Passage: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Big Idea

God chose humility as the only path to life so that Jesus would be glorified. That means we can, should and must depend on Jesus for absolutely everything. We were never created to be independent; we were made for relationship, and relationship means reliance. Paul, brilliant as he was, planted the church in Corinth by deciding to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, coming in weakness, fear and trembling, so their faith would rest on God’s power and not human wisdom. All of God’s power is found in the death and life of Jesus, shared with us through the gospel.

Depend on Jesus for Everything

Last time we saw God’s way of humility contrasted with the way of self.

Why did God choose humility as the only path to life? So that Jesus would be glorified! Christ Jesus became for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, so that anyone who boasts would boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

Jesus becomes everything for us so He can glorify God through us.

What does that mean for Paul, for me and for you today?

We can depend on Jesus for absolutely everything.
We should depend on Jesus for absolutely everything.
We must depend on Jesus for absolutely everything.

“But wait. What about me? What can I depend on myself for? I’m full of good ideas!”

Nothing.

That isn’t about putting people down. It’s about us becoming what we were made to be.

We were never created to be independent. We were created with an incredible capacity for real relationship with God and other people. But relationship means reliance.

And there’s one word for the relationship we were designed for: love.

If your relationship with God doesn’t feel like that, get ready for God to rock your world.

If your relationships in this world don’t feel like that, God’s mission is to restore them to you by His grace, through His children, His family.

He has a mission, and a plan to accomplish it. Let’s see how Paul unfolds it.

How Paul Planted This Church (2:1-2)

When I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with superior speech or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).

Paul was brilliant, educated, respected and disciplined.
Those aren’t bad things.
But the flesh doesn’t care whether things are good or bad. It can twist anything to be about me!
If Paul kept using his natural gifts in the flesh to serve God, he could easily start trusting his flesh.
The problem is never how gifted or ungifted we are, how disciplined or relaxed, how talented or simple.
The problem is when we trust our talent, discipline or giftedness instead of Jesus.
Then we steal glory from God, the very pride that brought down Satan.

So Paul adopted a radical strategy that might get laughed at today if anyone were simple enough to try it.

I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

He determined. He decided. He chose.
That choice says everything about what Paul loved. He loved Jesus. He accepted God’s call to serve, but he loved Jesus even more than the mission. He knew he was called first to know and love Jesus.
If you want to show Jesus you love Him, give Him your trust.
Did God need Paul to be special? God once spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22:28). He doesn’t need us. But He delights in us and loves to use us when we freely offer ourselves. And that starts with offering Him our hearts.
Paul decided to do it God’s way: love God first, and through that relationship ask God to build His church.
Worship and prayer help develop our love relationship with God.

Christ crucified

We’ve seen that “Christ crucified” is the greatest contradiction in history:

Christ: the King who needs nothing. Life.
Crucified: humbled, killed, sacrificed for us. Death.

Does it really work? Yes! All the power is in the death and life of Jesus.

His death and our sin. Sin and shame meet the death of Jesus. Whatever we’ve done, His death is enough to cover it and take away our guilt. God doesn’t just forget about it; He dealt with it, and it’s gone forever. When the enemy tries to bring it up, it’s as if God says, “You mean the sin I already judged when I poured out My wrath on My beloved Son on the cross? I remember. And I poured out all of it, so there’s no wrath left for those in Him.” We will never face God’s wrath for our sins when we’re in Christ (Romans 8:1). We’re protected and saved. Hallelujah! That’s power.

His life and our walk. Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose! So His life is shareable with us. We share in His death, and we share in His life. That’s how we walk in a way that pleases God without the law dictating every step: the Spirit of the risen Jesus lives in us and guides our hearts and minds to honor our Father with every step and word.

Paul determined to rely on the death and life of Jesus: Christ crucified.

What Reliance Looks Like (2:3-4)

I was with you in weakness, in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching weren’t with persuasive words of human wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power (2:3-4).

“I was with you”

Connection. Relationship. Intimacy.
Jesus spent time with His Father and with His disciples.
That’s how relationships work: time.
“I wish my relationship with God were better.” There’s a path: time. And time is a sacrifice.
“I wish God would use me.” There’s a path: time.
Invest in the church. Talk with people, which means listening first. Ask how you can pray for them. Get involved in caring for people. Love them.
We also have a relationship with the world. Invest time connecting with your community and praying for those who don’t know Jesus.

“In weakness”

Not depending on myself.
Recognizing my need for God’s life and power.
We can’t serve God in the flesh, our own abilities and strength.

“In fear”

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).
What is it? A holy fear of living life my own way, by my own flesh, for my own glory.
I’m aware that He is worthy and I am needy, and I live every moment in that reality.

“In much trembling”

I recoil at the thought of living without the Holy Spirit.
I must have His life!
I won’t move forward without it.

Pretty extreme!

“Not with persuasive words”

Paul rejects self-reliance in everything, even in preaching the gospel. Especially in preaching the gospel.
We can never manipulate anyone into God’s kingdom.
We simply give people the truth:
We’re born sinners.
But God loves us.
So God became a man and was killed on the cross.
Now everyone who puts their faith in Him can and will be saved, forgiven of all sin, accepted and filled with the very life of Jesus and the presence of God.

“In demonstration of the Spirit and of power”

The Spirit works in people’s hearts as we speak the truth in love.
And amazingly, people believe and are born again by the power of God!
Not because of our clever words or efforts.
Ask any believer how they came to faith, and they’ll say God opened their heart. Maybe He used a friend, an enemy, a parent or a preacher. But God opened their heart by His power and helped them believe in His Son’s death and life.

Why Paul Did It This Way (2:5)

So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God (2:5).

What does relying on human wisdom instead of Jesus look like?

Relying on emotional hype.
Relying on entertainment.
Relying on engaging personalities.
These can produce a response, but not for God’s kingdom. You can build a church on them, but not God’s church.

Can human wisdom set us free from sin?

No.
It can change behavior on the outside. It can polish the outside of the cup.
But the inside of a soul is God’s domain. Only He can clean a heart.

How can I tell if I’ve been living by human wisdom?

Struggling with sin.
Tired and worn out from serving the Lord.
Confused about the source of real life and joy.

These are warning signs that we’ve drifted into human wisdom instead of the gospel of grace, which is the power of God.

The message of the cross is the power of God (1:18). The gospel is all we need!

Paul says he’s not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).

That tells us how to access all of God’s power: believe exclusively in Jesus. Rely on Him.

And though Jesus was crucified in weakness, He lives by the power of God. We too are weak in Him, but we will live with Him by God’s power (2 Corinthians 13:4).

We share in His life and power through the gospel!

Grace Takeaway

You were never meant to run your life on your own talent, wisdom or willpower. You were made for a relationship of loving reliance on Jesus. Paul could have impressed the Corinthians; instead he chose to know nothing but Christ crucified, and God’s power showed up. The same is true for you. Lay down your self-reliance, come in weakness, and let your faith rest on the power of God, the death and life of Jesus shared with you.

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The Wisdom of Reliance on Jesus