Just a few weeks till Easter and undoubtedly the minds of many are turning toward the death burial and resurrection of Jesus.
Over the years countless individuals have studied and made claims that the cross of Jesus just isn't possible. The time line doesn't line up, the gospels seem to have conflicting reports and so they conclude the error lies within the Bible. If something that significant, in other words all of Christianity hinges on the cross, is faulty than the entire Bible must be dismissed as unreliable. This of course brings into question those who are desperate to understand and are confronted with this supposed wisdom, those who are persuaded that the Bible is untrustworthy and renders their faith foolishness.
This concept and attempt to hijack the gospel with self proclaimed wisdom has bothered me more and more in recent years. Many times it is the "creastors" those who only attend church two times a year, who want to educate those who actually come to church regularly, read their Bibles and take a genuine interest all year in the gospel. But this year in God's providence I have been studying through the book of 1st Corinthians for our current series, "Corinthian coach". I say in God's providence, because the first chapter addresses this very current dilemma in the church. By verse 10 the apostle Paul is already rebuking the believers for the factions they have formed. Arguing over which man to follow when the gospel clearly reveals only one man worth following. But by verse 18 Paul has identified two people groups. don't forget this letter is to the church and therefore is assuming that they know the gospel and love God.Of course, they don't have the parable of the tares yet so they don't realize that even the first century church contained weeds mixed throughout the wheat.
The first people group are those who are perishing. These people may look like, act like and sound like the real deal but in their hearts they are playing church. They don't believe the gospel and have their own ideas on what it means to be saved.
The second group are those who are being saved. These folks don't claim to know everything, there are things about the Bible, God, and even the gospel that are confusing and hard to understand but in their hearts they know the word of God is reliable and the lack of understanding is not a reason to void the truth.
But the interesting thing is Paul says the thing that distinguishes them into these two groups is the word of the cross. Or course you and I call it the gospel today but it is the same thing that Paul is referring to. It is found in verse 18 of chapter one. He says the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. In fact what is being emphatically stated between the lines here is without believing the gospel of the cross it is impossible to be saved. These people search for humanly wisdom which is kind of an oxymoron. They might be wise in their own sight but Paul later says the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest humans claims. In fact the term foolishness here is where we get our word moron from and the word perishing in verse 18 means to destroy.
on the other hand to those who are being saved it is the power of God. Maybe you have heard someone speak of the power of the gospel. It is the most life changing truth you can possibly hear if you are willing to believe. We as humans seek to understand and that's a good thing, but when it comes to the gospel we have entered into the world of spiritual revelation. Without God's Holy Spirit it would be impossible to understand the gospel. Why? Because it is spiritually discerning and contains great wisdom and insight into our creator.
So what is the gospel exactly? The gospel contains what most have called the bad news, good news syndrome. The bad news, you are a sinner, you were born that way and your sin offends a holy and righteous God. And by the way you are helpless to remedy the situation. A just judge requires justice and that is God's demand. We were given the 10 commandments, which Jesus summarized into two, love God, and love others. This served as a guide to reveal that not one of us can keep the commandments and therefore even if we think we are good, the standard shows we fall flat. The good news, which is where we get the term gospel, is that God provided payment for our sins, past present and future. He sent His Son Jesus who willingly went to the cross, having never sinned, fulfilling the law and therefore provided the perfect sacrifice for mankind. Having been crucified on a cross, He was killed, buried and rose from the grave 3 days later. His resurrection was the defining moment that defeated death and for those who believe give us the glorious hope of eternity in heaven.
That being said it does sound pretty sensational and hard to believe, that is why it is called faith. For example you believed the chair you are in would hold you up when you sat down. The faucet had water come out when you turned it on and the computer had power when you plugged it in. All things you probably couldn't explain every detail about,, yet you believe, that is faith.
I will leave it at that and let you wrestle with it for now. your comments and questions are welcomed and my prayer is that all who read this will come to the same conclusion I have.....Jesus is my Lord and savior and I place my faith in Him and abandon my own efforts to be saved. After all it is not foolishness, it is the power of God.
Till next time.
P.M.
