1:17
Paul was not sent to baptise, but to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. He also then states that the wisdom or eloquence with which he did or did not preach was not the issue either. What mattered was the cross of Christ. We need to be careful that we do not put undue emphasis on preaching styles. This does not mean that we should not try and preach well, but we must always remember that it is the work of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit which bring about effectiveness.
1:18
The previous verse closed with the phrase “lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power”. It is the cross that brings about our salvation. The gospel was the message of the cross and resurrection, and it is the gospel that is the power for salvation (Rom 1:16). This raises two questions: (i) why is the cross so powerful; and (ii) if the cross is so powerful why do so many reject it? It is the second of these that Paul addresses here, but dwelling a little on the first of these. Man’s fundamental problem is sin, the sin we have committed, and our inherent sinfulness. It is only the cross that addresses these two matters. To the latter question, Paul is quite aware that to many the cross is foolishness. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.
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