1 Corinthians 1:30 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: 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.

NASB: But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

CSB: It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,

NLT: God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

KJV: But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

NKJV: But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

Paul has written in the previous verses that, as we stand before God on judgment day, all the important and high-status people in this life who rejected faith in Christ as weak and foolish will become "nothings." They will stop boasting about their wisdom and strength once and for all. They'll be confronted with the reality that their rejection of Him was based in pride and arrogance, not facts or reason (James 2:19; Romans 1:18–23).

Those who God chooses to believe in Christ will also not boast. We will understand our faith, our place in Christ Jesus, to be a gift from God.

We will know that it is Christ who is the wisdom of God in human form. He is the one who made it possible for us to be declared righteous by God because we are in Christ and He is righteous. Christ is the reason we have been sanctified, meaning that God has set us apart as His own special possession (1 Corinthians 1:2). It is with Christ's death for our sins that God has redeemed us, purchased us out of our slavery to sin, and welcomed us into His family as sons and daughters.

First Corinthians 1:18–31 describes the foolishness of the gospel in the world's eyes. Both Jews and Greeks rejected the idea of Christ crucified. Any god who would die on a Roman cross, especially as a sacrifice for human sinfulness, would be seen by worldly eyes as a weak and foolish deity. God, though, will shame the wise and strong by giving the ability to believe in the cross of Christ mostly to the weak and foolish of the world, in human terms. In the end, nobody will boast before him of their own strength and wisdom.

Paul's letter to the Christians in Corinth begins with thanks for the great and powerful gifts God has given to them by His grace and through their faith in Christ. They will stand blameless before God in the end. Right now, though, they must stop dividing themselves according to which Christian teacher they follow and become unified in and around Christ. The gospel message of Christ's death on the cross is weak and foolish to the world, but God has given faith in Christ to those who believe it and find God's power and wisdom.

First Corinthians 1 begins Paul's letter to the Christians in Corinth, a big, bustling city on a major trade route. Paul knows them well, having spent a year and a half leading people to Christ and establishing the church there. He writes from Ephesus to correct some of their wrong attitudes and behaviors and to answer some of their questions. First, though, he thanks God for His grace to the Corinthians, knowing they will stand blameless before Him on the day of the Lord. Still, they must stop being divided and unite in and around Christ.

First Corinthians is one of the more practical books of the New Testament. Paul writes to a church immersed in a city associated with trade, but also with corruption and immorality. These believers are struggling to properly apply spiritual gifts and to resist the ungodly practices of the surrounding culture. Paul's letter gives instructions for real-life concerns such as marriage and spirituality. He also deals with the importance of unity and gives one of the Bible's more well-known descriptions of love in chapter 13.

Accessed 11/21/2024 9:59:43 AM