2022 Lent Devotional – Day 15

The Power of the Cross

Galatians 6:14 – But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

In 1 Corinthians 10-17, Apostle Paul addresses the divisions within the Corinthian church. The believers were divided into four factions, each following its own leader. Then, in 1:18-31, Paul says that salvation is in Christ, not human wisdom. He believes that the divisions will be healed if the Corinthian church realizes how different God’s wisdom is from human wisdom.

For the message of the gallows is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Sounds weird, right? This is how the first-century people felt about Paul’s message on the cross.

During Paul’s time, crucifixion was considered to be such a terrible form of execution that people hesitated to even mention it. Today, we wear crosses around our necks and use them as decorative pieces in our churches and homes. But originally, the cross was a symbol of death, torture, and shame. That’s why many people rejected the message of the cross and dismissed it as “foolishness.” But the cross of Christ is the focal point of the gospel. Without the cross, there is no salvation. We don’t depend on our good works but on the finished work of Christ on the cross. It is the power of God to those who are being saved.

Prayer: Dear Father, help me to always cling to the cross by depending on what Christ has done for me.

Rev. Dr. David Mende