Foolishness to the World

“The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

No one should think that the gospel is foolishness. Those who do not listen or believe it or do not take it seriously are considered fools (1 Corinthians 3:19). The world lives by its own standards and the unbelieving people of the world do what they want and do not obey or listen to what the Bible teaches about Jesus. When Jesus died, the cross of Christ looked like foolishness to the pagan culture because He was rejected by His own people and crucified like any other common criminal by the Roman officials.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul is addressing two different groups of people. The two groups are those who are perishing and those who are being saved. Those who are perishing are destined for eternal separation from God, while those being saved are destined for an eternal sharing in God's glory. To the first group—the perishing—the cross of Christ is folly. Paul is suggesting that to the unsaved world, those who preach the gospel look like idiots. Broadly speaking, ungodly people think believers and their faith are stupid. The people who believe this about Christians are the real fools (1 Corinthians 3:19).

For those who are being saved because of their faith in Christ, the cross is to be viewed as God's most powerful act. Jesus did not lose a fight with the Jewish leaders or with the Roman officials and He was not overpowered or outmatched (John 10:17–18, John 18:6, Matthew 26:53). It was God's plan to sacrifice His Son Jesus for human sin. Jesus gave up His life to cover the sins of those who were perishing. Therefore, those who trust in Christ understand that without that powerful act, we would be lost and without hope.

Prayer of the day:

Dear heavenly Father,

The gospel of Jesus is available to many. But those who refuse to listen to it or laugh at it are the fools. It has the power to save sinners and provides them with hope. The power in it is given to people by God despite non-believers’ belief that it is stupid to believe what it says. When people think it is foolishness, it impacts their lives in a negative way because they will be separated from God forever. Then, they are the ones who become fools and not the other way around. In the name of Jesus, we pray, Amen!