1 Corinthians 1:18, For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Few believe in Jesus Christ because the Christian God is absurd. Think about it: that God would become a man, be born of a virgin, die in your place, suffer God’s wrath in your place, suffer Hell in your place, then rise from the dead? Why would God go through all that trouble? Why would He suffer such humiliation? Many troubled consciences ask, “What kind of God would permit suffering?” To which I reply, “What kind of God would die for you, even death on a cross?”
They would probably say, “A foolish god. No god would willingly give up his life for mankind. Look at how messed up we are. Who would die for that?” That’s exactly the point. The God-man Jesus did die for that. It sounds ludicrous, absurd, foolish, stupid, bonkers! Yet God, in His wisdom, chose to humiliate Himself in such a way for you and me. His death has power, for in His death He paid the price for our just punishment.
There was no other way for God to act than to humiliate Himself, for it is the opposite of pride. In pride, we rebelled against God and caused the corruption of all creation. In pride, we say we don’t need God and thus create our own gods to suit our own needs. In pride, we redefine sin, approving and enabling the sins of others. Pride meets its end in Jesus Christ, who did not live, suffer, die, and rise in pride. He lived a humble life, He humbly underwent suffering, He humbly died on the cross for you, and He humbly rose from the dead for you. Pride calls this an absurdity, but for we who believe, it is the power of God to save.
The Lutheran Column 