Most of us have seen this scripture segment used as an e cause to offend or insult unbelievers. Bringing people to Jesus is pushed aside in favor of berating people about Christ. As those who have been around the church block a few times know, those who care about unbelievers have mountain of hurt to climb over with folks who have been guilty of this misappropriation of scripture.
Every Autumn, street preachers show up on college campuses and cause spiritual walls to go up as they shout, insult, and misquote the Bible. They don’t care. Bringing others to Christ is pushed aside in favor of warning people about hell.
The verse in question was in a letter written to the church at Corinth, which had a solid population of Jews, Greeks, and Romans. People whose religious views were so different to the gospel that it was hard-like a rock-to understand and accept. Jews believed in signs in prophecy. Greeks held wisdom above other elements. Explaining the gospel in a way they would understand was difficult.
The message was a block that had to be understood do they would be able to accept it instead of stumble over it. The superstitious Jews and educated Greeks needed help to understand due to their religions.
This scripture in context with the rest of the writings of Paul urges patience in explaining Jesus to others, it doesn’t mean to go on the attack regardless of the results. The shotgun approach keeps people from Christ. That is the opposite of our burden.
