‘The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.’ 1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV
God dying on the cross for our sins sounds like ‘foolishness’ to some people. Their philosophy is: ‘If I cannot understand it, I won’t accept it.’ That’s where they get it wrong. They want to understand a mystery. But salvation comes through faith alone—so that even tiny children, who lack understanding, can have it. ‘Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’ (Matthew 18:3 NIV) Simple, childlike faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross is all that’s required.
There’s a story about a student who scored zero on a test. Upset, he said, ‘I don’t deserve this grade.’ The professor nodded and said, ‘I agree, but zero is the lowest grade I can give.’
That’s how God feels about our wisdom. ‘The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.’ (1 Corinthians 3:19 NKJV) One day a man stood on the roof of his house during a flood, and prayed, ‘God, please save me.’ Soon a rowboat came by and offered to take him to safety. But he said, ‘No, God will take care of me.’ The waters kept coming up until they were almost at his waist. Suddenly a helicopter appeared overhead and a rope ladder was lowered down. ‘Oh no, God will take care of me.’ Soon after that the man drowned. When he stood before God, he said, ‘Why didn’t you save me?’
God responded, ‘I sent you a rowboat and a helicopter. What else did you want?’
At the cross, God did everything required to save you. All you have to do is trust in Christ and receive the gift of eternal life.
SoulFood: Gen 22:1–18, Matt 27:45–56, Ps 22, Isa 53
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
