1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.

'For Christ sent me not to baptize' -this phrase has been used as proof that baptism isn't necessary for salvation.

Points to Note:

1. If Paul didn't believe in the necessity of baptism, then why did he baptize people? (1 Corinthians 1:14) If baptism wasn't important, then Paul should of said, 'I thank God that. never demand baptism of any believer'.

'If Christ didn't send him to immerse people, wouldn't he have been disobeying Christ in immersing Crispus, Gaius and Stephanas and his household?' (McGuiggan p. 31) In addition, why did he allow others to be baptized? (Acts 18:8)

2. Why did he submit to baptism? (Acts 22:16)

3. Why did he stress it's importance in other letters? (Romans 6:3; Ephesians 2:5; Ephesians 4:5 'one baptism'-for what purpose? 'One unimportant baptism?' Look at the subjects that Paul places baptism among in Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:26).

4. Actually this context points out the necessity of baptism:

In order for. man to be "of Paul," two things had to occur. (1) Paul had to die for them and (2) the Corinthians had to be baptized in the name of Paul. Now, what is necessary for one to be "of Christ" (i.e.. Christian)? The necessary conclusion includes the fact, that in order to be "of Christ", you must be baptized into the name of Christ!

'It is not to be thought that Paul is belitting baptism. The people he did baptize were very special converts..The point is this--baptism was into the name of Jesus. That phrase in Greek implies the closest possible connection. To give money into. man's name was to pay it into his account, into his personal possession..This phrase into the name of implied absolute and utter possession...All that Paul is saying is, "I am glad that. was so busy preaching (and others doing the baptizing- Acts 18:8), because if. had baptized it would have given some of you the excuse to say that you were baptized into my possession instead of into Christ's He is not making little of baptism; he is simply glad that no act of his could be miconstrued as annexing men for himself and not for Christ.' [Note:. Barclay pp. 17-18]

5. 'In discussions with Baptists, the argument has been made from these verses to prove that baptism is not essential for salvation...The Baptists teach that one becomes. member of the Baptist Church through baptism. Whatever argument they use with reference to this verse must also be applied to their own practice...If (1 Corinthians 1:17)..proves that baptism is unimportant, we have Paul saying (for the Baptists at least), "I thank God that. did not make any of you Baptists" because "Christ sent me not to baptize." [Note:. Willis pp. 37-38]

'but to preach the gospel' -which included the condition of baptism (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38)

'not in wisdom of words' -'cleverness of speech' (NASV); 'Not with an orator's cleverness' (Knox) 'Paul regards himself as. sent one,. "message boy" for the Lord and so not only does he avoid immersing. lot of people (personally, though he has someone else do it- Acts 18:5), he avoids trying to impress people with "wise" and eloquent speech.' (McGuiggan p. 31)

Barclay reminds us, that by First Century times the wise man among the Greeks...'it came to mean. man with. clever mind and cunning tongue,. mental acrobat,. man who with glittering and persuasive rhetoric could make the worse appear the better reason. It mean. man who would spend endless hours discussing hair-splitting trifles,. man who had no real interest in solutions but how simply gloried in the stimulus of "the mental hike." It meant. man who gloried in. nimble and cunning brain and in. silver tongue and in an admiring audience.' (p. 21)

'It was Paul's claim that he set before men the Cross of Christ in it's simplest terms. To decorate the story of the Cross with rhetoric and cleverness would have been to make men think more of the language than of the facts, more the speaker than of the message.' (Barclay p. 18)

'lest the cross of Christ should be made void' -'might seem an empty thing' (Gspd)

Point to Note:

Considering this verse and the context that follows, apparently there existed. tendency at Corinth to make the gospel into just another philosophical system of thought. 'There have been several attempts to make Christianity agree with philosophies of the world; indeed, almost every philosophy will quote the Bible to substantiate its claims and ignore the Bible wherein they differ...' (Willis p. 38)

The Cross of Christ is made void, when Christianity is seen as merely something that stimulates the mind. As merely one view among many. Refuse to accept that man is. sinner, that all have sinned, that heaven and hell exist, that Jesus is the only Way to God, and you have just made the Cross of Christ void. You have just said that His death was meaningless. Admit that anyone can be saved outside of Christ, and you have just said that Jesus died for nothing. If one person can be saved outside of Christ, then all can!

Paul believed that the death of Christ was central. But the Message of the Cross carries some necessary conclusions: (1) All other religious systems fail to atone for sin. All other faiths are void of saving power. (2) Man is. sinner. (3) All are accountable to God. (4) Man cannot save himself. Sins cannot be atoned for my human effort or good works. (5) Sin is serious. (6) Hell exists (if not, what did Jesus die to save us "from"?). (7) Sin demands punishment, God will punish the unrepentant sinner. (8) All outside of Christ are lost, He is the Only Way to God. (9) Christ has the final say in all spiritual matters.

THE GOSPEL--A CONTRADICTION TO HUMAN WISDOM:

In these verses Paul shows the Corinthians, who seem to have been so impressed with the human philosophies surrounding them. 'Look at the Message of the Gospel! Would human wisdom have dreamed up the story of. crucified Deliverer? Furthermore, look at yourselves! Who in the name of human wisdom would have chosen you to be the new people of God?' (1 Corinthians 1:26)