The Right Way to Brag (Part 1 of 2)

The Main Idea: Brag About the Lord

The main idea from this passage in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 is that if you want to brag about something, you should brag about the Lord. Any kind of boasting or bragging as a Christian should be entirely centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

As Paul will say in chapter 2, he determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. He puts this principle into practice: if you're going to boast, brag about Christ.

The Corinthian Context: Divisions from Distraction

This fits the context of the Corinthian church, which faced huge issues from departing from the centrality of the gospel. They were distracted from the Word of God and the gospel, leading to ridiculous arguments and divisions. They split into groups: "I'm of Paul," "I'm of Apollos," "I'm of Cephas," "I'm of Christ." This happened because they abandoned a focus on the gospel.

Even baptism, which in the gospel framework is a profound sacrament, lost its meaning. They turned it into a popularity contest and superiority complex. It wasn't just "I'm of Paul"; it was "You're an idiot if you're of Apollos." If they truly followed Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ, they would be unified because they all preached the same gospel.

The big issue in 1 Corinthians is what happens when people abandon the gospel as the centerpiece of their theology and life: divisions and schisms arise. Paul corrects this by refocusing them on Jesus Christ.

You Were Nothing When Jesus Saved You

The idea from our text is that you were nothing when Jesus saved you. You were part of the insignificant, the lower of the low—at least in worldly terms. You were not strong but weak, not wise but foolish (the Greek word moria, moronic). To have a superiority complex is to take your eyes off the gospel. There's nothing about you better than another Christian. Remember what you were like when saved. We all come from weakness, from places with nothing to boast about.

The fundamental Christian attitude is: "I was scum, and Christ saved me." Think of the Protestant Reformers like Martin Luther, departing from Rome's glory, calling themselves worms and wretches because they understood what God saved them from.

There's no difference between someone who grew up in church and someone saved last week from drugs, sex, alcohol, and depravity. God chose the low and despised. "I'm of Paul? I used to be of sin. I'm of Cephas? I used to be of my father the devil." We all came from weakness and a horrible state—even if our earliest memories weren't of overt sin, they were still sin.

The Word of God exposes sin still in us. John Calvin said the human heart is a factory of idols. The "big sins" (prostitution) and "little sins" (stubbing your toe on morality) come from the same heart. Anyone can commit any sin.

Total Depravity: No Room for Superiority

This is crucial because every one of us was in total depravity, weak in flesh, capitalizing on sin—yet God saved us.

[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... Everyone has gone astray... [They] have altogether become worthless.

Romans 3 (paraphrase)

If born human, you're born worthless, sinful, depraved, capable of any sin—even inventing new ones (Romans 1: "inventors of evil").

God saves people to demonstrate his glory in their lives. Many preach a man-centered gospel: God saves us because we have intrinsic value. But that's wrong. Songs saying "you're worth dying for" miss the point. Christ's blood is infinitely more valuable than us wretched sinners. It's trillions for rags—an infinite value for filth offensive to God.

As Charles Spurgeon said, a diamond shines brightest against a black surface. God's glory shines brightest against our sin, so his magnificence is displayed. Our lives should emphasize God's glory, not our achievements, birth, or family. It's about God saving sinners, not us.

Two Kinds of Wretchedness: Lawlessness and Legalism

Put wretched people together—those with inflated self-views—and you get division. They see others as opportunities to gain, not give.

There are two wretchednesses: lawlessness (drugs, sex, alcohol; open rebellion) and legalism (doing everything "perfectly" for self-glory). An atheist can build a works religion. Biblically, that's lawlessness vs. Phariseeism—boasting in tithing, fasting: "Lord, I thank you I'm not like that wretched man."

That's worse than honest sin because it misrepresents righteousness. Pharisees knew Scripture yet trusted their goodness—Jesus called them whitewashed tombs, doubly dead.

In Corinth, boasting "I was baptized by Paul" sought edge and glory. Correct it by remembering: you came from rags. Ezekiel 16 pictures Israel as a newborn choking in blood, helpless—God cleaned, raised, and wed her. We were abandoned, destined for death, but God, rich in mercy, saved us.

Preach the gospel to yourself daily: we are great sinners needing a great Savior. This makes accepting others' struggles easier—we're all struggling.

The Church of Honest Sinners

Every genuine Christian struggles with sin. The "problem cases" are best off—their sin is known, so they seek help from pastors and brothers. Danger is in those with no confessed sin: lone wolves or legalists pretending "I'm fine."

Even "small" sins like occasional lying, if truly your only struggle, would feel infinitely wretched—like Paul at life's end calling himself the worst sinner. He, a strict Pharisee who shunned big sins, grew to see his wretchedness more deeply.

The church— like Corinth, a valid New Testament church—must be filled with people honest about sin, weaknesses, struggles. There, God demonstrates his glory.

God doesn't call the equipped; he equips the called. More accurately: God calls the ill-equipped and does mighty deeds through them, so his glory shines as the unable do much in the Lord's name.