Thursday, 19 November 2015
But “he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 10:17
As the chapter prepares to close, Paul gives this verse. It is a citation which he draws from Jeremiah 9:23, 24 –
“Thus says the Lord:
‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.'”
It is to be in Christ alone where our boasting should lie. Whatever our accomplishments, they were possible only because of the Lord’s hand upon us. Therefore, no man should receive our boastings, including us as individuals:
1) Churches shouldn’t be divided based on allegiances to individual men, i.e. “I am of Paul” or “I am of Cephas,” etc.
2) Our intellectual attainments or knowledge of the Bible shouldn’t be credited to either self or to another, such as a great teacher, i.e. “I follow Aristotle,” or “I follow John Calvin,” or “I follow Albert Einstein,” or “I follow Billy Graham.”
3) There should be no desire to emulate the mighty, despite the power they possess.
4) Our goal shouldn’t be to seek after a wealthy person, a politician, or a movie star.
Rather than these things, or any other such division in our allegiance concerning our worldly abilities or spiritual life in Christ, we should direct our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our attention to what God has done in Him through us or to us. In all ways and at all times, “…he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
Christ is the head of the church; Christ demonstrates and reveals to us the wisdom of God; in Christ are found the otherwise unsearchable riches of knowledge and understanding – both in creation and in Scripture; from Christ is all power and strength; and in Christ all the greatness and majesty of the Godhead is revealed to us. Surely then let us boast and glory in Him alone.
And as a final point, the citation from Jeremiah is speaking of the Lord, or Yehovah. However, Paul uses the citation and applies it to Jesus. The implication is clear – Yehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus in the New. Let us never attempt to diminish the glory of who Christ is. He is our God.
Life application: Be sure to never trade your allegiances for something less than what is the greatest of all. Jesus Christ is the epitome of perfection. In Him is all that is good and wonderful, and so let Him alone be your hope, desire, aspiration, and love.
Supreme and all-glorious God – You alone are worthy of our adoration and boasting. Give us a heart to follow after You and to use as our role model Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who reveals You to us. Thank You for the endless, ceaseless display of glory which You make known through Him as we walk in Your light and in Your holiness. Help us always to fix our eyes, hearts, and our thoughts on Jesus. And thank You for Your word which tells us of Him; Your superior word! Thank You, O God. Amen.