“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” (I COrinthians 1:17)
It is definitely interesting in this day when “creativity” and “excellence” are elevated to almost canonical status, to read that that Paul purposefully did NOT preach in “cleverness” of speech, so that the message of the cross of Christ would not be obscured. (The word “cleverness” here is the Greek word “sophia” — we get our word “sophisticated” from it.) Paul did not try to be clever, sophisticated, or impressive in his language and presentation, because he wanted the simple message of the cross of Christ to be the focus. Continue reading
shawnethomas 