“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” — 1 Corinthians 1:18
When the Bible says the gospel seems like foolishness, it does not mean the gospel is foolish. It means that people who are far from God often cannot understand why the cross matters so much.
The preaching of the cross is not mainly about the troubles a Christian may have to carry in life. It is about the cross of Christ. It is the message that Jesus died for our sins, shed His blood to bring us peace with God, and offered Himself as the sacrifice we could never provide for ourselves.
To the natural mind, that can sound strange. People often want religion to be about what they can do, how smart they are, how good they look, or how much they can achieve. But the gospel says we are sinners who need mercy. It says we cannot save ourselves. It says salvation comes through a Savior who was crucified, not through human pride, power, or popularity.
That is why many people reject it. The world looks at the cross and sees weakness, shame, and failure. But God looks at the cross and shows His wisdom, love, justice, and power. What seemed weak was actually the way God defeated sin. What seemed shameful became the place where forgiveness was made possible.
Those who are perishing see no beauty in the gospel because their hearts are blinded by sin, pride, and unbelief. They may think the message is too simple, too old-fashioned, too offensive, or too hard to accept. But their rejection does not change the truth. A blind person may not see the color of the sky, but that does not mean the sky has no color.
But to those who are being saved, the gospel is the power of God. It opens blind eyes. It softens hard hearts. It brings dead souls to life. It turns enemies of God into friends of God. It gives forgiveness to the guilty, peace to the troubled, hope to the broken, and strength to the weak.
The gospel may not impress the world, but it saves the soul. It may not sound fashionable, but it is faithful. It may be mocked by the proud, but it is treasured by those who have felt its power in their own hearts.
So when people call the message of the cross foolish, remember this: God often works in ways that human wisdom does not understand. The cross looked like defeat, but it was victory. It looked like weakness, but it was power. It looked like the end, but it became the beginning of eternal life for all who believe in Jesus Christ.
Minister A Francine Green I July 2026