What the Cross Reveals to Us
Saturday’s Verse:
From 1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV
“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.”
Saint Paul doesn’t beat around the bush. The cross doesn’t appear wise or mighty or glorious; it appears weak. Foolish, even. A crucified Messiah runs counter to our desire for power and victory. We want a God who heals instantly and rewards diligence, but the cross reveals a God who suffers, bleeds, and dies.
And that’s what makes it powerful.
Luther referred to this as the theology of the cross. God conceals his power in weakness and his glory in suffering. Salvation is through Christ crucified for sinners; it is not of human tradition or religious accomplishment. The world scoffs at the very place where God is working salvation in us, but rejoice, there you will find him.
This passage crushes us. If the cross is where God displays his power, then our salvation is not something we can earn or achieve. We only receive it by faith. Faith that holds tightly to the foolish, for Christ has said he will work there.
The cross offers comfort in times when we feel weak or foolish. God meets us there, in the suffering, not when we’ve made ourselves enough but when we are still hurting.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, let us not depart from your cross. When we start to rely on our own wisdom or strength redirect our thoughts back to you. Teach us to recognize your powerful work in the places of the world that appear weak. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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