Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Boasting » Spiritual
If some of the branches have been broken off, and yet you, although you were wild olive suckers, have been grafted in among the native branches, and been made to share the rich sap of the native olive's root, you must not be boasting against the natural branches. And if you do, just consider, you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, "Branches have been broken off for us to be grafted in." read more.
Very well, but it was for lack of faith that they were broken off, and it is through your faith that you now stand where you are. Stop your haughty thinking, rather continue to be reverent, for if God did not spare the natural branches, certainly He will not spare you.
Very well, but it was for lack of faith that they were broken off, and it is through your faith that you now stand where you are. Stop your haughty thinking, rather continue to be reverent, for if God did not spare the natural branches, certainly He will not spare you.
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the good news -- but not by means of wisdom and rhetoric, so that the cross of Christ may not be emptied of its power. For the message of the cross is nonsense to those who are in the process of being destroyed, but it is the power of God to those who are in the process of being saved. For the Scripture says: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the learning of the learned." read more.
So where is your philosopher? Where is your man of letters? Where is your logician of this age? Has not God shown up the nonsense of the world's wisdom? For since in accordance with the wisdom of God the world had never in reality, by means of its wisdom, come to know God, God chose through the nonsense of the message proclaimed, to save the people who put their faith in Him. While Jews are demanding spectacular signs and Greeks are searching for philosophy, we are preaching the Christ who was crucified -- a message that is a trap-stick to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks alike, the Christ who is God's power and God's wisdom. It is so, because God's nonsense is wiser than men's wisdom, and God's weakness is mightier than men's might. For consider, brothers, the way God called you; that not many of you, in accordance with human standards, were wise, not many influential, not many of high birth. Just the opposite: God chose what the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame, what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame, what the world calls of low degree, yea, what it counts as nothing and what it thinks does not exist, God chose to put a stop to what it thinks exists, so that no mortal man might ever boast in the presence of God. So you owe it all to Him through union with Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our means of right standing, our consecration, and our redemption, so that, as the Scripture says, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
So where is your philosopher? Where is your man of letters? Where is your logician of this age? Has not God shown up the nonsense of the world's wisdom? For since in accordance with the wisdom of God the world had never in reality, by means of its wisdom, come to know God, God chose through the nonsense of the message proclaimed, to save the people who put their faith in Him. While Jews are demanding spectacular signs and Greeks are searching for philosophy, we are preaching the Christ who was crucified -- a message that is a trap-stick to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks alike, the Christ who is God's power and God's wisdom. It is so, because God's nonsense is wiser than men's wisdom, and God's weakness is mightier than men's might. For consider, brothers, the way God called you; that not many of you, in accordance with human standards, were wise, not many influential, not many of high birth. Just the opposite: God chose what the world calls foolish to put the wise to shame, what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame, what the world calls of low degree, yea, what it counts as nothing and what it thinks does not exist, God chose to put a stop to what it thinks exists, so that no mortal man might ever boast in the presence of God. So you owe it all to Him through union with Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our means of right standing, our consecration, and our redemption, so that, as the Scripture says, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
Now, brothers, for your sakes I have applied all this to Apollos and myself, that from us as illustrations you might learn the lesson, "Never go beyond what is written," so that you might stop boasting in favor of one teacher against another. For who makes you superior? And what do you have that you did not get from someone? But if you got it from someone, why do you boast as though you had not?
Indeed, I do not dare to count or compare myself with certain men who are always recommending themselves. But they do not show good sense, because they do continue measuring themselves with one another and comparing themselves with one another. But I shall never go too far in my boasting; no, I shall stay within the limits of the sphere which God apportioned me, so as to reach even you. For I am not overstepping my authority as though I should not reach you, for I was the very first to reach as far as you with the good news of Christ. read more.
I am not going too far in my boasting, and actually boasting of other men's labors, but I am cherishing the hope that your faith may so continue to grow that through you my work within my sphere may be so enlarged as to run over, so that I can preach the good news in the regions beyond you, without boasting in another man's sphere of work already done by him. "But the man who boasts must boast in the Lord. For it is not the man who keeps on recommending himself who is really approved, but it is the man whom the Lord recommends.
I am not going too far in my boasting, and actually boasting of other men's labors, but I am cherishing the hope that your faith may so continue to grow that through you my work within my sphere may be so enlarged as to run over, so that I can preach the good news in the regions beyond you, without boasting in another man's sphere of work already done by him. "But the man who boasts must boast in the Lord. For it is not the man who keeps on recommending himself who is really approved, but it is the man whom the Lord recommends.
For it is by His unmerited favor through faith that you have been saved; it is not by anything that you have done, it is the gift of God. It is not the result of what anyone can do, so that no one can boast of it.