4-13-06 1 Corinthians 11:8

1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJ21)
For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NAS)
the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIVUS)
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.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLT)
I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.

Good Friday seems like an oxymoron. It is the day when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain for the atonement and remission of your sins. How could this act of capital punishment be considered good? Why was this man's death any different than any other criminal that was hung on a cross?

If you preach about the cross of Christ to unbelievers, those who are totally against God and His ways, they think you silly and foolish. It is absurd to them, for they have no faith. They do not realize that they are on the road to destruction, punishment, and death. Though they think you are dull and stupid, they actually are the block-headed fools. They refuse to give heed to your reasoning and doctrine that originates in the Divine.

You, however, should not let their dim minds and dark thought influence you. You have discovered salvation and deliverance through that "foolish" Cross. You know you have been healed and made whole. The cross is your protection and life preserver. Through it, you have experienced the miracle working power of the Almighty. It has given your life meaning and abundance. You know that it is the strength and life of Adonai that always sustains you. Through the cross and the subsequent resurrection of the Son of God, you have eternal hope