1 Corinthians 1:31Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

By the phrase "from Him," I think the Apostle does not mean being brought from non-being into being, but being brought to faith. That is, we became children of God, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh" (Jn 1:13).

Do not think that, after depriving us of grounds for self-exaltation, He left us so. No, He gave us another boast, a greater one. One must not boast before His face. You are His children, and you became such through Christ.

After saying, "He chose the foolish things of the world... and the lowborn" (1 Cor 1:27-28), the Apostle now shows that they became nobler than all, because they have God as Father. The cause of this nobility is not this man or that, but Christ, who made us wise, righteous, and holy. This is what the words mean: "He became wisdom for us."

All this, he says, was done so that no one should think himself to be anything, or boast either in himself or in anyone else, but only in God, Who has granted us such great blessings. How, then, do you boast both in yourselves and in teachers who are men?

Jeremiah writes in his prophecy, Jer 9:23-24, that no one should boast in his own wisdom, his own strength, or his own wealth. Rather, he should reckon all his praise to be this: that he has attained the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, through Whom he will receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life. A moral conclusion is appended to this chapter; see under Mt 16:13.

Therefore let the glory of God increase in us, and let our own glory diminish, so that our glory too may increase in God.

For the Apostle says this, and Holy Scripture says this: "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Cor 1:31; cf. Jer 9:23-24). Do you wish to find glory in yourself? You wish to grow, but by your evil you only grow in evil. And he who grows in evil diminishes in righteousness.

Let God, who is always perfect, increase. Let Him increase in you. For when you understand God more and receive more, God clearly increases in you. Yet He does not increase in Himself, but is always perfect.

So that we may boast in Him alone, as it is written: "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord" (Jer 9:24).

A monk who boasts in his own strength is the first of fools. It is shame and reproach for a monk to boast in his own power: "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord" (1 Cor 1:31).

This is written in the prophet Jeremiah (cf. Jer 9:24). These are worthy words, spoken by the prophet, that in God is our praise and glory. For there is no condemnation, nor can there be, for one who boasts in the Lord.

The Apostle said, "from Him," not with regard to creation, but with regard to salvation. For it is written: "As many as received Him, to them He gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn 1:12-13).

And since the Apostle said that "God chose the foolish, the weak, and the lowborn things of the world," he necessarily added, "from Him you are," thereby explaining the nobility that had been granted. He also showed the manner of birth, saying, "in Christ Jesus." For you have not been named after this man or that, but in Christ you were deemed worthy of rebirth.

To boast in the Lord means the same as glorifying the Lord for His mercies, with confession of hope that they will continue. This is also the thought in the passage of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 9:23-24), which the Apostle applies here, according to Bishop Theophan.

God, as Creator and Provider, was always the Highest Wisdom. Yet in the last times the Only-begotten Son of God appeared preeminently as the Wisdom of God. He did so through the merciful justification of sinful people, granted when He accepted responsibility for the guilty. In this, mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed. Still more, He appeared as Wisdom through their sanctification by the gifts of grace, and finally through their deliverance from death and their being brought to eternal life.

Outward advantages are nothing. All value belongs to spiritual advantages. But since they are all received from the Lord and in the Lord, if you wish to glory, glory only in the Lord.

To glory in the Lord, then, means not merely with the tongue, but with the constant feeling of the heart, to confess that whatever exists in the spirit is all from the Lord and belongs to the Lord. It also means confessing that any hope for preserving what one has and acquiring more rests wholly upon the Lord. To glory in the Lord means the same as glorifying the Lord for His mercies, while confessing hope that they will continue.