Roy E. Ciampa (7)
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Of the 28 times Paul uses the noun "wisdom" in his letters, 15 appear in 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:13 (with another appearance in 3:19 which recaps the argument of 1:18-2:5). Additionally, the adjective "wise" occurs ten times in chapters 1-3. With this data in mind, a number of commentators surmise that the Corinthians were infatuated with wisdom and Paul is tackling the problem head on at the outset of the letter.Pillar Commentary
Fee rightly notes that the "demonstration of the Spirit and power" here cannot be taken as a reference to miracles since in the context of 1 Corinthians this is the very triumphalist assumption Paul is arguing against. In contrast to Jewish requests for signs and Greek desire for wisdom Paul preaches Christ crucified (cf. 1:22f). It would thus be a little odd, as Fee notes, if Paul were to appeal to powerful signs and wonders that persuaded hearers! In the context of his own personal weakness, the demonstration of the Spirit's power is seen in the Corinthians' conversion, as the Spirit applies the word of the gospel, Christ and him crucified, to their hearts: "the evidence lies with the Corinthians themselves and their own experience of the Spirit as they responded to the message of the gospel." The plural of power would have been a more unambiguous reference to miracles. Power here is about moral conviction, not miraculous display.Pillar Commentary
Instead of "enticing, clever words" (Thiselton) to win his audience, what accompanied Paul's preaching was a demonstration of the Spirit's power. "A demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (NRSV, NASB), to translate literally, has been understood by the TNIV as a hendiadys, a figure of speech in which two words connected by "and" express a single idea. An example in current English is the phrase, "nice and warm." Fee supplies the validation for taking "Spirit" and "power" together here: "for Paul the terms 'Spirit' and 'power' are at times nearly interchangeable; to speak of the Spirit is to speak of power."Pillar Commentary
On first blush this may seem rather narrow and limited. After all, Paul spent eighteen months in Corinth and would have engaged in pastoral work alongside evangelism. However, as 1 Corinthians 1:10-4:17 itself demonstrates, for Paul even the most practical ills, such as divisions and problems of leadership in the church, are remedied by focusing on the cross. For Paul, Christ crucified is more than just the means of forgiveness and salvation, but informs his total vision of the Christian life and ministry.Pillar Commentary
The cross is nonsense to some because it represents such a repugnant worldview. It is an assault on the values of power, glory, honor and success, so dear to Corinthian and many other societies.Pillar (Ch1)
Litfin explains that Greco-Roman rhetoric posited five steps in the process of persuasion: (1) attention; (2) comprehension; (3) yielding; (4) retention; and (5) action. Orators typically put the emphasis on step three, yielding, and sought strategies to convince an audience of whatever it was they were declaiming. Simply put, "the approach Paul advocated - straightforward proclamation as a herald - seemed to be aimed at step two, comprehension, leaving the third step to the Spirit." To Paul's mind, the message of the cross itself has the power to convince and convict people.Pillar Commentary (Ch1)
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