THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

Devotion 25 of 27

MIRACLES, WISDOM, AND PREACHING

"For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Cor 1:22-23).

The Jews had a heritage of great miracles. They were delivered from Egypt in an environment of unprecedented signs and wonders. They miraculously crossed the Red Sea, drank water from a rock, and were fed bread from heaven. However, these people did not see these things as discretionary on God's part. Therefore, they "demanded" a sign, exalting confirmation above proclamation. This demand confirmed their reliance upon the flesh through their senses.

The Greeks were not so crude as to demand a sign. Their fleshly senses would not be their god! Instead, they revered wisdom--worldly wisdom. Like the Jews, they supposed the world to be the preeminent place, and man to be the primary personality. Before they would receive something as authentic, it had to pass the test of their wisdom. If their wisdom could not grasp it, they would reject it. It is challenging to consider how the philosophies of the Jews and Greeks have permeated Christendom. From the hyper-charismatic to the stoic scholar, the Gospel is still held in practical contempt.

The Apostle made no attempt to satisfy the Jewish thirst for signs, or the Greek's demand for earthly wisdom. Whatever you may think about him becoming all things to all men (1 Cor 9:22), he did not tamper with the Gospel, or place it within reach of those riveted to this world. He proclaimed Christ--Who He is, and what He has accomplished! He may not have looked wise by doing so, but he did it anyway. The Jews may have remonstrated, saying that a valid message would be accompanied by signs, but he preached Christ! Signs did not change the Jews, and wisdom did not change the Greeks. The preaching of the cross, however, changed both Jew and Gentile, welding them into "one new man" (Eph 2:15). Hear Paul's own confession. "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Cor 2:23).

Paul did not seem overly concerned about religious bigots stumbling, or the chiding of prideful Greeks. It is not that he was indifferent to their condition. He knew the power required to turn them from their delusions was not in working signs, or employing the wisdom of this world and high sounding rhetoric. The power is in the Gospel, and that is what he preached.

Those that are being saved, whether Jew or Greek, are themselves proof that Christ is both "the power and wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1:24). This does not contradict the affirmation that the Gospel is God's power to salvation (Rom 1:16). Because the Gospel focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is invested with the power required to save us. The news of the Gospel is so "good" that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit go with it. Wherever it is preached with insight and conviction, Their presence and influence will be found.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You through Jesus Christ for NOT catering to the thirst for signs, or the appetite for worldly wisdom. Instead, You have chosen to stoop to take hold on the poor in spirit. I praise You for this.

-- Tomorrow: THEREIN IS REVEALED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD --