How is the preaching of "Christ crucified" a stumbling block and foolishness to some?

Beloved of God, see "Christ crucified" as the stumbling block that causes many to stumble as it is written in 1 Corinthians 1:

22 "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Notice "Christ crucified" is what Christianity is all about? To understand how this could be a stumbling block and foolishness to even churchgoers, one needs to understand why Christ was crucified and the effect of His crucifixion and resurrection. God's word is very clear on why. See this in what Romans 4:25 says of Christ-

"who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous."

See the The Passion Translation- "Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that He had made us right with God!"

God raised Jesus from the dead because we have been declared righteous. All of our entire lifetime of sins forgiven and every demand of the Law fulfilled for all who believe in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 9 says:

"27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many...."

The wages of sin is death. One death for our lifetime of sins. Christ died that death. One death covering our entire lifetime of sins. Christ was offered ONCE to bear the burden of all our sins. Jesus is not going to come and die again for the sins that we might commit tomorrow. This is God's written word but many disbelieve God and preach that believers' sins that Christ was crucified for are still hanging unpaid somewhere and that God will not forgive until we do certain things in order to be forgiven.

Many preach that you are only righteous until your next sin and will face God's wrath if you do not keep the Law. But see what Romans 5:9 says of how God sees we who are in Christ:

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

The above verse is the effect of "Christ crucified" but many churchgoers disbelieve it. For those who deceive themselves into thinking that they can "deserve" God's gift of everlasting righteousness, salvation and His gift of eternal life in Christ or escape His wrath by their puny attempts at keeping the Law and doing its works, "Christ crucified" is a stumbling block.

Remember 1 Corinthians 1:22 says:

22 "For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

Verse 18 of the same chapter says of the message of the cross that Paul preached aka "Christ crucified"-

"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God."

The message of Christ is ONLY "Christ crucified." His death and resurrection is what makes even the vilest offender who believes righteous in God's sight and free from wrath, all without keeping a single Law. Due to wrong teaching that tries to remove or replace "Christ crucified" with human striving at obedience, many are trying to be right with God by keeping the law and are mounting silly attempts at suppressing sinful passions by human striving. Believer, the arm of flesh (human striving at obedience) will fail and when it does, like Peter who boasted in his strength but denied Christ three times, those sinful passions will explode in a volcanic eruption of sins that lead to death (Romans 7:5.)

Many churchgoers are perishing under antichrist pastors - enslaved in a vicious cycle of sins, lack, sickness and earthly ills and are running from pillar to post looking for deliverance from sin, earthly ills and death that God freely gave His own Son to free us from because He so loved us.

The spirit of the antichrist is not anti-God. In fact, its carriers seem very holy and religious like the antichrist Pharisees who rejected Christ - preaching strongly against sins and shouting the need for people to live a godly life from the rooftops. But as Satan their master did with Eve whom God already made in His likeness, their own means of your attaining godliness/righteousness (be like God) is through human effort at keeping the Law which gives the knowledge of good and evil. But just like the tree of the same name that kills, the letter (law) kills.

With Christ as our righteousness (believing the message of Christ aka "Christ crucified" and embracing God's undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour,) God sees us as righteous, "even though we are guilty of many sins." This gift of righteousness that God freely gives to all who believe in Jesus is a "stumbling block" for those who think they can keep the law in order to score points of righteousness with God. Such reject Christ as their righteousness and so cannot live in triumph over sin and death. Only by receiving God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ do we get to live in triumph over sin and death. See entire context of the verse in Romans 5:16-17:

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

Our right-standing with God is the result of "Christ crucified" - the gospel that Paul and the apostles preached. It is a stumbling block for churchgoers who think that their right-standing with God and eternal salvation is hinged on their ability to obey the law and be sinless.

This part of the gospel about God seeing all who believe as righteous "even though we are guilty of many sins" also seems to be the only thing that many skeptics take away from the whole counsel of God (Grace,) as if we have Grace just so that we can go and sin as we like. Not so. See verse 17 of Romans 5 again below for what happens when you believe that God sees you as righteous in Christ despite your many flaws, sins and imperfections:

17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

Only when, in your sinful state and having no confidence in your own ability to keep a single Law in order to be righteous or be good, you receive God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness to us in Christ can you get to live in triumph over sin and death. This Grace is something that Satan and his ministers do not want anyone to enjoy so they preach human striving at obedience (law-keeping) in order to get right with God and enjoy His blessings, afterall, what is bad in keeping the Law in order to be godly? Believer, this way seems right to man but the end is death! See proverbs 14:12 -

"There is a way which seems right to a manand appears straight before him,

But its end is the way of death."

The letter (law) kills but the Spirit gives life and with the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by might nor by power (human striving.)

Trying to keep the law in order to get right with God/as a guiding principle for morality/to get Him to bless/to curry His favour or for whatever reason at all is to reject God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness to us that Christ died that we might have. This has dire consequences. Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

The one who is cut off from Christ cannot enjoy the benefits of "Christ crucified" as it is written in Titus 2:14-

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

The rejection of Christ as one's righteousness becomes a stumbling block to that one being free from sin, being cleansed, belonging to Christ and producing works of faith. Sin has dominion over the one who is striving to keep the law in a bid to be right with God and saved:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.

But many churchgoers have this verse backwards. By God's grace, let's not be found here. "Christ crucified" is the message of Christ and why our heavenly Father who so loved us that He gave His own Son to die for us sees us as righteous and gives us ALL things FREELY - ALL things, including righteousness, eternal life and deliverance from all earthly ills. See Romans 8:32 -

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

It is Christ's "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."

Believe Right and you will Live Right.