[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. —1 Corinthians 1:18
The cross of Christ is the power of God to those who are being saved. And this reality—the reality of seeing the cross as power—is itself the work of God, not man. To see the cross as the power of God requires the power of God to intervene. Or, as John Bunyan says, we can’t come to Christ in our own strength.
In his book, Come and Welcome, to Jesus Christ, Bunyan holds up the power of God in the gospel and in how we come to understand the gospel. He explains that we can only come to Christ by the “gift, promise, and drawing of the Father” (p. 200). He goes on to give three simple reasons why this is so. In Bunyan’s words:
1) It is expressly said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). By this text, there is not only insinuated that in man is want of power, but also of will, to come to Jesus Christ: they must be drawn; they come not if they be not drawn. And observe, it is not man, no, nor all the angels in heaven, that can draw one sinner to Jesus Christ. No man cometh to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.
2) Again, “No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:65). It is an heavenly gift that maketh man come to Jesus Christ.
3) Again, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:45).
In summary, the Father must 1) draw, 2) give, and 3) teach the man or woman who will trust in Jesus. It is His power, not ours.
Faith doesn’t happen by flipping a switch. There are means of grace—activities in which we participate to build our faith and the faith of others. But whatever we do, whether we position ourselves in all the right places or take advantage of every instrument through which we know Jesus more, we must always remember: God doesn’t save us for anything we've done, He works in power to save us (Romans 4:4–5).
If you are trusting in Jesus right now, you are a miracle. You are God’s miracle.