When Christians Misunderstand the Message of the Gospel, Part 2...

This week, we have been looking at the timeless truth that Christians act unchristian when we misunderstand the message of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, the Apostle Paul reveals for us three results that occur when Christians act unchristian by misunderstanding the message of the gospel. Monday, we looked at the reality that when we misunderstand the message of the gospel, the result is a denial of its power.

A little further in the same letter, Paul reveals a second result that occurs when we misunderstand the message of the gospel, which is that misunderstanding the message of the gospel results in opposition. We see Paul reveal this result for us in 1 Corinthians 1:22-25:

For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

In these verses, Paul describes two different types of people who misunderstand the message of the gospel and as a result oppose its message. The first type of person Paul refers to as Jews. Paul here is referring to religious people. The second type of person Paul refers to as Greeks. These are the irreligious people. And today, just as in Paul’s day, there are two types of people in the world that oppose the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel. There are religious people who demand miraculous signs of power to confirm God’s existence and activity; and there are irreligious people that demand wisdom and understanding in order to confirm God’s existence and activity.

Yet religious people’s desire for power and irreligious people’s desire for wisdom and understanding actually become idols that are worshipped instead of God. Religious people would rather worship their rules, the power that comes from their religion and even the miraculous than God. Irreligious people, on the other hand, desire to worship what they know about the world and how it works rather than the Creator of the world.

You see, prior to becoming a follower of Jesus, people are either religious or irreligious; people either worship the rules and power that come from religion or they worship what they know and understand about the world. Paul’s point here is that for those who were religious or irreligious, but now have been invited by God to receive forgiveness of sin and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for, the message of the gospel is the revelation of the wisdom and the power of God.

Paul then uses a comparison the reveal the reality that what religious and irreligious people view as weakness and foolishness is actually stronger than the best that the world has to offer in terms of wisdom and power. The message of the gospel is able to overcome the opposition of religious and irreligious people through the wisdom and power of God.

So, do you believe that the message of the gospel is able to overcome the opposition of religious and irreligious people. Or are you a Christian who acts unchristian by minimizing the message of the gospel's ability to overcome the opposition of religious or irreligious people?