Paul offered the example of his preaching among the Corinthians as a further illustration of what the wisdom of God can do in contrast to what the words that humans regard as wisdom can do.
"The matters of literary contextand the continuity of the argumentare all important in understanding I Corinthians 2. Otherwise, much of the chapter reads like pure gnosticism, and Paul is made the advocate of a private religion reserved for the spiritual elite (2:6-16)."39
2:1 The apostle's preaching in Corinth was "not in excellence of rhetorical display or of philosophical subtlety."40
Some early texts have "mystery"(Gr. mysterion) instead of "testimony"(martyrion). The difference is not significant. The gospel was both the message God had previously not revealed that the apostles made known and the message to which they bore witness.
2:2 As far as his preaching went, Paul only spoke about Christ crucified. This was his regular practice (Gal. 3:1). He left all other knowledge aside.
"According to Acts xviii. 1 Paul moved on to Corinth from Athens, and it is often supposed that after an attempt to marry the Gospel to Greek philosophy in his Areopagus speech (Acts xvii. 22-31), which was attended with indifferent success (Acts xvii. 32 ff.), he determined to change his tactics and preach nothing but the cross.41For this imaginative picture there is no evidence whatever."42
". . . 1 Corinthians is more than a practical letter aimed at telling the readers what to do and what not to do. The letter in fact primarily seeks to influence the minds, dispositions, intuitions of the audience in line with the message Paul had initially preached in the community (2:2), to confront readers with the critical nature of God's saving action in the crucified Christ in such a fashion that it becomes the glasses to refocus their vision of God, their own community, and the future. The advancing of such an epistemology gives the letter a theological purpose that unifies its otherwise unconnected structure."43
Centering his preaching on Christ crucified was not a new tack Paul took in Corinth because of previous lack of response (cf. Acts 17:22-31).
"What Paul avoided was artificial communication that won plaudits for the speaker but distracted from the message. Lazy preachers have no right to appeal to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 to justify indolence in the study and careless delivery in the pulpit. These verses do not prohibit diligent preparation, passion, clear articulation, and persuasive presentation. Rather, they warn against any method that leads people to say, What a marvelous preacher!' rather than, What a marvelous Savior!'"44
2:3 The reason Paul felt weak, fearful, and trembling was probably his sense of personal inadequacy in the face of the spiritual needs he faced when he entered Corinth (cf. Acts 18:9-10).
"If this was epilepsy, or malarial fever (Ramsay), it might well be the recurrent trouble which he calls a thorn for the flesh' (2 Cor. xii. 7)."45
2:4 Paul did not design his content ("message,"logos) and or his delivery ("preaching,"kerygma) to impress his hearers with his eloquence or wisdom. Rather he emphasized the simple message he announced. Conviction came as a result of the Holy Spirit's power, not the "wisdom"of the preacher. We should not interpret this verse as deprecating persuasion but as a warning that conviction does not come as a result of persuasive arguments. It comes as the Holy Spirit opens blind eyes when we herald the gospel. The warning is against self-reliance in the preacher.
"Mere human sophiamay dazzle and overwhelm and seem to be unanswerable, but . . . it does not penetrate to those depths of the soul which are the seat of the decisions of a lifetime."46
"It is possible for arguments to be logically irrefutable, yet totally unconvincing."47
2:5 Paul's reason for this approach was so his converts would recognize that their faith rested on a supernatural rather than a natural foundation, namely the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 16:15-17).
The apostle's conviction concerning the importance of the superior power of the gospel message was clear in his own preaching.
