Where is the power for people to be saved? Is it in personal performance, keeping the law, doing good, going to church?

We Christians know that we were saved not by our own effort but by faith in Jesus who died to pay for our sins and rose again. We know that through the cross, and nowhere else, we find forgiveness and the certainty of eternal life.

It was when we heard this message of the cross and believed it that we were saved and received the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance -- Eph 1:13,14. God says through Paul that the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe -- Rom 1:16. That the message of the cross is the power of God for all who are saved -- 1Cor 1:18.

Paul knew what the people of his day wanted. The Jews wanted to see a miraculous sign while the Greeks wanted intellectually stimulating ideas. He knew that the idea of Christ crucified was a major obstacle for the Jews and to the Greeks it was nothing but foolishness as it is to Westerners today.

Paul's confidence was not in his own wisdom and ability to manipulate people. Paul knew that clever human reasoning could empty the cross of its power -- 1Cor 1:17. His confidence was in the Gospel alone to save. He did not pander to what the people wanted. He preached Christ and him crucified!

Today we are often told that people don't want to listen to the gospel preached. (But when did they ever want to hear the gospel preached?! The understanding that people will reject the gospel as mere foolishness is biblical -- 1Cor 1:18.)

We are often told that the real power to reach people is in our changed lives. That we are different and when the world sees how wonderful we are they will want what we have. This is not true, effective or biblical. It asks us to put our faith in ourselves and in our own lives. It is deceptive. It hinders the gospel from being preached by putting the emphasis on our changed lives instead of preaching Christ crucified. That is not God's will.

The power for salvation is not in the messenger but in the message. If we don't believe this we will not preach the gospel for fear people will not accept us.

God has said that he will save through the foolishness of what is preached -- 1Cor 1:21. Jesus commands us all to go and preach the gospel to everyone.

God's confidence for reaching the lost is only in the preaching of the cross. Where is your confidence?