with a demonstration of His power and His Spirit. The advantage of this, Paul now writes, is that their faith in Christ rests on God's power and not on Paul's persuasiveness with words of human wisdom. Recognizing the truth of the gospel, without the distraction of showmanship, further proved the message was true.

It is not known what form this demonstration of God's power took in Corinth, but God often used signs and wonders during the time of the apostles to confirm that they spoke for Him.

First Corinthians 2:1–5 begins with Paul asking the Corinthians to remember what he was like with them when he first came to Corinth. He did not tell them about Christ with impressive speaking skills and displays of knowledge. In fact, he was weak, fearful, and trembling. That was a deliberate tactic on Paul's part, for their good, so their faith would be based on God's power and not on any amount of impressive human wisdom.

When Paul first came to Corinth, he did not present the gospel to them with lofty speech and impressive arguments. He presented the truth as simply as he could so their faith would be based on God's power and not human wisdom. Only those with God's Spirit can understand the truths revealed by God, including Christ crucified for human sinfulness. Those without God's Spirit are limited to what can be observed and worked out with human reason. God's Spirit makes it possible for us to understand and believe spiritual things.

First Corinthians 2 picks up Paul's train of thought from the middle of the previous chapter. He reminds the Corinthians that he did not make an impressive display of his own speaking skills or knowledge when he first came to them. He wanted their faith to be in God's power, not human wisdom. God's ultimate wisdom can only be understood spiritually, revealed to human beings through God's Spirit. Those without God's Spirit cannot understand spiritual things. As a result, they reject the idea of Christ crucified for human sin as foolish. Through the Spirit, spiritual people have the mind of Christ.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.

Accessed 5/4/2024 12:01:39 PM