As to style, Paul was no orator well versed in the arts of moving men by excellent or enticing speech. All that he eschewed, relying only upon the Spirit of God and His power.

For theme, he had Christ and His cross only. Emphasize in your mind the two words, “among you.” He knew the tendencies of the Corinthians, with their great ideas as to philosophy and the human intellect. He determined that among them he would know nothing but Christ crucified.

Paul started his career with Christ glorified, yet he knew well that except they believed on, and laid hold of, Christ crucified, nothing of a divine sort would be done. The truth of a crucified Christ was that which laid in the dust all their pride and glory, and until man comes down into the dust he cannot begin with God.

And Paul’s own spirit was in keeping with this. He did not arrive in their midst with a great flourish of trumpets, announcing himself as “Palestine’s most powerful preacher,” as is customary in this century. The very reverse. Weakness, fear, trembling, are the things he alludes to. He was acutely conscious that the flesh was still in him, that he might easily be seduced from single-eyed fidelity to his Master, and betrayed into something which was not of God. He knew the mighty power of the devil, entrenched in the Corinthians’ hearts. Hence his fear and trembling. And hence again the room for the demonstrated power of the Spirit of God, and the casting down of the devil’s strongholds in human hearts. Would to God that there was more room made for the working of that power today!