Sermon notes:

Paul plants a flagpole or a rallying point with the statement at the end of v 12. Some say “I am of Christ.” Shouldn’t we all be of Christ? Shouldn’t Christians follow Christ? How can any Christian claim any higher allegiance to a minister of Christ than to Christ? Paul effectively points them to Christ with this statement.

What is an Apostle? It is: “a sent one”. The one sending determines the ministry and not the minister! Paul's is sent to preach the gospel. The focus is on the content of the preaching. What is the content of the gospel? The content of the good news is the cross of Christ. The content is not what man would term “eloquent wisdom.” Paul argues therefore that: “the word of the cross” is the power of God, and the “words of eloquent wisdom” is the power of man. It is only through the power of God that the Christian is saved! Sinners are not saved through the wisdom of this world, not by the power of man.

The power of God is effective through the preaching of the cross of Christ. The power of God is saving a people for himself, through the proclamation of Christ! “To us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

God’s way is to save people through the preaching of the word of the cross. It is through the content of the message that the saved are saved, because the content of the message is a person and not just some truth axioms, formulas or statements! The content of the message is not “eloquent wisdom!” The content is the Person, Christ Jesus our Lord (1Cor 1: 1-9), who died on the cross to effectively save those who are in Him.

What God has sent Paul for is to preach the word of the cross. Through this gospel, the means of salvation, God declares to man: “It is my way, or you perish!” “Salvation is on God’s terms alone!” “Christ is the only way to salvation.”

Paul is building anticipation for the question: Will you forsake your own “eloquent wisdom” and follow the way of the Lord? Will you transgress the way of the Lord? Then you will surely stumble! OR Will you walk upright in the way of the Lord? Hosea 14:9 ​​​​​​​​Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; ​​​​​​​whoever is discerning, let him know them; ​​​​​​​for the ways of the LORD are right, ​​​​​​​and the upright walk in them, ​​​​​​​but transgressors stumble in them. ​​​