THE JUDGE AND THE JUDGED
1 Corinthians 1
“Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
Modern man often throw out clever questions that seek to undermine the Gospel. How can a loving God allow so much suffering in this world? Is it just to save a murderer just because he pledged loyalty to Jesus and condemn a good man (my kind grandmother, a gentle monk) to hell just because they could not bring themselves to believe that Jesus is indeed God became man? If God would save my dying son I will believe otherwise I cannot bring myself to follow a God who refuses to do this simple act.
The modern church is busy trying to help answer these questions and seeking more and more supernatural power like healing in order to convince people to turn to God. Indeed the modern church is bending over backwards to persuade indifferent man to even listen much less believe.
But Paul insists that it is enough to preach Christ crucified, difficult though it may be to swallow. God does not need to justify himself and man has no grounds to insist otherwise.
The underlying truth, if you think about what Paul is saying, is that our efforts to pander to the demands of our audience undermines the greatness, power and wisdom of God. God is on the throne and man is the one judged. In our eagerness to help people believe and be saved we must not tempt man to think otherwise.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
absolutely!
exactly my view of what the Bible is saying to us.
To me, the message is always believe in your heart that I am God and share the gospel to everyone that you can.
If you chose me over the world, I will bless you, meaning you will have a place in my kingdom when Christ comes again
If you chose otherwise, you will be “judged” meaning that we can be sure that we will be subjected to the judgement of God but the Bible does not inform what kind of judgement or outcome of the judgement will be.
Nevertheless, God has given us a choice and it is up to us to decide whether we want to follow the way of Christ or otherwise.
And the church really has no business to “soften” the message to bring people to Christ.
If Christ was adamant about the message he is bringing to to Jews and Gentiles even though they were not receptive of what he was saying, then what reason will we have to do it when we want to share Christ with people around us…. it is simply not logical in my mind