Daily Lesson for Tuesday 7th of July 2026

The message of 1 Corinthians 1:18 is too clear for one to miss the point. What the Cross means depends on the way one looks at it. It is foolishness for those in rebellion against God, but it is power for those who long for His salvation.

As we have already seen, in preaching the gospel, one must avoid “words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Corinthians 1:17, ESV). In light of 1 Corinthians 1:17, it becomes easier to understand why the opposite of foolishness is the power of God and not human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18). The Cross, which is so contrary to human wisdom, reveals just how foolish human wisdom really is.

Image © Sherry Boettcher at Goodsalt.com

The Greek text of 1 Corinthians 1:18 suggests that “those who are perishing” (NKJV) are receiving the result of their actions. The text can read like this: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are destroying themselves.” The Greek verb apollymi (“to perish”) can also mean “to destroy” (John 10:10). In fact, apollymi is translated as “destroy” in 1 Corinthians 1:19.

What is happening here? Paul provides a biblical foundation for this statement in verse 18, about these people perishing, by quoting in verse 19 God’s words in Isaiah 29:14. In verse 19, God is the one behind the destruction, which seems to contradict the self-destroying pride mentioned right before. However, there is no contradiction. The idea is that God will destroy that which already is destroying itself.

In contrast to those being destroyed, the phrase “to us who are being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NKJV) indicates that salvation comes only from God. Paul is saying that we are being saved; that is, we are not saving ourselves. We, of course, can’t. Our salvation has an external source. While destruction is self-caused, salvation can only be granted, a gift of grace to sinners. As is clear in 1 Corinthians 1:21, it is God who saves those who believe. Foolishness, in this sense, is the act of rejecting what God has offered humanity through the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30), thus bringing destruction upon oneself.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-02-power-to-those-who-are-being-saved/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-02-power-to-those-who-are-being-saved

Daily Lesson for Monday 6th of July 2026

In contrasting human foolishness to divine wisdom, Paul states that the “message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NKJV). This is the first of six references to foolishness or foolish in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.

Read 1 Corinthians 1:20-21,23,25, and 27. How do these references to foolishness help us understand what Paul meant when saying that the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing?

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

The Greek word for “foolishness” in 1 Corinthians 1:18 is mōria. This word occurs only five times in the New Testament, and all in 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:18,21,23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 3:19). Apart from mōria, other words from the same family occur numerous times in the New Testament.

The reference to foolishness in 1 Corinthians 1:18,23 is not denigrating the Corinthians’ intellectual capacity but directing attention to their unwillingness to consider the truth of the gospel. As a result, Paul also had to confront immoral behavior and thought, lack of discernment, and even rebellion against God.

Think about Paul’s situation in this city. He comes to a place that prides itself on its own so-called knowledge and wisdom and cultural sophistication. And, in this context, he talks about a Galilean Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified by the Romans and then raised from the dead—all in order to pay for not only their sins but for the sins of the world. Can this guy be serious? Who was he kidding? This wasn’t some deep new philosophical concept, either, that could be parsed and analyzed by philosophical tools; it seemed to be lunacy, nonsense, nothing that any smart and educated Corinthian could take seriously.

And, as foolish as Paul’s message sounded to the pagans, for many of the Jews, the message of the Cross sounded worse. What Jew was expecting a Messiah to be executed by Rome? The Messiah was supposed to overthrow the Romans, not be crucified by them.

Thus, from the start, Paul had a lot going against him in Corinth. And yet, despite all this, souls—Jewish and Gentile—were won to the gospel.

The message here?

Whatever opposition we face, God has people who are open to hearing the truth. We must be ready to be used by Him to reach these people wherever they are, even in places today that are as bad as, or even worse than, Corinth was.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-02-foolishness-to-those-who-are-perishing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-02-foolishness-to-those-who-are-perishing

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class on July 11.

Key Text: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV).

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 1:17-27.

Study: What was the main focus and goal of Paul’s ministry? How does this passage help us gauge the success of our ministries?

Apply: What role does the cross play in your everyday decision-making? How often and when do you think about the cross throughout the day?

Share: While sharing Jesus with others, in what ways can elaborate discourses obscure the message of the Cross? Why did the proclamation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified produce more fruit in Corinth than logic, science, and philosophy did in Athens? Might there, however, be times that logic, philosophy, and science could be helpful in proclaiming the gospel?

Read in Class: Colossians 1:20 and 1 Peter 2:24.

Study: What did Jesus accomplish for us on the cross?

Apply: How has Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross helped you live for what is right, and how have His stripes healed you?

Share: Your friend asks if unfallen angels needed to be reconciled by the cross? If so, why? What do you tell your friend? For a hint, see Why Did Heaven Need to be Reconciled?

Read in Class: Acts 13:26,38, 47.

Study: What does this passage teach us about the meaning of the Cross?

Apply: A crucified Messiah was something completely unexpected by the Jews and the Greeks. What does this tell us about the fact that God does not always act the way we expect? Why is this an important concept to grasp, especially when things don’t go as we have expected?

Share: Your friend asks you if Gentiles and unbelievers have already benefited from the cross, and if so, how? What do you tell your friend? For a hint, see He Grew the Tree That He Knew Would be Used to Make the Old Rugged Cross.

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 1:24-29.

Study: Notice the words there, such as “foolishness,” “weak,” “power,” and “wise.” What point is he making?

Apply: Dwell on the words “that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Cor. 1:26, NKJV). What message is there for us?

Share: Your friend asks how the foolishness of God is wiser than men. What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Can you find someone to present the Gospel to this week?

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-the-message-of-the-cross-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2-the-message-of-the-cross-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan