The Power of the Cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

In this lecture, Don Carson highlights the original scandal of the cross in the ancient world and its power to divide humanity between those perishing and those being saved. Paul’s message emphasizes that true ministry must center on Christ crucified, not human eloquence or cultural status. Carson warns against modern evangelical distractions and urges a return to the transforming power of the gospel.

He teaches the following:

• The shocking implications of the cross and crucifixion in the first century, and how they are different today
• Why people often want to set their own criteria for what God should be like
• God has already passed judgment on the best that the world has to offer through the cross
• The message of the cross is that God's wisdom and power are displayed in the moment of greatest human weakness
• Why being wise, powerful, or well-born cannot be a criterion for being a Christian
• A warning against the idolatries of evangelicalism, such as the love of methods and self-promotion
• How focusing too much on social and political ramifications can lead to a quiet denial of the gospel
• The message of the cross is the only polarity in the human race that is of eternal consequence