And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. (2) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (3) I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. (4) And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not be the wisdom of men but the power of God.
The apostle Paul wrote the first letter to the CORINTHIANS. In the first chapter of this letter Paul exposes and confronts the divisions in the church at Corinth – he is saying that the faith of the CORINTHIANS should not rely on cults of personalities – men of eloquence – but on the true word of God as paul preached; not on persuasive words and great oratory (human wisdom) but on the word of the Lord by the Lord and Paul is the chosen instrument of God to impart His revelation of salvation.
Paul preaches Christ alone and Christ crucified. The fact of the crucifixion was a stumbling block for the Jews – an ignominious death they could not accept. Proud Jews despised the death of the cross but Paul embraced this ALL as the wisdom of God – this is what faithful ministers HAD to preach and all else counts for nothing.
Paul says that there is nothing excellent in Him in the eyes of men so that the power of God shows more conspicuously – the Christians in Corinth could see the power of God in his successful preaching even though he had not the outward appearance or ease of words. His spirit of unworthiness would impart something he knew to be all important – those who preach easily and confidently are of themselves and are not in awe of God. Even in fear Paul moved to preach God’s word – he totally submitted to the will of God and showed a thorough renunciation of himself
The point of our verses today is that the gospel is not human wisdom, not the wisdom of the world – but Christ crucified which is the wisdom of God. The world won’t accept this because it is contrary to what they esteem – power, wealth, standing. Paul is saying pride and the Gospel are incompatible.