“But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 4:19 Mean?
"But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power." Paul warns the arrogant members of the Corinthian church: when I come, I'm not interested in your eloquence. I want to see power. The distinction between "speech" (logos) and "power" (dynamis) separates rhetoric from reality, performance from substance.
The phrase "if the Lord will" isn't a throwaway spiritual cliché — Paul genuinely subordinates his travel plans to divine direction. And his metric for evaluating the puffed-up speakers is devastatingly simple: talk is easy. Show me power. Show me transformed lives, supernatural fruit, the evidence that God is actually working through you, not just that you're articulate.
Reflection Questions
- 1.If Paul evaluated your faith community by power rather than speech, what would he find?
- 2.Where in your spiritual life have you been mistaking eloquence for evidence of God's work?
- 3.What does 'power' look like in practical terms — and how is it different from religious performance?
- 4.Who in your life demonstrates genuine spiritual power rather than impressive spiritual speech?
Devotional
Paul draws a line between two things the church still confuses: impressive speech and actual power. Some people in Corinth had gotten puffed up — inflated by their own eloquence, their rhetorical skill, their ability to sound spiritual. And Paul says: I'm coming, and I'm not interested in how well you talk. I want to see power.
The difference between speech and power is the difference between describing a fire and being on fire. One is performance. The other is evidence. One you can manufacture with talent and practice. The other requires the actual presence of God.
This is a devastating filter for modern ministry. We live in a culture that elevates communication skills above almost everything else. The best speakers get the biggest platforms. The most articulate voices attract the most followers. And Paul asks: but is there power? Not just persuasion. Power. Changed lives. Broken chains. Supernatural fruit that can't be explained by good branding.
"Not the speech... but the power." If Paul walked into your church, your small group, your ministry — would he find power or performance? Would he find articulate people or transformed people? The puffed-up speakers in Corinth could talk all day. Paul was unimpressed. He wanted to know if God was actually doing anything, or if it was all just words.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But I will come to you shortly,.... This he said as threatening them, but not by way of prophecy; for it is not certain…
But I will come - It is from no fear of them that I am kept away; and to convince them of this I will come to them…
But I will come to you shortly - God being my helper, I fully purpose to visit you; and then I shall put those proud men…
Here, I. He tells them of his having sent Timothy to them, to bring them into remembrance of his ways in Christ, as he…
if the Lord will See Jas 4:13-15, who "justly derides that rashness among men, in that they plan what they shall do ten…
Cross References
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