Do people in church know why Jesus was crucified, or only that he was?
Many people in church know only that Jesus was crucified, not why. They may mentally accept that Jesus of the Bible was crucified and raised, but they do not grasp that when He died, He died for them. That personal realization—that He died for me—makes all the difference.
Les explains that a lady told him she had been in church all her life but never knew why Christ died until she came to his class. He says she is not alone, because millions sitting in the pews have only a mental comprehension that Jesus of the Bible was crucified and raised from the dead, but they really do not know why. They have no affinity to the fact that when He died, He died for them. When she suddenly realized that He died for her, Les says that made all the difference. This is the preaching of the cross, which the world considers foolishness: many people were crucified by the Romans, but it was a singular individual whose crucifixion made a difference and has impacted the world ever since. Most people do not want to touch the preaching of the cross; they would rather help people with their problems or family life.