1 Corinthians 1:28-31 (ESV)
[28] God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that
are not, to bring to nothing things that are, [29] so that no human being might
boast in the presence of God. [30] And because of him you are in Christ Jesus,
who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and
redemption, [31] so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in
the Lord.”
Sporting
events are essentially for bragging rights. The winner of the World Series can
brag that they are the best baseball team in the world. The World Cup winner
can brag that they are the best football (soccer) team in the world. The Olympics
are all about getting the gold medal and which country brings home the most
gold medals. It is all about bragging rights. So, what does the church have to
brag about?
There are no Church Olympics to determine which is the best Christian in the
world. Unfortunately there are sometimes articles proclaiming the Top Ten Preachers
of our day, or the most influential people in our century. But no true preacher
of the gospel sets a goal of being on that list. As believers in Jesus Christ,
our bragging rights are not in who we are or what we do, but in who we serve. In
the last verse of 1 Corinthians 1 the writer quotes from Jeremiah 9:23-24a
which reads, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his
riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me.’”
Our bragging rights are not in the size of the church we attend, the amount
of money we send to missions, the size of our budget, the number of programs we
are involved in, who our pastor is, or who we know. Our bragging rights are not
in how many followers we have online, how many meetings we have in a week, or
how many people look to us for counsel and guidance. Our bragging rights are in
the one we serve. Here is my boast, my master is Lord of lords, King of kings,
and God of gods. He is the God “who practices steadfast love, justice, and
righteousness in the earth” (Jer 9:24). That is my boast. I have no other. When
we fail to live that truth we have embraced idolatry of the most insidious kind
for we have robbed God of his glory.
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