4th Sunday after Epiphany
January 30, 2005
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

^1:26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things— and the things that are not— to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God— that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (NIV).

Boast in the Lord.

  Last week we read these words from 1 Corinthians: My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." (1 Corinthians 1:11-12).

  The people of this church split up into opposing parties. They were boasting about who was the best, the wisest, the most important. I’m sure there was a lot of tension among them. They were being very foolish. So Paul takes them straight back to the Word of the Cross, that is, to the Gospel message of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. There, God destroyed the wisdom, power and factions of the world by declaring that all people would be saved by believing this “foolish” message about Christ crucified. Since all people have sinned and come under the curse of death and since all are saved only through faith in Christ, then it is utter nonsense for Christians to boast about themselves. God’s choice to save us through faith in Christ wipes out all human pride so that we boast in Christ alone.

  Boasting pits us against one another. It quickly breaks us up into opposing groups and degenerates into a struggle against each other for power and glory. If I boast to you that I’m better than you in some way—smarter, richer, more popular, better looking, whatever—you will resent it. For by saying I’m better than you I’m putting you down. You may hold you tongue, but inside you will seethe and think of some way to bring me down a few notches.

  We face boasting almost on a daily basis. Sometimes we engage in more or less friendly rivalry over things like the school we attend, the brand of clothes we wear, or our favourite team in some sport. But usually our boasting is not so friendly. It’s a greed for power and glory that causes friends to separate, teams to fight and nations to go to war; all because we boast.

  Boasting is an expression of pride, the evil kind of pride. It is sin, rebellion against God’s will, and it makes God our enemy too. Listen to James. What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. . . . That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:1-6).

  How does God oppose the proud and give grace to the humble? Through the proclamation of the Gospel! He has decided that all who will be saved will be saved only through faith in Christ. We can in no way commend ourselves to God or make ourselves acceptable to him. The only way we can be acceptable to God is by trusting Christ, by believing that his death on the cross made us acceptable to God. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. (1 Corinthians 1:18-23). By choosing to save us only through the crucified Christ, God destroys every basis for our boasting both to him and to one another.

  So Paul reprimands the people in Corinth and instructs you and me. What had God done among them? Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things— and the things that are not— to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

  God chose the foolish things to shame the wise. There are many very educated men and women who teach in our universities. Yet no doubt most of them do not believe in Christ. For all their wisdom, they will not enter the kingdom of God. People of much less intelligence and education will enter instead of them.

  He chose the weak to shame the strong. Again, no doubt most of the physically powerful and successful athletes who will play in the Superbowl next Sunday are not Christians. For all their strength, they will not enter the Kingdom of God. Yet many weak and handicapped people will enter.

  He chose the lowly and despised to nullify the things that are glorious and important. It all has to do with what God chooses, what he values. He does not value our wisdom and power because, the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. (1 Corinthians 1:25).

  No one can get in God’s face! No one can say that he or she doesn’t need Christ, that Christ didn’t need to die for him or her. It’s not that God is trying to boast against us, show how great he is and put us down. He’s just telling us the truth. We are not the wise, powerful, beautiful people that God created. We are ignorant and weak people, stained by sin, ruined by death. And this we prove every time we start boasting and putting someone else down, and every time another person’s boasting causes us to seethe inside.

  By telling us the truth and stopping our boasting God is giving us grace. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God— that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

  Because of God, we are in Christ Jesus. God didn’t just take away our proud boasting, he replaced it with something much better. He gave us his son who, by his death, removed God’s punishment of eternal death. He gave his son who gained for us the right to become the children of God. He gave us his son who will return to raise us from the dead and give us eternal life, something really worth boasting about! And this is for all of us, not just the wise and strong.

  God replaces our ignorance, weakness and sinfulness—things about which we boast!—with the perfection of Christ. You I have been crucified with Christ and we no longer live, but Christ lives in us! God joined us to Christ through baptism and said that his life is our life. Christ is wise and powerful. Joined to him by faith, by baptism, by his body and blood, we are wise and powerful, we are the holy people of God. That is worth boasting about!

  How then should we live? Well obviously, if you think you’re hot stuff, get over yourself! You’re not so important that the world won’t turn without you! None of us are wise or powerful in God’s eyes. There’s no sense boasting to each other when our boasting means nothing to God and only makes him mad.

  Instead, boast in Christ! Make him you reason for pride. How? By being content with who you are. Maybe you don’t think you’re too important in other people’s opinion. Don’t sweat it, their opinion doesn’t influence God. Your trust in Christ is all that matters. Remember that you are one of God’s elect, one of those whom he has chosen for eternal life. We are the sheep he will welcome into his Kingdom. God looks for no great work or sacrifice on our part—as the prophet Micah pointed out. Instead God looks for us to look to Christ who has done all for us. He is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption.

  Finally, critique your ways and attitudes. Do you strive to live according to the world’s standards of wisdom and power or according to Christ’s standards? Are your heroes only the NHL stars out of work? What about the men and women who maintained their faith in Christ to the point of death? Do you try to gain power and influence over others or do you pray for others and forgive them as God forgives you? It’s not easy, but it is possible when you boast in Christ and seek to be like him.

  God’s choice to save us only through faith in Christ wipes out human pride and boasting. So let Christ be your wisdom and power, and boast in him alone.