1 Corinthians 3:20-23 “And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
God uses the worldly wisdom of man to ensnare him in his own trap (Job 5:13, 1Co 3:19). In the same way, He knows the thoughts of those who consider themselves wise in this world’s wisdom. He knows those thoughts and He knows them to be empty (vain). There is no profit in worldly wisdom.
Man’s wisdom did not create the world. Man’s wisdom did not establish laws of righteousness. Man’s wisdom did not see the need we would have for a Savior before the world was made. Man’s wisdom is bound by time; it did not exist before man and will not remain after he is gone. Only the wisdom of God can claim to be from everlasting to everlasting.
Since we are blessed to know that true wisdom comes from God, we should glory in God. Our words, our songs, our lives, and our hopes should boast of Him and give Him honor. There is no man worthy of God’s glory, regardless of you much we might love and respect them. The simple truth is that what we find in men to love and respect is that which God has placed in them for His praise. Therefore, the glory still belongs to God.
Moreover, in Jesus Christ He has given us all things. Paul assures us that all things are ours through God’s grace. Since God did not withhold the sacrifice of His only begotten Son from us, how is it that we should suppose He would withhold any necessary thing from our lives (Rom 8:32). The wisdom of men might find some merit in giving a great price for the welfare of others on the one hand only to keep it back with the other so to use it as a prod.
God gives freely. That is not to say there are not expectations for us in how we live in His kingdom here. The greatest expectation is that we would trust the wisdom of God in all things. We should rejoice when God sends us godly people to be an example before us, to preach the word unto us, and to minister to us concerning the things of His. We should be humbled to realize that, in His wisdom, God has sent us His servants.
Father, mother, spouse, child, pastor, or the apostle Paul; all things are ours. The world, life, death, today, tomorrow; all these things are ours. They are ours from the standpoint of God’s wisdom. They are ours because regardless of what they bring for good or ill, they are not greater than God. All these things are ours because we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s: without Him was not anything made that was made.
May God bless us to glory in Him alone!