1 Corinthians 1:30-31 ~ 20130317 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

03/17 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 Jesus our...Everything; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20130317_1cor1_30-31.mp3

²⁶ Βλέπετε γὰρ τὴν κλῆσιν ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ σοφοὶ κατὰ σάρκα, οὐ πολλοὶ δυνατοί, οὐ πολλοὶ εὐγενεῖς· ²⁷ ἀλλὰ τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός, ἵνα ⸂καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς⸃, καὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τὰ ἰσχυρά, ²⁸ καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τὰ ἐξουθενημένα ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός, ⸀τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ἵνα τὰ ὄντα καταργήσῃ, ²⁹ ὅπως μὴ καυχήσηται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. ³⁰ ἐξ αὐτοῦ δὲ ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἐγενήθη ⸂σοφία ἡμῖν⸃ ἀπὸ θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις, ³¹ ἵνα καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὁ καυχώμενος ἐν κυρίῳ καυχάσθω.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes to address problems that had arisen in the church in Corinth. Although there were some serious moral and doctrinal issues that required urgent attention, and that he will address in the course of this letter, the apostle started by giving thanks to God for how God had worked in the believers there. He addresses them as 'the church of God in Corinth'; he says they are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, and that they are a part of the larger church, the body of Christ. He gives thanks that God's grace was given to them in Christ Jesus, that they were enriched in knowledge, that the gospel proved to be effective among them, that they lacked no grace-gift, that they were waiting for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he reminds them of God's faithfulness, that it is God who will sustain them guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he tackles what he sees to be the root of much of the problems in Corinth. He tackles their 'I' problem. Some said “I follow Paul.” Some said “I follow Apollos.” Others said “I follow Cephas.” And those who thought they were above the rest and really spiritual said “I follow Christ.” Division, disunity, quarreling, this kind of party spirit was evidence of pride. Paul brings them back to the nature of the gospel to cure them of their pride. He says that his primary responsibility as apostle was to preach the gospel, a simple message, an offensive message, the message of the cross. The message, not the messenger, carries the power of God. He undermines their pride by pointing to the fact that the gospel, the word of the cross, is perceived as foolishness to pagans and as a scandal to religious people. In fact, God set out to destroy the wisdom of the wise by saving those who believe in, trust in, depend on the foolish message of the cross.

He says that the message seems foolish, and then he causes a greater affront to their pride by reminding them of their own social status. Not many wise according to the world, not many powerful, not many of the nobility in Corinth were chosen by God. Instead, God chose the low and despised in the world, even the nobodies to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. God's whole method of salvation was designed to strip us of anything to boast in so that all our worship goes to God. Humble adoration is what is appropriate in response to God's saving work, not human arrogance.

He ties this all together with a dense summary of the gospel message in verse 30, which we will attempt to unpack today, followed by an exhortation from the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah.

29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Paul has said in verse 17 that the gospel is the power of the cross of Christ. In verse 18 he calls it the word of the cross. In verse 23 he says “we preach Christ crucified. And in verse 24 he says that to those who believe, this foolish message becomes 'Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.' He says that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Verse 30 helps us to see how Christ is the wisdom and power of God, and how this simple message of the cross, that seems weak and foolish is really power and wisdom.

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Because of Him

First of all, he reminds us of the fact that our salvation is not due to us, it is not because of us. Our relationship to Jesus, described as being 'in Christ Jesus' is not our own doing. It is 'because of him you are in Christ Jesus'. Because God called you, because God chose you, you responded with faith and believed in Jesus, trusted in the foolish message of the cross. God, who creates beauty out of nothing, and calls into existence things that do not exist, 'has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus.

