Monday, February 13, 2012

The Word of the Cross (1 Cor. 1:18-19)

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. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”
(1 Corinthians 1:18-19, NASB)

We live in an age of instant information. Immediate intelligence. We can Google anything and everything. However, just because we have all this information at our fingertips doesn’t mean that what we access is accurate. Anyone can create his or her own website and write about anything, so we need to be cautious about what we find. It may or may not be truth.

There is one place we can go, however, where we can be assured of truth: the Bible, God’s word to us. From the first verse in Genesis to the final words of Revelation, God inspired men across the years to weave a scarlet thread of salvation.

Everything leads to the gospel message of the cross. Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth to pay the penalty for our sins, and to “us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” It is through the cross that we are reconciled to our Father.

Yet there are many who think the cross is “foolishness.” They don’t believe in the power of God. Rather, they believe in their own abilities, and they create their own gods. They revel in their intelligence that says, “The God of the Bible doesn’t exist.” They think themselves wise and clever.

One day, however, they will stand before the very One they denied. And He will reveal their foolishness. And tragically, He will “set [them] aside.” For eternity.

I believe this world is winding down. I believe Jesus Christ is returning soon. I don’t know the day or the hour, but I do believe it’s soon. Maybe not in my lifetime. Or maybe today.

We who follow Christ should feel an urgency to lovingly share the “word of the cross” with those around us. We need to help them find the wisdom of the truth of the Bible so they too can spend eternity with God—Father, Son, and Spirit.

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