Let No Man Glory in Men – 1 Corinthians 3
‘Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;’ — 1 Corinthians 3:21
Petty rivalry and glorying in men is a sign of immaturity and carnality according to 1 Corinthians 3. Yet, both are very common.
Far too often, we attribute the blessing of God to the works of men. We envy, strive, and divide up into ‘camps’ or ‘tribes’ (v.3-4). We give men credit for what only God can do (v.5-7).
This does not mean, however, that how we labour does not matter. God will reward us according to our labour. And we should take heed how we build on the foundation that Jesus and the apostles have laid (v.8-11).
The interesting thing about this is that right now is too soon to decide the type of ministry we each have. It will be seen in the day of judgment before God when our works (not our sin) is tried by fire (v.12-15).
Believers are the temple of God and we should not do anything to defile God’s temple. We should be very careful how we serve the Lord and how we treat others who are the temple of God as well (v.16-17).
A big way we can minister incorrectly and defile others who are the temple of God is to minister in pride. The wisest thing the proud person can do is to humbly see himself as a fool (v.18). All the wisdom of this world is foolishness (v.19). The Lord knows that the thoughts of the so-called ‘wise’ are vain (v.20).
So, let us not glory in men. There are no great men of God, only men of a great God. God is the one who gets the credit. God is the one who works in and through any of us. And our confidence and glory should be in Him!