Boasting in Christ

It is not hard to see how secular humanism is the predominant philosophy in much of our culture and it is completely against the teachings of the Bible.

1. Humble Yourself before Christ (v 18)

1 Corinthians 3:18–19 ESV

18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”

Do not be deceived by humanism and its tendencies in you. Paul concludes his warnings to the Corinthians about the dangers of human wisdom which he started in chapter 1. These are warnings for the Corinthians because he saw their hunger for man’s wisdom in them which manifested into divisions in the church. He states in the first of two warnings of this passage:

DO NOT DECEIVE YOURSELF! The sin that Paul is referring to is the self-deception of human merit, achievement and power. It is a great deception because the blessings and grace of God are often twisted by human sinfulness whereby we begin to boast of our own accomplishments in receiving them, instead of giving God credit as the giver.

Paul already mentioned earlier in this chapter that while Paul planted and Apollos watered, God gave the growth. He gave the life that was needed and therefore God receives the glory for the spiritual harvest that occured in Corinth and therefore deserves our praise.

Furthermore, Paul explains in chapter 2 how man is actually incapable of actually doing or understanding the things of God because they are foolishness to him unless the Spirit of God intervenes. Our own spiritual awareness as sinners before a holy god and our need for a Savior is a gift that God gives when he grants faith in us.

The warning continues in the second half of v 18, “if you think you are wise (in this world), then you must become a fool (in the eyes of the world). How do you become a fool in the eyes of the world, you humble yourself before Almighty God. Consider the ways that God humbles human will and achievment when it comes to discover the doctrines of God. Let’s look at Isiaah 6 as an example of the great revelation of God to man and its humbling effects of human achievement.

Isaiah 6:1–5 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Sovereignty of God

This vision that Isaiah has as he stands before God depicts chiefly the soveriegnty of God as he rules on the throne. The throne in the temple represents God’s complete rule and reign. It is the same image of the Lord Jesus in Revelation sitting on the throne ruling over all and making all things new (Rev 20).To the Jew there was not a throne in the temple that they knew for no earthly king ruled from the temple, but this future look of a throne residing there was God dwelt speaks of his absolute rule as God over all.

What this means that is that God rules over all mankind as its king and this puts into perspective that your life and your freedom belongs to God. He created you and he rules over you and therefore our greatest achievement is not making our own choices and living our own way. Our greatest achievement is knowing God through Jesus Christ and worshipping him as He is meant to be worshipped.

Power of God

Isaiah’s vision teaches us about the power and strength of God. God is revealed as strong and mighty in this vision as his power is manifested in the greatness of his robe filling the temple as he sits upon the throne. Again, the massive size of the temple building as Jews would understand makes the robe of God filling it a spectacular image to consider. How big is God? He is not actually confined to the limits of human measurement, he is transcendent- having no limits to himself. This image of his robe only speaks to us on human terms in the same way looking at the size of the ocean or considering the size of the universe helps us understand the unlimited power of the One who created these things.

If God is omnipotent, then that casts a large shadow on how finite the human is. Humanity strives so desperately to do what only God can do with his power. We want to create life and we want to sustain life so desperately so that we can shake our fists at God and say, see, we can do it too, we don’t need you. But we cannot do it. Humanity will NEVER be able to create something out of nothing because he fail to possess the power that God has. This puts us into proper perspective.

Holiness of God

Thirdly, the power of God is also displayed here specifically in God’s holiness. The angels cry out the great declaration about God, “

HOLY HOLY HOLY, THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS GLORY

What is being said about God here before Isaiah. These angels are declaring the reality of the moral perfection of God, that He is unapproachable by man because our sin conflicts with his perfect purity. This immanence of God’s glory radiates across the globe so that all humanity in the presence of God is humbled by the moral perfection of God in conflict with man’s rebellion against him. Coming face to face with our sin and God’s holiness, we can only humbly bow before God, knowing that his wrath against sin is just response towards us.

This is why Isaiah, laments before God in his vision, because Isaiah’s own personal sin before God has been revealed in God’s presence and he is humbled by it. He says he is cursed because of his sin and his lips were the perpetrator of his body. How his lips sinned we are not told, but his posture is humility before a Holy God.

This is what humbles us as humans when we encounter the reality of God’s sovereignty, power and holiness,

Forgiveness from God

Isaiah 6:6–7 ESV

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Finally we cannot forget God’s loving forgiveness towards our sin. God is not obligated to offer us anything other than his swift and just punishment for our sin like he gave mankind at the flood and what he will give mankind again when Jesus returns. Rebellious sinners deserve the full anger of God against their sin.

But God offers grace here in Is 6:6-7 so that we are further humbled that forgiveness is granted by the love of God to His people. We read these verses and think of JEsus Christ who became the way of our escape from God’s wrath. He personalized God’s love by coming and atoning for the sins of many so freedom from sin and guilt was granted to us. That coal represents the death of Christ so guilt is removed and sins are paid for by his blood.

