“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, KJV).
Personally, I can relate to these words of Paul the apostle to the church at Corinth. After graduating from college, my wife and I married, and we moved down to Florida for my first engineering job. Eventually, we united with a local church there. At that time, I did not know the Lord, and church attendance was not something I enjoyed.
I could not understand how the people got so excited about what the pastor was preaching. I just wanted the service to be over. The only portion of worship I enjoyed was the singing of the young choir. After the singing, mentally I checked out.
And I’m thinking, how could this preacher who was old enough to be my dad get so beside himself while conveying words out of a book (the Bible).
Then, after worship was over, many of the people weren’t ready to jump in their car and go home. No, they wanted to hang around and fellowship. As for me, I went to my car and waited for my wife. She had come up in the local church; I had not. She felt comfortable around church folks; I did not.
Sad but true; I did not remember anything the preacher preached so passionately about at the end of his message.
Christ Makes the Difference
I stayed in Florida for only two years. That’s because by that time, the engineering phase of the Space Shuttle program was finished. Then we moved back home for a my new job. Soon after moving back home, I gave my life to the Lord. And then the Lord later called me to preach!
Those who knew me could immediately see the change Christ had made in my life. I fell in love with the Lord, and I was not ashamed to let others know.
Sometime after my conversion, my wife and I revisited Florida where we used to live. We also visited the church we used to attend. Pastor Riley was still there. As he preached that Sunday, I was greatly stirred by the power of his message.
I even joked with my wife, saying that Pastor Riley had learned how to preach since the time we lived in Florida. She replied that he always knew how to preach. The problem was that I was not saved before.
That’s why I said I can relate to the words of Paul to the church at Corinth. Before I became saved, the preaching of the cross was foolishness to me. Once I became saved, however, it became the power of God.
Many people who attend the house of God today are like I was before I came to know the Lord. They are dead, separated from God. It is only through faith in Christ that they can be translated from death to life.
What Is the Preaching of the Cross?
One of our greatest customs on Easter or Resurrection day is that preachers everywhere preach about the redemptive death of Christ and His bodily resurrection. This I say because for some preachers, Easter may be the only time of the year they preach about the cross.
Please understand that the preaching of the cross is more than merely telling the story of Jesus’ death and His bodily resurrection. Granted, the barbaric death He died on the cross does form the basis of the preaching of the cross.
God sent His Son to die on the cross to save us from the penalty of sin. Absolutely no alternative existed. For not one of us can become good enough or perfect enough to pay the cost for our redemption. No amount of church attendance or money or serving God can do that for us. “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:19, KJV).
The preceding paragraph is the core message of the preaching of the cross. It is a humbling message. In effect, it says that no matter who you are or how much power or money you have, you can only be saved by grace through faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9, KJV).
The Power of God for Salvation
Paul said to those of us who are saved, the preaching of the cross is the power of God. What does He mean by that? Paul writes these stunning words:
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
1 Corinthians 1:21, KJV
Those words ring even more profoundly today. Since Paul’s day, the knowledge and the wisdom of this world has increased beyond measure. Still, the world through its vast wisdom has not come to know God. On the contrary, our world has become more distant from God. Still, He has chosen what Paul refers to as the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.
This was God’s plan and still is His vehicle for saving the lost. The preaching of the gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). And the core of the gospel is the message of the cross. Let us exalt the message of the cross on Easter day and throughout the year!
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.