Friday, 4 April 2014
…that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31
The last verse of Chapter 1 begins with, “as it is written.” Thus Paul is going back to the only Scriptures of his day (the Old Testament) in order to make a summary point concerning his thoughts of the past 21 verses. His quote is a condensed citation of 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.'”
In Christ alone is where our boasting is to lie. It does not belong to any given man:
1) There should be no divisions within the church, i.e. “I am of Paul” or “I am of Cephas.” Etc.
2) The should be no following after the great and learned of the world – whether a pagan or a well-trained and faithful follower of Christ, 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.
4) Our goal shouldn’t be to seek after a nobleman, a politician, or a movie star.
Rather than these things, or any other potential division in our allegiance concerning our spiritual life in Christ, we should direct our hearts, our souls, our minds, and our attention to what God has done in Him. In essence, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” It is Christ who is the head of the church; it is Christ who demonstrates and reveals to us the wisdom of God; in Christ are found the otherwise unsearchable riches of knowledge and understanding – both in the created order and in Scripture; in Christ is all power and strength; and in Christ is all greatness and majesty. Surely then, if these things are true, let us boast in and glory in the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
Life application: Why trade your allegiances for something less than what is the greatest of all. As Jesus Christ is the epitome of perfection in all that is good and wonderful, let Him alone be your hope, desire, aspiration, and love.
Supreme and all-glorious God – You alone are worthy of our adoration and emulation. Give us a heart to follow after You and to use as our role model Jesus Christ our Lord who fully 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 thoughts on Jesus. Amen.