Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 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." — 1 Corinthians 1:17 (ASV)

Why Paul did not baptize more during his stay at Corinth we are not told. He does go on to state that his essential work was not baptizing but preaching the Gospel (Acts 26:17–18). That is, baptism was of secondary importance. This, then, gives him an opportunity to talk about the thrust of his preaching ministry. His method was to preach not “with words of human wisdom [GK 3053],” i.e., not with the cleverness of human argumentation (such as the methods used by philosophers like Plato and Aristotle). If he were to depend on human argument, the heart of the message of the cross would be emptied of its essential meaning.