Paul said he may not have eloquent words9/17/2023 ![]() ![]() Instead, plain gospel preaching shares the word of the cross, making its beauty and power clear, unadorned by rhetorical devices designed to compel people into accepting it. To preach plainly does not mean to water down or to otherwise tame the gospel. Paul’s evangelistic methodology can be summarized as “the gospel is powerful, so preach it plainly”. When you share Christ with others, do you rely on the peculiar glory of the gospel itself to compel and persuade? Or do you rest your confidence in clever arguments or man-inspired rhetorical strategies? Do you allow the same power of God which brought you to salvation in Christ to have its unfiltered effect upon those you share with? Or do you prefer to share a rendition of the gospel which is made to be more appealing to the world by leaving out certain truths which the world deems “foolish”? Paul is not against persuasion in sharing the gospel he is simply concerned with who or what is doing the persuading. It considers eloquence, lofty speech, and worldly wisdom as the most effective means of changing hearts and minds. Power-emptying gospel preaching relies on our own vain, man-made methods of persuasion. Paul describes himself as preaching “not with words of eloquent wisdom” (1 Cor 1:17), “ with lofty speech or wisdom” (1 Cor 2:1), and “not in plausible words of wisdom” (1 Cor 2:4). In his ministry, Paul swam against this current. ![]() These well-trained speakers became more preoccupied with gaining a following-more concerned with their own ability to persuade-than with the actual substance of their message. In the first century, Corinthian believers lived in a culture dominated by professional debaters and orators who earned a reputation for their entertaining and persuasive methods of speaking. What is this power-emptying way of preaching the gospel? To empty the gospel of its power is to share it in such a way as to lead to dead faith which is not rooted in and resting upon God’s power. Paul preaches the cross and nothing else so that his hearers’ faith might rest in the power of God alone. His reason for doing so is that one’s “faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor 2:5). In his preaching, Paul does not depend on “lofty speech” (1 Cor 2:1) nor “plausible words of wisdom” (1 Cor 2:4), but on the cross of Christ. Because of this, Paul insists that his message is solely to be “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). Without Christ and him crucified, the gospel has no power. He even calls Christ himself “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). Paul asserts that “the word of the cross” (i.e., the gospel) is “the power of God” for those “who are being saved (1 Cor 1:18). What does it mean for the gospel to be “emptied of its power”? To understand how we might avoid falling into this gospel power-emptying trap, we must ask ourselves at least two important questions. In writing, “lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power,” Paul suggests there is, in fact, a way of proclaiming the gospel that dulls or even voids its effect upon the hearer. ![]() Look at what the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Cor 1:17) Have you ever emptied the gospel of its power? Did you know that it is possible to preach, teach, or share the gospel in a way which nullifies its power? Don’t take my word for it. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |