¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize,^(A) but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom^(B) and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

2 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom^(A) as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^[a]

¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom^(A) but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.^[a]

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,^(A) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.^(B)

⁶ I may indeed be untrained as a speaker,^(A) but I do have knowledge.^(B) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

¹⁰ For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive^(A) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”^(B)

² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;^(A) we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.^(B) On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience^(C) in the sight of God.

⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words,^(A) but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,^{(B) 5} so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.^(C)

² although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.

³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^{(A) 4} The weapons we fight with^(B) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^(C) to demolish strongholds.^(D)