1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Context: 1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
From the lexicon: Determined=resolved. Know=have seen or received. Crucified=Jesus’s death on the Cross.
Pulling it together: In 1 Corinthians 2:2 Paul is laying forth the battle line. Other teachers came to these people in Corinth with splendid speeches and great oratory in attempt to dissuade them from the plain Truth of the Gospel. I came, says Paul, not as a great orator, but even so, my words had great power. I kept it simple. I proclaimed the Gospel: Jesus Christ crucified.
So much is implied in that statement. Words will not save us. Neither will fancy speeches or empty promises. Paul’s word remind us of the simplicity of the Gospel. Jesus is the Christ who came to save His people from their sin, and that implies that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The mention of His crucifixion goes further and reminds us that He died on the Cross paying the penalty for our sin. That is the simple Gospel.
It is the responsibility of churches today to hold on to this Truth, not allowing things to get in the way, or substituting anything else either by adding or subtracting from it. Paul is our example. He could have cited His credentials as a learned Pharisee. He could have waxed long in speech. Instead, He reduced all that to this: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Lord, I pray for grace to keep focused on one thing: What Jesus did for me at Calvary.