All of these doctrines focus on attention where humanity should be…reflecting on God’s greatness and being humbled by it. When we are humbled by God, and we submit to him in faith, then world thinks of us as fools.

So the second command of this passage is become a fool for God by being humbled by him and submitting to him.

Remember chapter 1

1 Corinthians 1:27–29 ESV

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

Paul solidifies his argument of human boasting with two OT scriptures . The first is Job 5 where Job is lamenting life because of turmoil, trying to find answers.

Job 3:20–21 ESV

20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, 21 who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures,

Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, steps him for a dose of wisdom from God,

Job 5:8–15 ESV

8 “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, 9 who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: 10 he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; 11 he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. 12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. 13 He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. 14 They meet with darkness in the daytime and grope at noonday as in the night. 15 But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty.

In context, Job is reminded that man’s attempts to be wise and find strength in oneself is a futile task that will result in God’s plans of frustration. Ultimately, God will not allow man to receive glory. Glory belongs to God and God alone.

Similarly, Paul quotes Psalm 94 where the Psalmist is crying out to God to vindicate him among the wicked who attack. The declaration of the Psalm is that God is always present with his people and working for their cause. No evil man get a one up on God. God knows man who thinks he is wise may esteem himself greatly, but it has no effect.

“the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

If we are to have a genuine and growing relationship with Christ, we must die to our self pride and our self glory as humanity. We must realize that our total dependence and need is in God and God alone. We need him in our sleeping to sustain us, in our day to strengthen us with faith, hope, blessings, grace. We need him for food, shelter, clothing, careers, and family. All that we have belongs to him and all we are is because of him.

2. Boasting in Christ as the source of all things

1 Corinthians 3:21–23 ESV

21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Paul then concludes with the obvious and yet needed reasoning in our spiritual journey. When we die to self, and put our hope fully in Christ, then we become rich in him, blessed in him because of all that He has accomplished. It is the work of Christ that is the source of accomplishment, because of his work of redemption that the Father has put all things under the feet of the Son.

eph 1:19-22

Ephesians 1:19–22 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Therefore, all that we possess, all that makes us blessed, is because it has been given to the Son by the Father and we share it with him as His people. This how Paul concludes our passage climbing the mountain of God’s glory when he states

1 Corinthians 3:23 ESV

23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

We belong to Christ by faith, we are united with him as His body. Therefore we are united to the Son and the Son is united to Father and Spirit in the Godhead. There is unity that we can enjoy with God through Jesus Christ and its a unity that comes with blessings. All of this comes at the expense of the atoning work of Jesus…who defeated sin and death and gained victory for us.

Therefore, Paul spells out the blessings that we have in Christ and the reason that we can boast in Him, instead of ourselves. Working our way backwards through the text then, starting with the phrase, “All are yours.”

The greatest of the possessions that belong to us because of Jesus…is all things. We are sub-beneficiaries of all that Christ possess as King and Lord because we are united to Him. Looking at this from the perspective of the story of the Bible, as God told Adam to have dominion over the earth, we know that Adam failed in possessing and having dominion over the earth properly. But in Christ, that is restored for He owns all things and therefore He dominates the earth and we with him. This doesn’t mean your neighbors new Ford Bronco belongs to you so just steal it from his driveway. It does mean you belong to the King and what he possesses you enjoy because of your relationship with him.

But the blessings are greater than material possessions. These are spiritual riches in Christ. These riches last eternally far beyond anything temporal that fades away. But when you know that Christ owns the world and even time itself, you are comforted as GOd’s people. He says, “things present and things to come.” God’s purposes are coming to fruition and therefore all moments and events of time are his. We are rich with time because it belongs to our Lord.

Also life and death belong to Christ because He is the giver of life and the victor over death. Therefore in His lordship, He grants such blessings to His people. Yes spiritual life in Him is a gift and so is death for those suffering under the weight of a cursed earth. It is far better to be in the presence of Christ than your best day on this earth.

Working still our way backwards, Paul then mentions that Paul, Apollos and Peter (Cephas) are ours. Paul is stating these men because they belong to Christ. They were called by him to serve the church and therefore they all belong to God’s people. They are meant to serve them and point them to the glory of Christ over man’s glory. They belong to the church for all God’s people belong to each other. Because we all are united to Christ, the fellowship we share with one another is not individualistic, it communal. Fellowship in the GK means having in common with one another. The body of Christ under Jesus leadership belongs to one another for the edification and building up of each other -for the glory of CHrist’s name. A unified, cohesive, loving, forgiving, instructing body of believers brings glory to the name of Jesus because He brings us together as one.

But a divisive, disjoined church that is celebrating its factions with its leaders is not honoring the name of Christ and all he accomplished in bringing them into one body. It dishonors him. Paul is trying to kill such disunity by reminding them their factions are man-centered and sinful!

I pray this passage give you hope this morning as you consider whom you belong to.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13 ESV

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:24–27 (ESV)

24 ...But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

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