This verse draws a clear line through the human race. It divides all people into two groups: those who are perishing and those who are saved. There isn’t a middle category. The message of the Cross — that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified to take away sin — is dismissed by many as foolish or outdated. But for those who believe it, that same message becomes the very power of God that changes everything.
The writer, Paul, once despised the name of Jesus. He was deeply religious, proud of his good works, and convinced that he could earn God’s approval. But when he encountered the risen Christ, everything changed. He understood for the first time that no amount of effort could erase sin. Only the death of a sinless Substitute could do that. At the Cross, God placed our guilt on His Son. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). What looked like weakness and defeat was actually the greatest display of divine strength the world has ever seen.
The Cross doesn’t fit human logic. People admire power, success, and wisdom — yet God revealed His power in a crucified Savior. The world says, “Surely there must be another way,” but Scripture is clear: “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). The Cross is God’s answer to the problem of sin. It shows that sin is serious, but also shows the extent of the love of God for us. Jesus finished the work when He cried, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Through that finished work, forgiveness and peace with God are offered freely to everyone who believes.
To some, the Cross remains an offense or a mystery. But to those who have experienced its power, it is everything. It turns guilt into peace, darkness into light, and death into life. The Cross is not simply a symbol of suffering; it is the meeting place of divine love and justice. As Paul would later write, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).