Too often we place ourselves in the center of our faith. We depend on our own wisdom, pride and effort. Jesus teaches us to move aside. For man-centered religion ends up rejecting God and crucifying His Son.
None of the rulers of this age understood [God’s wisdom], for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).
Paul was ‘religious,’ yet destroyed many lives. Now he moves aside, and points to Jesus Christ as the central Person. Surrounding Jesus is the message called the “Gospel” or Good News.
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).
[I remind you of the Gospel]… by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:2-4).