1 Corinthians 2:3-5
What is written? (ESV)
And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
What does it say?
I [Paul] was with you [church in Corinth] in all of the inadequacies of a simple man. My speech and preaching were not based on any craftily formed words, but solely on the Spirit and His power, so that your faith isn't resting in man's wisdom but in God's power.
What is its immediate context?
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth dealing with several serious issues throughout the letter, but here dealing with divisions among them and reminding them of the uniting nature of the Gospel. In this chapter, and really including the first four chapters of this letter, he emphasizes the need for them to rely upon the word of God that he had shared with them as the foundation to solve these issues.
