I
GOD GLORIFIED IN MAN'S DEPENDENCE deg.
1 COR. i. 29-31.--That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Those Christians to whom the apostle directed this epistle dwelt in a part
of the world where human wisdom was in great repute; as the apostle
observes in the 22d verse of this chapter, "The Greeks seek after wisdom."
Corinth was not far from Athens, that had been for many ages the most
famous seat of philosophy and learning in the world.
The apostle therefore observes to them how that God, by the gospel,
destroyed and brought to nought their human wisdom. The learned Grecians
and their great philosophers by all their wisdom did not know God: they
were not able to find out the truth in divine things. But after they had
done their utmost to no effect, it pleased God at length to reveal himself
by the gospel, which they accounted foolishness. He "chose the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are mighty, and the base things of the world,
and things that are despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought the things that are." And the apostle informs them why he thus
did, in the verse of the text: _That no flesh should glory in his
presence_, &c.
In which words may be observed,
1. What God aims at in the disposition of things in the affair of
redemption, viz., that man should not glory in himself, but alone in God:
_That no flesh should glory in his presence,--that, according as it is
written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord_.
2. How this end is attained in the work of redemption, viz., by that
absolute and immediate dependence which men have upon God in that work for
all their good. Inasmuch as,
First, All the good that they have is in and through Christ; _he is made
unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption_. All the
good of the fallen and redeemed creature is concerned in these four
things, and cannot be better distributed than into them; but Christ is
each of them to us, and we have none of them any otherwise than in him.
_He is made of God unto us wisdom_: in him are all the proper good and
true excellency of the understanding. Wisdom was a thing that the Greeks
admired; but Christ is the true light of the world, it is through him
alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind. 'Tis in and by Christ that
we have _righteousness_: it is by being in him that we are justified, have
our sins pardoned, and are received as righteous into God's favor. 'Tis by
Christ that we have _sanctification_: we have in him true excellency of
heart as well as of understanding; and he is made unto us inherent, as
well as imputed righteousness. 'Tis by Christ that we have _redemption_,
or actual deliverance from all misery, and the bestowment of all happiness
and glory. Thus we have all our good by Christ, who is God.
Secondly, Another instance wherein our dependence on God for all our good
appears, is this, that it is God that has given us Christ, that we might
have these benefits through him; he _of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness_, &c.
Thirdly, 'Tis _of him_ that we are in Christ Jesus, and come to have an
interest in him, and so do receive those blessings which he is made unto
us. It is God that gives us faith whereby we close with Christ.
So that in this verse is shown our dependence on each person in the
Trinity for all our good. We are dependent on Christ the Son of God, as he
is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. We are
dependent on the Father, who has given us Christ, and made him to be these
things to us. We are dependent on the Holy Ghost, for 'tis _of him that we
are in Christ Jesus_; 'tis the Spirit of God that gives faith in him,
whereby we receive him and close with him.