◄ What Does 1 Corinthians 1:29 Mean? ►

Sin is so terrible in the sight of God, that Paul determined to explain the shockingly high price that God in His grace chose to pay to redeem mankind so that no-one could ever boast that they were saved because of their good works. There are none that are good, and not one can brag that their kindly deeds, financial contribution, pious prayers, saintly religiosity, or ecclesiastical duties contributed towards their forgiveness of sin and everlasting life.

Man was the pinnacle of God's creation, but sin erected an immovable barrier between man and God: "For the wages of sin is death," which means eternal separation from the God Who created us. The eternal consequences of our sin are shocking, but by contrast the goodness and grace of God are exhibited in the sacrificial death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and accessed by faith.

Although God has set eternity in the heart of man, sinful rebellion placed humanity under a terrible curse, leaving us in permanent bondage to sin, forever estranged from God, and eternally enslaved by Satan. Man's sin infected our very nature causing us to know what was evil without the capacity to avoid it, and knowing what was good without the ability to do it.

But God in His goodness and grace determined that He would redeem mankind from this shocking state of slavery into which we had fallen, as a totally free gift to all who would believe in the sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection of His only begotten Son, by faith. God not only purposed to pay the price for the sin of mankind so that our sin could be forgiven, but He chose to reestablish our fellowship with Himself and adopt us as His own children. He even imputed us with Christ's righteousness, making us citizens of heaven and bestowing on each of us eternal life.

Redemption could only come at a tremendous cost: the sacrificial death of God's dearly beloved Son on behalf of all mankind. Nothing need be added to Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, for His death paid the price in full, but nothing less than His sacrificial death could satisfy the righteous demands of a just and holy God.

God's redemptive act would be offered as a free gift of grace to all who would believe, but it could not be earned or paid for. God resolved that mankind would be justified by the blood of Christ alone and not be awarded salvation in respect of our merit, pious behaviours, or any good works that we could accomplish. God purposed that our redemption could not be earned by acts of righteousness nor by any charitable gifts or religious rituals.

God determined that the one and only payment for sin would be the death of His only begotten Son; nothing more, and nothing less. He determined that nothing extra would be required so that no one could proudly boast that their good deeds were part-payment for their salvation, or smugly stand before God saying that they had made a contribution to their justification.

God chose what the world considers foolish, in order to shame 'wise people.' He chose what the world considers weak in order to shame what man considers to be strong. God chose what the world regards as insignificant, contemptible, and worthless in order to nullify what might appear to be something of worth in man's eyes. And this was all done so that no human being could boast in front of God, as it is written by Jeremiah: "The person who wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord."

Heavenly Father, thank You that I have nothing to boast about, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Thank You that it is by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ alone, that I have been redeemed and have received the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Thank You that you have chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. In Jesus' name, AMEN.