1 Corinthians 1:30–31

1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 1.

The Wisdom of God and the Foolishness of Men. 1 Cor. 1, 17–31.

The status of the believers: The status of the believers: V. 30. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us Wisdom, and Righteousness, and Sanctification, and Redemption, v. 31. that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Vessels of mercy also will never be tempted to allege their own fitness and their own readiness to accept the wealth of God's wisdom and power. It is all the mercy of God's election, the grace of God's call.

This thought is emphasized by the apostle in conclusion: Out of Him, due to His grace and power, you are in Christ Jesus. God has brought us to the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, because we are the spiritual offspring of God by His grace, and the life which we have received from God is grounded in Christ.

And what this life in Christ all includes the apostle shows: Who was made Wisdom unto us from God, Righteousness as well as Sanctification and Redemption. All this has been revealed to us by faith and has become our property through faith. By the grace of God, Christ has become Wisdom to us: in and through Him the mystery of the divine plan of salvation has been unfolded to us; in and through Him we know God as our dear Father and through this knowledge have eternal life, John 17, 3.

But this would not be possible were it not for the fact that Christ became unto us Righteousness as well as Sanctification, 2 Cor. 5, 21; Jer. 23, 5; Matt. 3, 15; Gal. 2, 16. 17. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us as well as His perfect fulfilment of the Law, and thus our whole life is consecrated to God, and every act is a work of divine service.

"For that is Christ's rule. To that end He has been placed as the Lord, that He might do such works among men, justify them, and bring them back to the fear of God, innocence, and obedience, from which we fell in Paradise through the cunning of the serpent." 12) These great benefits are ours by faith, not because faith in itself is a work which merits the blessings, but because it accepts the promise made by God that He for the sake of Christ would be gracious to those that believe in Him.13)

For Christ is our Redemption; by paying the ransom of His blood and life He has delivered us forever from the power of all our enemies; He had in Himself the power to achieve this deliverance, 1 Thess. 1, 10; Col. 1, 13. 14. And thus we have in Him the guarantee of the glory of eternal life which will be revealed to us on the last day.

And all this is God's free gift of grace, excluding all boasting on our part, all alleging of merit before Him. As it is written: He that glories shall glory in the Lord, Jer. 9, 23. 24. There should be boasting and praising indeed, but only in God, as the Author of our salvation. Where the preaching of the Cross reveals God's mercy and righteousness, God's wisdom and power, only one boasting shall be heard, namely, this: All glory be to God on high!

Summary. After opening his letter with a salutation, the apostle thanks God for the revelation of His grace, reproves the Corinthian Christians for their wranglings, which had resulted in the formation of factions, and discusses at length the wisdom and power of God as revealed in the Gospel.