Became to Us Wisdom from God

Jesus became to us wisdom from God. He wasn't before. Before God called us, we were like the rest of the world. We looked at the cross and thought it foolish. We heard the message of Christ crucified and were offended. Our eyes were blind to the beauty of the cross. Our hearts were hard to the transforming power of his grace. We could turn this around, as one Puritan brother wrote in 1836, [Charles Simeon, Horae Homileticae] “in ourselves we are ignorant, guilty, polluted, and enslaved.” But because of him, because God opened our hearts, we are in Christ Jesus, and in Christ, what once seemed foolish is now seen to be the profound wisdom of God. The foolishness of God is wiser than men.

Being Saved

Here we find encapsulated in three words the power of God to save. Paul described us back in verse 18 as 'us who are being saved'. What does it mean to be 'being saved'? Remember our illustration. The fireman has crashed into your bedroom, shook you out of your sleep, alerted you to the fact that your house is burning down around you and you are in danger of perishing. You realize the danger and entrust yourself to his care. He has taken you in his capable arms, wrapped you in his fireproof coat, placed his oxygen mask over your face, and he is carrying you through the burning building. You are being saved. Paul describes this 'being saved' as Christ our righteousness and Christ our sanctification and Christ our redemption.

Christ our Righteousness

If we are in Christ Jesus, Christ has become for us our righteousness. Paul, in Romans establishes the fact that 'none is righteous, no not one' (Rom.3:10), and that the law was brought in to stop every mouth and demonstrate that the whole world is accountable to God, because no one can keep God's law perfectly. And then he presents a different righteousness, an alien righteousness, a righteousness not our own. He says:

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

This righteousness is not our righteousness, because we cannot keep the law. This is God's righteousness, and it is given to all who believe in Jesus Christ. He goes on:

Romans 3:22 ...For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift,

This word 'justified' is from the same root as the word 'righteous'. It means to be made righteous or declared righteous. We, sinners who fall short of God's glory and are unrighteous in ourselves are declared righteous by God's generosity as a gift. We, who have no righteousness of our own, are given God's righteousness. If you are in Christ Jesus, he has become your righteousness. This is what Isaiah points to when he says:

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

This is what was foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, that from David's lineage, a righteous branch would come and he would be called 'the LORD is our righteousness' (Jer.23:5-6; 33:16).

Christ our Sanctification

To us who are being saved, Jesus Christ has become to us righteousness and sanctification. Sanctification, or holiness in some translations, is being set apart. A time, a place, a person or an item may have been ordinary and commonplace, but if it was sanctified, consecrated or made holy, it now became set apart for God's exclusive use. Back in verse 2, Paul called the believers in Corinth 'those sanctified in Christ Jesus'. Whatever they had been before, they were now set apart exclusively for God. Holiness or sanctification carries with it the idea of being cleansed, purified, made fit for God's use. Under the law, there was a process by which something or someone could be cleansed or purified or made holy, set apart for God's use. This process usually involved sacrifices and cleansing. Often when we think about sanctification or holiness, we think of the lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus, and it has that meaning in Romans 6 and Ephesians 5 and 1 Thessalonians 4. But here in verse 2 Paul tells us that we have been decisively and forever sanctified in Christ Jesus, and in verse 30 that Christ Jesus has become our sanctification. We have been set apart exclusively for God. We have been made holy. We are not yet practically what we have been made positionally, but God is at work in us to bring to completion that which he started. Both of these aspects of sanctification are brought together in Hebrews 10:14.

Hebrews 10:14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

We have been perfected, brought to completion by a single offering- the offering of Christ on the cross. But we are in process, becoming what we are. We have some baby chicks and ducklings at our house. When they hatched out of their eggs, even before they hatched, they were what they will be. The baby ducklings are ducks. They are different than chicks. They have webbed feet. They have bills, not beaks. Ducks fly, but these ducklings can't fly. They can't even take care of themselves. They haven't produced anything but a mess yet. They haven't laid any eggs. But they are decisively ducks. They will grow up to be nothing but ducks. In Christ Jesus, we have become something that we were not before. The bible calls this regeneration or the new birth. We are not yet what we will be, but our nature has been decisively changed. We may still produce nothing but a mess, but by God's grace we will mature, and one day we will bear fruit that brings pleasure to God. In one sense we have been changed. We are set apart for God. We are holy. In another sense, we have not yet fully grown into what we are destined to become. Jesus is our sanctification.

