That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Parallel translations
- WEB that your faith wouldn’t stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
- BSB so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
- NKJV that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
- NASB so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the power of God.
- NLT I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The purpose was that their faith would rest on God's power, not human wisdom. A faith built on human cleverness would be unstable; faith grounded in God endures.
Overview
Paul reveals his deliberate strategy: by avoiding showy wisdom, he ensured their faith stood on God's power. Faith founded on a persuasive speaker could collapse when a more persuasive one appeared, which is exactly what fueled Corinth's factions. True saving faith rests on God himself, the only sure foundation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Cor 4:7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
- 2 Cor 12:9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- 2 Cor 6:7By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
- 1 Cor 1:17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
- Acts 16:14And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
- 1 Cor 3:6I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 2:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.