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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Having taught in I Corinthians 1 that rhetoric and human reasoning were not what was needed to bring men to Christ, Paul begins chapter 2 by saying that he did not use either of them when he preached to the Corinthians. The word "excellency" is the translation of a Greek word that carries the idea of flowery speech that is designed to catch the listener's ear and impress him with the speaker's oratorical skills. Not having "wisdom" does not mean that Paul's preaching was filled with ignorant statements. It does mean that he was not trying to impress anyone with how smart he was, and his goal was not to win a philosophical debate. Instead, he simply declared the "testimony" of God. "Testimony" is what is given at a trial and is used as evidence. Paul simply gave his hearers the evidence of Who God is. We understand that the only evidence that can be given at a trial is that which the witness knows personally. Hearsay is not accepted. Paul told the Corinthians what he knew to be true. He knew what the Scriptures said. He knew about his own encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus. He knew the message that had been delivered to him by Ananias. He knew what God had taught him in his three years in Arabia (Galatians 1:11-12, 17-18). He just took what he knew, and preached it. Incidentally, this is what it means for any Christian to give his "testimony" or be a "witness" for the Lord. Just tell others what you know to be true! So, Paul says in verse 2 that he had made the decision that he was only going to preach about Jesus and his sacrifice for man's salvation. Robert Murray McCheyne made this observation:

“A man cannot be a faithful minister until he preaches Christ for Christ’s sake, until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ.”

According to verse 3, Paul did not arrive in Corinth with an arrogant attitude. He saw himself as being weak, which while it may refer to his bodily illnesses, it probably refers to his feelings of inadequacy. Paul tells the church in II Corinthians 10:10 that others said about him that "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." He also mentions that he had fear and trembling. Again, this sounds like someone who is concerned about whether or not they can do the job that they have been called to perform. Paul seems to have clearly understood Christ's teaching in John 15:5 where He told His disciples,

"for without me ye can do nothing".

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Corinthians 12:9).

According to verses 4-5, he also had great confidence in his message, and in the Holy Spirit. He did not seek to persuade people with human reasoning, but rather he allowed the Holy Spirit to take the "quick and powerful" Word of God and drive its truth into the hearts of the hearers. The word translated "demonstration" was a legal term that signified that the testimony or proof given in court was irrefutable. Paul did not rely on his skills in argument or persuasion, nor upon any human wisdom for success, but instead on the testimony that the Spirit gave to the truth. He did this because he wanted people to have faith based on what God was doing, not on what Paul was doing. Charles Spurgeon wrote,

"If men believed because of the preacher's grand speech, their faith would be good for nothing. If one man can convert you, another can unconvert you. God's power is needed; no minister can give us faith."

" A faith that is founded on the authority of the church or on arguments addressed to the understanding is unstable and inoperative. But a faith founded on the demonstration of the Spirit is abiding."

Don't worry about your weaknesses. Just tell people what you know that the Bible says, and let the Holy Spirit "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8).