The Wisdom of Foolishness
We preach Christ crucified, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25)
If you study religions, you will find that almost every religion (except some forms of Christianity) has a works righteous base. They tell their followers that they must do something to earn whatever the top tier of spiritual bliss is. There are rules that must be followed and rituals that must be performed. And in pretty much every case, the individual follower is left with one of two attitudes. They either question that they have done enough to please the god and reach spiritual bliss; or they become conceited, looking down on others who have not been able to do all that they have done. And it all stems from an inherent knowledge of the law.
True Christianity on the other hand, sees that this does not work because God tells us that it does not save us. Instead, he shows us the only way to spiritual, physical, and eternal bliss - through the cross of Christ. And the whole story of God become flesh and died for sinners such as us confounds those who want to rationalize their salvation according to the law written on their heart. It is foolishness to think that a god, let alone THE God who created all things and rules all things, would stoop so low as to die on a cross for those who are his enemy. And yet that is exactly what God did. He came as the son of Mary and suffered and died the death we deserve. He gave us assurance that our salvation is complete through his resurrection. And all this he did, because he knew that we could never do enough to atone for our sins. We could never earn our way to heaven. While it may not makes sense to our human understanding, it is the only way, according to God. It is how he chose to bring us into his heavenly bliss. Amen.
The song for today is “We Preach Christ Crucified” by Dale Witte, from Northwestern Publishing House.