By Paul Chappell
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 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; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:21-24).
MANY people in the world today believe that there are many ways to get to God. They are looking for philosophies or religious practices that appeal to their intellect or their senses. They are searching for dramatic signs that will give them a new perspective. But there is only one means of salvation. Jesus said, “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:8-9). We have no other message to give to people. Jesus is the only way of salvation and our only hope of Heaven. He must be at the very center of everything that we do and say and share with others.
Not everyone will receive the gospel message, but that does not mean the message needs to be changed or updated. We do not need to know who will respond or how they will respond; we simply need to deliver the good news. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins is the only message that can transform lives. All human efforts at reformation and renewal come up short, because those who attempt them are bound by the sinful nature all people have since the fall. Only a perfect Savior could die as a sacrifice to make atonement for sin. Why Jesus came and what He accomplished is the message we have been commanded and commissioned to take to the world.
