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Though the cross and the tomb are mind-boggling, the good news did not begin or end in those places. The gospel is eternal. The good news of Christ is the best news ever heard because He has no beginning or end. The gospel will never cease to be, which is one reason the gospel is so profound. In the wisdom of the Father, He chose to execute (Isaiah 53:10) the Good News and bring Him out of the grave three days later—a profound undertaking from our Creator.
Though I have learned a few things about how to practicalize Him in my life, I have yet been able to touch the hem of the gospel’s garment when I think about all that He is. The gospel is like a multifaceted diamond. Each turn of the rock reveals a previously hidden facet that unfolds new mysteries designed to stun the Christian while transforming both the internal and external life.
Here is a peek at one of those stunning facets. When Paul talked about the “cross aspect” of the gospel, he said God’s weakness and foolishness are more potent and wiser than people (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). That is a remarkable statement.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).
People at their strongest and wisest tap out long before the weakness and foolishness of God begins. If the weakness and foolishness of God were at the lowest tier for His wisdom and power, our strength and wisdom still do not reach the same orbit of where His begins. It’s like comparing the wisdom and strength of a grasshopper to us.
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40:21-23).
A Gospel-Centered Life Project: With every mention of the word “gospel” in this article, there is a “how to connect the gospel to [fill in the blank]” article. Connecting the gospel to everyday life is harder than explaining what it is. What if you took each of those seventeen embedded articles and did a life project? You would spend many weeks learning how to apply the gospel to more than a dozen vital areas of your life. Will you take my gospel challenge?
If God, in His weaknesses and foolishness, is stronger than the absolute peak of human strength and wisdom, try to imagine how profound the power of the gospel is over your weakness and understanding.
Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.
In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).