by Mike Bennett

When the apostle Paul first came to Corinth, he preached to the Jews who lived there, but most of them rejected his message that Jesus was the Christ—the promised Messiah (Acts 18:1-6). Paul then told them, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).

There are great challenges in reaching people in the world with God’s message. Paul pointed out that the Jews, who were expecting a conquering king, were tripped up by a Messiah who allowed Himself to be crucified.

The Greeks prided themselves on their systems of philosophy, logic and human reason. To them, the message of Christ coming to die was illogical and foolish. After all, by His own words, He claimed to be the Son of a God.

God’s truth faces similar hurdles today, as Satan sways people to look at the real teaching of the Bible as offensive or illogical. The Bible says people are blinded spiritually (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that it takes God’s intervention—His calling—to open people’s minds to the ultimate reality (John 6:44).

God’s plan is truly logical and satisfying to those who have had the blindness removed.

For more about the calling of God, see “Many Are Called but Few Are Chosen.”