Know Nothing...Except
Scripture Reading: Psalm 54; 1 Corinthians 2
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. – 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
The cross is not one topic among many.
It is the center from which all true ministry flows.
I don’t believe Paul meant this as a universal law for every preacher or gospel-proclaimer. There is a place in God’s kingdom for apologists, philosophers, and academics who go beyond what Paul describes here. Many have come to faith through ministries that engage deeply with intellectual and philosophical questions. Paul is not dismissing such work as unnecessary or unbiblical.
Rather, Paul is speaking into the specific situation in Corinth and addressing what was needed there at that moment.
Still, there is a principle here that applies everywhere and always: the work of God must be done under the power of the Holy Spirit if it is to have eternal effect. Even the most brilliant arguments and eloquent presentations cannot change a heart. Only the Spirit can.
Those who are especially gifted must take this to heart. A powerful speaker, a man of sharp intellect, or someone who can recall historical and philosophical arguments with ease may be tempted to lean more on those abilities than on the Spirit.
That is the caution. That is the application.
Methods can vary, but the underlying conviction must remain the same: in the end, our aim is for people to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
The power is not in how well we speak of Christ, but in Christ Himself.
