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“We preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23).
“I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Why did the Apostle Paul lay such emphasis on the fact that Christ was crucified? Yes, it is true that while He was on the cross, the Lord Jesus bore our sins and settled the matter of sin once and for all. But here the meaning goes deeper than this, for the Corinthians were a proud people who did not want to be despised and rejected in this world. They wanted to be saved, but they wanted to be respected and to have a place in this world.
Paul has to remind them that the Lord Jesus died on a cross—a shameful and disgraceful way to die. The world did not want the Lord Jesus, and it does not want us either, if we follow Him. For this reason, when Paul preached to those in Corinth, he did not use any of the natural advantages he possessed. Paul had had a good education and spoke several languages, but all his efforts in Corinth were to show them that they must give up their worldliness and pride. They must be ready to follow One who had been cast out of this world in a dishonorable way, and who was treated as a common criminal.
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