We live in a world that is driven by human achievements and intelligence.

Every aspect of human life is built on human efforts and boasting – education, career, wealth, politics, sports, morality, etc.

The way of this world is to boast in human efforts and power.

But God’s way is not of this world.

God’s way is the opposite of man.

God’s way is grace – through the person of Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord and Savior.

We have received every spiritual gift and are complete in the grace of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 1:4-7 “I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—  God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.”

Jesus Christ became sin on the cross and died for our sins. But He was raised to make us righteous by the grace of God, not by our works.

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. “

The world boasts in their works, efforts, intelligence, money, power, abilities but we boast in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again to make us righteous and blessed by His power.

1 Corinthians 1 “²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

So we have nothing to boast in our efforts or human abilities because we are weak in them.

But in the Lord, we boast.

1 Corinthians 2 “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^[e] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”

The ways of the world are not free. Everything in the world has a price that must be paid by human efforts and mostly through money and power.

But God’s grace is free – without our efforts, money, abilities, qualifications, or power.

1 Corinthians 2 “² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us….we have the mind of Christ.”

The mind of Christ is to know the grace of God.

God’s grace is given freely – not by our works, abilities, qualifications, efforts, power, money, looks, networking, etc.

God gives grace to the weak – to those who cannot do anything by their own effort.

Thank you Jesus Christ our Lord who was crucified for us and rose again.

Jesus became sin to make us righteous

Jesus was cursed to give us every blessing.