Christ our Redemption

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Jesus Christ is our redemption. Righteousness is a legal term. Before God's law we stand either righteous or condemned. In Christ, we are given the gift of God's own righteousness. Sanctification is a ceremonial term. In relation to God's presence, we are either set apart for God's use, or excluded from his presence. Christ is our sanctification, setting us apart to enjoy the presence of God forever. Redemption is a slave-market term. Under Old Testament law, if you couldn't pay your debts, there were no bankruptcy laws. You were sold into slavery. You were no longer your own. You belonged to someone else. But there was provision for redemption. Someone could pay your debt and buy you out of slavery and set you free. This was our situation. I had made foolish choices and got myself in over my head. Not financially, but spiritually. I wanted to be my own master, so I rebelled against God, and I was sold as a slave to sin. I was not in control of my own life, I was in bondage, with no hope of escape. But Jesus, the one against whom I had rebelled, came and paid my price, the ultimate price, to redeem me.

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Jesus bought us with his own blood.

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus became to us redemption. We have been purchased, we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. But there is a sense in which this redemption is not yet fully realized. The price has been paid in full. But our emancipation is not yet fully complete. We have been exempted from the consequences of sin. We are no longer under the power of sin. But we still wrestle with the presence of sin. We still battle with our old nature. The bible looks back to the cross as the victory where the head of the serpent was crushed, but it also looks forward to a day when all things will be set right. Ephesians tells us:

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

There is a day coming, certainly coming, where we will be delivered from the indwelling presence of sin. It is signed, signed in blood. We are sealed, sealed with the Holy Spirit of God. But we are not yet delivered. The day of redemption is coming, the day when all is set right. This is what in Romans 8 all creation longs for.

Romans 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

In the gospel, the message of the cross, Jesus became for us righteousness and sanctification and redemption. This is the wisdom of God and the power of God. This is the wisdom of God to satisfy justice and show mercy to sinners. This is the power of God. What seemed to be a grand demonstration of weakness, that God incarnate would be killed on a cross turned out to be the power of God for salvation. This is the power of God to set us free from sin and death and hell. This is the power of God to set us free from our own self-centeredness and pride, to do what we were created to do and humbly worship our great and gracious and glorious God.

So that We Boast Only in the Lord

Both before and after this verse, the ultimate reason and purpose of the method of God is given. Look at verses 29 and 31.

29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

'So that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ...so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”' God in his infinite wisdom designed salvation in such a way that it is exclusively his to give and ours to receive so that boasting in what we earn or deserve is excluded. The only boasting that is allowed is boasting in the Lord. This Old Testament quote comes from Jeremiah 9. It is a word of judgment on the people for turning away from him (8:4-5). They are full of deceit, greed, falsehood, lies, iniquity, oppression. They have 'stubbornly followed their own hearts' (9:14). Twice he says 'they do not know me declares the Lord' (9:3); 'they refuse to know me declares the Lord' (9:6)

Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Boasting in human wisdom, might or riches is foolish, and God will bring it to nothing. The only legitimate ground for boasting is in a relationship with God; 'that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD'. We find that God's steadfast covenant keeping love finds its ultimate expression in Jesus, the only Son of God, come to demonstrate the great love God has for us by giving himself in our place, dying for our sins. Justice is satisfied, the wrath of God against our sin is appeased, and righteousness is given to those who trust in Jesus. Let him who boasts, boast in knowing God, in a relationship with God that comes from God as a gift, a relationship that is in Christ Jesus.

True wisdom is knowing God, a relationship with God. Jesus is our wisdom and our righteousness and our sanctification and our redemption. Jesus is the gospel. Jesus is the wisdom of God and the power of God for salvation to all who believe. So trust in Jesus, believe in Jesus, enjoy a relationship with Jesus, boast in Jesus.