July 2

Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, — 1 Cor 1:22-23 BSB

The mystery of the cross can only be understood by faith. To the Jews, it was a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, it seemed foolish. But to those who are called—whether Jews or Greeks—it is the power and wisdom of God. When we believe that the Son of God took on our flesh and blood out of love and compassion for us, and that there was no other way, not even one heaven could conceive, for sinners to be saved except by the cross, then the mystery becomes a beacon of indescribable glory. The shame and humiliation, what the Apostle called the “weakness” and “foolishness” of the cross, fade away, overwhelmed by an ocean of surpassing grace. Faith sees the cross as a magnificent plan, conceived by God and carried out by the Son of God.

When seen this way, how glorious it is that by suffering in our place and bearing the full weight of our sin, Jesus rescues us from the depths of hell and raises us to the heights of heaven. How wise is the plan that united God and humanity by making Jesus both God and man, enabling weak and lowly beings like us to rise above the skies and live forever in the presence of the One who is a consuming fire. How glorious the plan that reconciled enemies to the Father, summoning them, when their earthly lives end, to step into eternal joy, where they will see face to face the great and glorious I AM, forever wrapped in the radiance of God and embraced by the Triune God.

This blessed hope—the reward of Christ’s suffering, death, and shed blood—lifts our view beyond the depth of our fall and the misery of sin we experience in this world. It is this vision of the glory yet to come that helps us see the wisdom and mercy in God’s plan, even when he allowed the fall of Adam to happen. Through this, the glory of God breaks forth, shining in the radiance of Christ’s atoning blood and sacrificial love, securing the joy of salvation for sinful humanity and bringing eternal praise to God.