The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

²⁰ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. ²² For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

²⁶ For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷ but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no man may boast before God. ³⁰ But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, ³¹ so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

2 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. ² For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. ³ I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, ⁴ and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵ so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

As believers it is difficult to understand why others cannot see, accept and believe the truth of the gospel. Paul explains it well in today’s text saying:  The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  As believers we cannot convince by intellectual conversation or prove by well executed debate that those who do not believe either need salvation or can only be saved through the cross. They consider it and us foolish. Still Paul continues:  Indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.   Our response, like Paul’s, is not that we should concern ourselves with those who we cannot convince. It is not that we should change our message,  but rather to continue to preach Christ, crucified for sinners, because those who are called will believe.   

Paul continues:  For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,  so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”   We too should consider our calling. We should remember that before we believed we too thought the gospel was foolishness. For some who were in the church, there was a dependence on doing well and having wisdom regarding the word. For those who were wholly of the world, there was a rejection of holiness because of the lust for self satisfaction. For both, there came the time that there was understanding and belief of the simple message of the cross; that by Christ alone we are saved.   Ephesians 2:8-9 says:  By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it isthe gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  As Paul says:  so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 

Paul closes today’s text saying:  When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.   Our words, no matter how superior our ability to deliver them, no matter how persuasive we make our arguments, will not cause people to believe. Some try to alter the message to make it more appealing to the world. They focus on the benefits and the blessings of faith in Christ, rather than on the redemption of the cross.  Our message to the world, like Paul’s, needs to be a demonstration of the Spirit and of power. It is not though that we should seek to display the signs and wonders, to perform miraculous deeds in the sight of people in order that they would believe. The greatest demonstration of the Spirit and of power is for us to live the gospel before people. Our words cannot convince them to believe. In John 16:7-8 Jesus says:  “I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”   Our words will not convict the world of sin, that is the job and the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. Signs and wonders, working of miracles will not convict the world of sin. If that were the case all would have believed when Jesus was here.   In Mark 16:15-20 it says:  He said to them,  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.  These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;  they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.   The message is simple. The gospel is Christ crucified for sinners. The signs and miracles are not to cause people to believe, but rather to accompany those who do believe. They are the Lord working with us and through us to confirm the word. If we do not preach Christ and the cross, we should not expect signs and miracles or that anyone will believe.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit for the simple but powerful message of the cross. May my life and my words be a demonstration of that power to the world. May I never try to persuade others to believe by my own wisdom or words, but May I never fail to preach the simple but powerful gospel. May the Holy Spirit and You Lord, confirm Your word.  Amen.