1 Cor. 2:1My brothers and sisters, when I first came to proclaim to you the secrets of God, I refused to come as an expert, trying to impress you with my eloquent speech and lofty wisdom. 2 For while I was with you, I was determined to be consumed with one topic—Jesus, the crucified Messiah.[1]
After he left Athens, Paul continued onto Corinth. Corinth was very different from Athens. Athens was a center for philosophy while Corinth was the capital of southern Greece. It also had a port on the east and west and was a center of economic trade. About one-third of its population was made up of slaves. Religions included the Greek gods and the imperial or Caesar cult. Many of Jews that lived there had been expelled from Rome by decree of Emperor Claudius.
Paul was an expert Jewish theologian; he would have had “lofty wisdom” Paul would later write in Rom.1: 16 I refuse to be ashamed of sharing the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved—the Jew first, and then people everywhere![2] Paul’s focus was on the good news of Jesus and how it was life changing. Jesus had died to pay the price for sin and that allowed a restored relationship with the Creator God. It didn’t matter if it was Athens or Corinth, Paul preached the Gospel.
It is the same today. Our earthly wisdom may be interesting and full of fun facts, but it is the gospel of Jesus Christ that has eternal consequences. You can access all kinds of impressive speeches on the internet, but it is still the Gospel that has the most power. No matter what kind of place you live in, the Gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit is still relevant today.
To hear more on the Power of the Holy Spirit, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/mission-trip-two-radio-show/the-power-of-the-holy-spirit
[1,2] The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC. thePassionTranslation.com