1 Corinthians 1:18-25 For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came unto you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Apostle Paul says that preaching the gospel to a significant number of people is a foolishness. These are the people, who are - according to the Scriptures - heading unevitably into damnation. The "word of the cross" is really a foolishness for them, it is unacceptable for them (1Cor 1:18). But it is not a foolishness because it says that God is the Creator of everything visible and invisible, but the fact that Jesus Christ died for their sins and that accepting this fact followed by repentance is the only way to salvation. They are too proud to let God talk to their lives.
But many people think of God only as of an aid in their own lives. Other people don't believe that they need to give God the supreme power over their lives, let Him change them, knowing that at the end of the time, He is going to judge their every single act. The only correct attitude is to respect the God's greatness and automatically accept everything what He says to us.
It is fundamentally important, how people accept the message of the cross and what exactly they accept. Many people believe that God exists, that He is the Creator, but they don't believe in salvation and in the way to reach it. They still call themselves Christians. That is why Apostle Paul stresses out that his testimony about God is primarily a testimony about Jesus, about His sacrifice and about the salvation, which we are therefore capable of reaching (1Cor 2:1-5). Those, who don't believe this, those in fact don't believe any revelation of the God's Word. The Bible in their hands is only an interesting book, and even though they're calling themselves Christians, they are not Christians.
Only the people, who accept the message of the gospel in its fullness can become the delegates of the God's Kingdom on the Earth, as Bible describes it. And to bear the message of the gospel, not as a mere message or information, but as a real message from God. It has to be obvious, that they are well aware of who they represent and why, and that the message has a significant value for them.
