Paul's primary focus was preaching the gospel - the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ - not performing baptisms.
Paul wrote that Christ sent him not to baptize, but to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). The gospel he preached was that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Les Feldick stresses that this message was the central theme of everything Paul wrote.
1 Corinthians 1:17 — Paul explicitly states that Christ sent him to preach the gospel, not to baptize.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 — Paul defines the gospel he preached as Christ's death, burial, and resurrection according to the scriptures.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses believers who were dividing over which human leader they followed. In 1 Corinthians 1:17 he writes: "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect." Paul states plainly that his commission was preaching the gospel, not baptizing. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul defines the gospel he preached: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." This is the message Paul says he delivered "first of all," and it remains the central theme throughout his epistles.
Les Feldick teaches that Paul had one message and one message only: the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel, and Les stresses that nothing the church does - not even the rite of baptism - may detract from the finished work of the cross. Les contrasts Paul's commission with John the Baptist's: John was commissioned to baptize with the baptism of repentance, but Paul's mission was to preach the gospel. Les calls 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 the clearest place in the whole Bible where the gospel is laid out in full, and he notes that every time Paul references the gospel in his epistles, it is always this one - that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Les also points out that Paul never mentions Bethlehem, the birth of Christ, His earthly ministry, or His miracles, because Paul's only message is the cross - the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the shedding of His blood. In the setting of the Corinthian divisions, Les notes that the words of Jesus were confined to Israel under the law, but it is through Paul's apostleship that grace takes preeminence.
Les explains that John the Baptist was commissioned to baptize Israel with the baptism of repentance, but Paul's mission was different. In 1 Corinthians 1:17 Paul says, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." Les emphasizes that the gospel must never be overshadowed - even by a legitimate rite such as baptism - because nothing may detract from the finished work of the cross. The Corinthians were dividing over which human leader they followed, but Paul pointed them back to the central theme: the gospel of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
Paul states the gospel plainly in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Les calls this "the purest form that you can find anywhere in the Scriptures." He says there is no clearer place in the whole Bible where the gospel is laid out in full - even better than John 3:16 - and that all of Paul's writings are "pregnant with this theme."
Les points out that Paul never mentions Bethlehem, the birth of Christ, His earthly ministry, or His miracles. Why? Because Paul has only one message - the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and the shed blood. For Paul, the preaching of the cross is central; everything else gives way to the finished work of Christ.
Context: Corinthian Divisions Over Leaders
Les shows that the Corinthians were dividing over whether to follow Paul, Peter, or the earthly words of Jesus - the setting Paul addresses when he declares his mission was to preach the gospel.
Paul Sent to Preach, Not Baptize
Les highlights Paul's statement "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" and contrasts John the Baptist's baptism commission with Paul's gospel commission.
Nothing May Detract From the Cross
Les explains that Paul said Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel, because nothing - not even the rite of baptism - may detract from the finished work of the cross.
Paul's Mission: Preach the Gospel
Les clarifies that Paul's mission was to preach the gospel - that Christ died, was buried, and rose again - not to baptize like John the Baptist.
The Gospel Defined in 1 Corinthians 15
Les teaches that the gospel Paul delivered "first of all" is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures - the purest form of the gospel anywhere in Scripture.
The Clearest Gospel Passage
Les says 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is the clearest place in the Bible where the gospel is laid out in full, and that every gospel reference in Paul's epistles points back to this one.
Paul's Single Message
Les observes that Paul never mentions Bethlehem, Christ's birth, earthly ministry, or miracles - his only message is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
The Gospel Received and Standing
Les emphasizes Paul's words that believers have received the gospel and stand in it - the one gospel Paul declared, not "a gospel" among many.
1 Corinthians 1:17: For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
Paul's direct statement that his commission was to preach the gospel, not to baptize.
1 Corinthians 15:1: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
Paul declares the gospel he preached as the message believers have received and stand in.
1 Corinthians 15:3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
The first element of Paul's gospel - Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
The completion of Paul's gospel - Christ's burial and resurrection according to the scriptures.
Yes. In 1 Corinthians 1:17 Paul writes, "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." Les explains that Paul's mission was to preach the gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and that nothing - even baptism - may detract from the finished work of the cross.
Paul defines the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Les calls this the clearest and purest statement of the gospel in the whole Bible.
Les teaches that baptism was not Paul's commission - John the Baptist was sent to baptize, but Paul was sent to preach the gospel. Baptism is a rite, but the gospel of the cross must always take first place and never be made of no effect.
Watch the Teaching: Why Carnal Believers Are Still Blameless — 1 Corinthians 1:8-9