1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Fear and Trembling
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 22, 2020 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
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. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
(Understanding the Text) Earlier, Paul made reference to this same idea that eloquence interfered with God’s message. “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 Corinthians 1:17). Now Paul returns to the idea saying that he had not used high-level rhetoric or charismatic speech to tell the Corinthians about the gospel. Instead, he says that he had decided not to refer to outside sources to appeal to them. He had decided to just present Jesus as the crucified Messiah.
What is Paul’s point in saying that he was with the Corinthians in weakness and fear and trembling? I don’t get it. The SDA commentary says “Paul was conscious of his shortcomings and infirmities (see 2 Cor. 10:1, 10; 11:30; 12:5, 9,10). He was anxious about the success of his mission to Corinth for he knew that he had many enemies in the city (see Acts 18:6). However, God had assured him that his work would be successful and that he had nothing to fear (see Acts 18:9, 10). The apostle was concerned, also, lest his work should be marked by merely human characteristics. The true minister of God will ever be conscious of his own limitations and weaknesses. Such an attitude leads him to place greater reliance upon God for his strength and wisdom to do His work. ‘Our greatest strength is realized when we feel and acknowledge our weakness’ (5T 70). ‘Cool complacency is not the mood of the finest preaching’ (Robertson).” We always think of Paul as confident and courageous, stepping into danger without flinching and always saying the right thing at the right time, but the Bible does not paint that picture. It speaks of Paul’s miscommunication when people wanted to worship him and tells us that he didn’t have many converts in Athens. I think we are wrong to ignore these indications that Paul had self-doubts and fears also. He was successful, not because he was always right, but because he always determined to follow his Lord’s directions and humbly submit to the Spirit’s leading.
(Revelation of God) Paul points out that although he did not have rhetoric, he had something better. He had signs that accompanied his work. The power of God showed itself in the effects of Paul’s preaching and in miracles. Thus, the faith of the Gentiles which wanted to rest in logic, rested in truth of Jesus and signs. The Corinthians had been originally been converted by hearing about the beauty of Jesus and His love for humanity. The power of God’s willingness to humble Himself, die for them, and draw them into His kingdom was the magnet that had attracted the Corinthians away from their selfish false gods.
(Understanding the Text) All of this may have had something to do with Paul’s activities just prior to his coming to Corinth when he was in Athens. There, he had gone to the place of the scholars and quoted from their own works in order to bring them to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. In the end, they respected his logic, but only a few were swayed by His words. Paul may have been feeling that this was a defeat. He may have decided that he had been wrong to approach the people with logic and eloquence and rhetoric and quotations from their own scholars. Thus, in the next place that he preached, he chose to just tell the story of Jesus without any quotations from others, or fancy logic, or high-sounding vocabulary. He may have lost his confidence a little after Athens and needed reassurance that he was doing the right thing.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I shouldn’t worry if I cannot state logically and in a well-argumented way the truths of God. Instead, I can simply be true to Jesus, and His power can work through me. It is not up to me to win the point of a discussion. It is up to me to live with Jesus and let Him shine through me. That is difficult to do because I keep wanting to rely on myself instead of trusting You to succeed. Teach me to simply let You shine out through me rather than trying to use my own wisdom to carry out Your work.