The Weakness of God

“…the weakness of God is stronger than men.” St. Paul

We live as heirs of a view of power shaped by the most violent century in history. The legacy of the last hundred years will be written in blood, an account of brutality made increasingly bitter by the apparent weakness of God to change anything. To modern people, God is more absent than present, more distant than near, more weak than strong. The ultimate personal consequence of such a powerless God is a loss of meaning and vision. Yet things may not always be what they seem. The weakness of God may belie strength hidden in odd places: in small deeds of justice, in the power of listening, in apparent failure, in men and women who see themselves as out of control yet under God’s control.

The ancient world in which Paul operated was completely opposed to weakness, inability or failure. In this environment Paul not only admits his weaknesses; he insists they are the very ways in which genuine strength can be demonstrated. The great unexpected is that God himself becomes weak in the gospel of his Son.

Skip Ryan is Chancellor and Professor of Practical Theology of Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, TX. He received his B.A. from Harvard University, and M.Div. and D.D. degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as founder and Senior Minister of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville (1976) and founder and Senior Minister of Park Cities Presbyterian Church (1992).

The Institute of Biblical Studies is co-sponsored by Chesterton House, Bethel Grove Bible Church, and New Life Presbyterian Church.