Abiding in Christ Whoever remains in me and I in him, the same bears much fruit (John 15:5). . . . . 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 The Scandal of the Cross of Jesus Christ Modern secular writers have not the foggiest idea of what Christianity and death of Jesus Christ is all about. The modern media have the wisdom of the world as the solution to all our problems. The writers of news magazines, TV news channels, radio and television interviews refuse to accept the word of the cross as the means of saving power of God. The cross of Jesus Christ is a scandal for them. Rationalize it as being too cruel, X rated, anti-Semitic, etc.. Their attitude is to remove the message that Jesus Christ did Jesus the atoning sacrifice of God to deal with the punishment of our guilt. The apostle Paul wrote centuries ago: The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is, to us, is the power of God .... For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. Instead which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power and wisdom of God, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men .... Consider, brethren, your calling and see that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and the weak God chose the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21-25, 27). Paul says: As far as we are concerned, we proclaim Christ crucified, a message that is offensive to Jews and meaningless to non-Jews. The scandal for the Jews The cross of Jesus Christ is a scandal for the modern and sophisticated mind. This is a stumbling block for many who try to explain. The skandalon is what set us or what attracts us to sin. Skandalon The Greek word translated offense, stumbling block, stumble and what was evil. The cross of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago has shot people. For those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ is an obstacle, something established in the path of a man to trip, The ancient Greeks used the word to refer to mobile stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick. It was a trap, a trap, or any obstacle placed in the way to make you trip or fall. Always used metaphorically in the New Testament anything that sparks prejudice, or would impede others, or cause to fall. The figure applies to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose person and career were so contrary to the expectations of his contemporaries on the Jewish Messiah who encountered him. The Jew believes that it is good for a person who ended his life on the cross could be the Messiah Anointed of Yahweh. Turn to Deuteronomy 21:23, He that is hanged is accursed of God. But thats the whole point, Jesus Christ became a curse from God for our sins. The idea of a suffering Messiah as the Suffering Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53 was a scandal to them. The apostle Paul said that they were looking for signs to show that a political Messiah had come to liberate the Jews from their bondage to the Roman authorities. However, the true Messiah came as a meek and humble servant of Yahweh. For the Jewish people was a crime, and to date a stone of stumbling. The crowd once again face the scandal of the cross. The preaching of the cross is still a stumbling block and foolishness to many people. However, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (1 Corinthians 1:21). We preach Christ crucified (v. 23). If you have been saved, it is only because you have chosen to believe in the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. There is no other way to be saved. The cross of Jesus Christ is still an obstacle for anyone who wishes to be saved otherwise. The Judaizers in the early church in Galatia had accepted the cross with circumcision, but not the cross in place of circumcision. As for myself, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then she would have taken the scandal of the cross (Galatians 5:11, NIV 1995). Is there anything you want to add to the cross of Jesus Christ to be saved? Baptism by immersion or sprinkling, church membership, good works, faithful church attendance, etc.., Will not save you. And will not save you if you think thats going to add something to the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. A crucified Messiah was a stumbling block for the Jewish people (Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:8, 1 Corinthians 1:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah was an offense even though they agree with the divine plan (Isaiah 53, Acts 2:23-24). The craze for pseudo-intellectuals The Greek gods were of little discretion to the feelings of humans. They could not identify with the suffering of mankind. His philosophy teaches that God was totally incapable of feeling and any idea of God is involved in human affairs is an insult to God. They had no idea of God entering into the affairs of men. They could never accept the idea of the apostle John about the incarnation of Jesus Christ. As in Athens Greeks were willing to listen to the charismatic intellectual minds and sharp tongues and impressive rhetoric. They were in the past philosophies and debates. The talk shows have been theirs. Can you imagine the Apostle Paul as appeared to them with honest, open and genuine communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? This is only the Gospel in clashes with the modern mind. God is holy and can not tolerate sin. It is repulsive to his holiness. Anger is his reaction to sin. The wages of sin is death. He demands the penalty of the law violated this satisfied. In love just the same provided that the payment of your law required. Atonement is not placating a pagan pagan god. He is a God of love providing a perfect sacrifice for the guilt of the sinner who turns away his wrath against the sinner. The Son of God provides the same sacrifice that is required. This is totally contrary to the thinking of the Greek sophisticated. The cross is a scandal and an offense to the ancient and modern world system. HUMAN WISDOM IS HELPLESS Human wisdom is not enough to bring anyone to God (1 Cor. 1:21). The New Age movement are excellent examples of humanistic philosophies. The Lord God commanded that the good news of Jesus Christ is the means to a saving knowledge of God. God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching the gospel to save them that believe. Human wisdom could never discover the method of salvation, nor the fulfillment of receipt. Lost Sinners are not saved because they are wiser, or may differ somewhat, but simply because God chose and called him by his Spirit (vv. 26-30). The purpose of God to save sinners is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ so that He receives all the glory (v. 31). If you have something to boast in the Lord. The wisdom that comes from God leads to salvation. The sermons should always be centered in the wisdom of God. It is scriptural for baptism or other religious rite essential to salvation. The fastest way to make the gospel is powerless and ineffective mixing and confused with legalism and humanism. The good news is powerless when men try to make a philosophy of religion out of it. Human words not glorify the cross of Jesus Christ. Humanism mixed with Christianity makes the gospel of salvation and lose its divine element becomes nothing more than human wisdom devoid of the saving grace of God. Anything that you mix with the gospel of the cross darkens and deprives the gospel of your salvation. The cross has no meaning to the pagan rational mind. It is foolishness to him (1 Cor 1:20;. 2:6, 1:26, 3:18). The wisdom of the world has no idea of the eternal truths.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 10:33:09 +0000