Why The Gospel Of Jesus Makes No Sense

The Gospel makes no sense from a human point of view, but from God's point of view, it comes together.

“God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27. NIV.

WHO ARE THE WISE?
The "wise" in this verse are the worldly-wise who define salvation based on human insights and with elaborate religious philosophies. They seek a kind of salvation they can boast about, such a salvation needs to be easy to explain, pretty and poetic.

But we cannot resist the wisdom of God. God is always right: he is the Supreme Lord and Ruler so He has the power to choose as He will. With purpose, God chose the "foolish" things to "shame the wise."

WHO ARE THE FOOLISH?
One of those "foolish" things is the Gospel of Jesus.

     * We want salvation by our own efforts- God gives it freely.
     * We ignore sin- God pays for our sin Himself on the cross.
     * We want to come to God through steps of discipline- God came to us, born in a manger.
     * We want exclusive revelation- God gives the Spirit to all who come.
     * We want to show off our spirituality- God wants to show Jesus in us.
      * We hide our sins- God wants us to confess our sins.
     * We want to earn forgiveness -God wants to give it freely through Jesus’ death.
     * We want to merit God's love- but God says we love him because He first loved us.

WHAT IS THE WISDOM OF GOD?
If the gospel were easy to understand, it would be only the result of human thought, but since it comes from the infinite God, it is above our understanding—since God is.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Do not reject the things of God because they sound "foolish." The Gospel says salvation is by trusting God’s promise that He will credit the death of Jesus on your behalf as payment for your sins and give you eternal life- this sounds foolish to many. Still, the "foolishness" of the gospel makes it available to everybody, not just the "wise" few. God asks us to accept salvation as a gift; it is not foolish to do so but wisdom for those who have.

To learn more about the gospel see my other blog.

(c) Adron 5/10/14

To Vainly Receive God's Grace, 2 Corinthians 6:2

We all admit that we have received blessings from God, and it is good to remember our blessings. What should be our response to His many blessings?

“As God’s fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”

2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV

God will not force Himself upon us but offers us a choice. He gives us understanding, blessings, and light to equip us to receive His "grace." The ultimate grace is the sacrifice of his Son on the cross for me as payment for my sins. God offers this grace of eternal salvation, but we must intentionally receive this grace by faith.

God also shows His "grace" in that he allows us to live each day and draw breath moment by moment. God's many graces to us include blessings of freedom and health, family, sustenance, and more than we could count. You think our response would be gratitude and devotion.

No one can force us to do right by God, but the Apostle "urges" us to not let God's grace in our lives be in "vain." Vain could mean something that has no substance or that is pointless. It is an insult to God’s mercy and grace that we take all these blessings and squander them on our own agenda, whims, and pleasures. We casually take from God and give little or nothing back and even demand more. If we behaved this way in society, we would be charged with embezzlement or larceny.

God’s blessings of Grace are to enable us to be His "fellow workers," what an honor! The angels are never called God’s fellow workers, but sinful man redeemed by the blood of Jesus is brought into a true partnership with God. Yet we who are made in His own image and redeemed by the sacrifice of His Son just go our own way and ignore the awesome privilege of serving His Kingdom.

Since God has given so much to me, does He do wrong to ask a response? If God has given me blessings and I squander them, then I am spending God's grace in vain. If I am saved and live only for myself, I am living in vain. If God has given me a calling and I fail to respond, I am living in vain.

I pray that I do not respond to God’s grace with a cavalier attitude but reverently choose to follow the light he has given me. May I never receive God's blessings in vain, but instead, use them to serve as one of His "fellow workers."

(c) Adron 3/24/10