Glory of God in Salvation

The TEXT  (1:30)

30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1. Every word of God is pure (Pr 30:5). Every word of God is for spiritual life (Luke 4:4).
2. The verse is glorious; it states God’s choices – of us in Christ and Christ’s roles for us.
   1. Here are some very precious facts of the universe, but only the elect ever grasp them.
   2. Salvation is of the Lord! This verse and the ones before and following all declare it.
   3. Those little prepositions of our language are huge here – of, in, of, and Glory!
   4. They connect and explain what God did for us by His glorious Servant Christ Jesus.
   5. The repeated coordinating conjunction and for four blessings in Christ adds weight.
3. The inspired disjunctive but opposes the previous verse – any flesh glorying before God.
   1. The Bible has many wonderful adversative conjunctions to create inspired contrasts.
   2. In opposition to men getting glory in heaven, He designed salvation to eliminate it.
   3. God has so arranged the gift of eternal life from just damnation that He gets all glory.
   4. He not only chose us in Christ Jesus, but He ordained Jesus Christ to do all the work.
   5. The conjunction that used to open the verses before and after explain why He chose.
   6. Individually and corporately let us always make sure God and His Son get all glory.
4. The elect – those chosen in previous verses – are in Christ Jesus by God’s choice alone.
   1. The prepositional phrase of him means God put us in Christ (Eph 1:3-6; II Tim 1:9).
   2. All things are of Him and by Jesus, creation and reconciliation (I Cor 8:6; II Co 5:18).
   3. This choice by God has been clearly emphasized in the context (I Cor 1:24,26,27,28).
   4. Being in Christ Jesus is absolutely crucial to eternal life (Rom 8:28-39; II Tim 2:19).
   5. We would never have chosen God or Christ; we had gladly chosen the devil’s palace.
5. The ye in Christ Jesus are those made different from others by God’s gracious choice.
   1. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out; they were given to Him (Jn 6:37).
   2. The sheep of Christ were not so by believing but by this great gift (John 10:26-28).
   3. Jesus had power over all men, but He gave eternal life only to those given (Jn 17:2).
6. Christ Jesus – the One ordained and assigned to save us – is by God’s wise ordination.
   1. The prepositional phrase of God means God ordained Jesus to His roles to save us.
   2. Jesus even at twelve was about His Father’s work (Luke 2:49; John 4:34; 9:4; 17:4).
   3. He learned obedience by things He suffered to be a perfect high priest (Heb 5:5-10).
   4. He is our exalted high priest after the order of Melchisedec to save to the uttermost.
   5. The everlasting covenant was put in force by means … the means of our Lord’s death.
7. God made Jesus our solution for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and
   1. Here are four of the many facets of the gift of eternal life like those of a diamond.
   2. Wisdom is the intellectual, or intelligence, or prudence aspect of our soul salvation.
   3. Righteousness is the legal, forensic, judicial, or imputation aspect of our salvation.
   4. Sanctification is the religious, holiness, consecration, or separation part of salvation.
   5. Redemption is the economic, financial, purchase, or ransom aspect of our salvation.
8. Wisdom … God made Jesus the perfect solution for our wisdom indirectly and directly.
   1. Context before and after condemns man’s wisdom (I Cor 1:18-23; 2:4-8; 3:18-20).
   2. Paul preached Christ against man’s wisdom for faith (I Cor 1:17-25; 2:1-8,13-16).
   3. God made Jesus our wisdom indirectly (His wise plan) and directly (Jesus’ wisdom).
   4. Jesus is perfect wisdom by God’s plan (I Cor 1:24; 2:7; Eph 1:8; 3:10; Rom 11:33).
   5. Jesus is also perfect wisdom by His own wisdom (Luke 2:52; Col 2:1-3; Rev 5:12).
   6. Though depraved fools, God’s wisdom in Christ guarantees our salvation two ways.
   7. He is Wonderful and Counselor, our lawyer for victory (Rom 5:10; 8:34; Heb 7:25).
9. Righteousness … God made Jesus the person and means of complete, final justification.
   1. To be just with God is our desperate need (Job 9:1-2; 25:4; Psalm 143:2; Rom 3:20).
   2. So God made Jesus the Substitute for us both negatively and positively (II Cor 5:21).
   3. Jesus Christ’s work for God and us was clearly prophesied (Isaiah 53:11; Dan 9:24).
   4. He bore our sins in His own body to take them away (Heb 1:3; I Pet 2:24; Rev 1:5).
   5. He obeyed God’s law for righteousness to be imputed (Ro 3:21-26; 5:16-19; 8:3-4).
10. Sanctification … God made His holy child Jesus the perfect solution for needed holiness.
    1. Our God is thrice-holy, and He cannot approvingly behold sin (Is 6:1-5; Hab 1:13).
    2. Emphasis of holiness in His character cannot be overstated (Num 15:37-41; Ps 96:9).
    3. God sanctified and made us holy through the death of Jesus (Heb 2:11; 10:10-14).
    4. He chose us in Christ for blameless holiness, and it was done (Eph 1:3-4; 5:25-27).
    5. God is absolutely and perfectly holy, but He will make us so, even changing bodies.
11. Redemption … God had an eternal claim on us for our sin, but He made Jesus pay it off.
    1. Salvation is not mainly deliverance from Satan but rather from God’s divine justice.
    2. The perfect, just God of the Bible does not acquit or clear (Nah 1:3; Ex 34:7; Ps 5:5).
    3. So He perfectly designed Jesus Christ to be the ransom payment for us (I Tim 2:6).
    4. It is glorious (Rom 3:24; Gal 3:13; 4:5; Eph 1:7; Heb 9:12-15; I Pet 1:18-20; Re 5:9).
12. This text is perfect today for the Friend of Sinners (6:9-11) and communion (11:24-26).

The IMMEDIATE CONTEXT  (1:29-31)

29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

1. It is obvious that our text is surrounded by two statements that God saves for His glory.
2. That = conjunction = adding further explanation of why God elected to save the foolish.
   1. The grammar and sense of the verse is simple – it explains why God did all Himself.
   2. He would not allow any man any basis in heaven for glorying in himself or another.
3. Flesh = slighting term for man inferior to angels that is far inferior to an infinite Spirit.
   1. Consider several general uses of flesh for man (Matt 24:22; John 17:2; I Peter 1:24).
   2. Compare other references slighting men (Gen 7:21-22; Is 2:22; Jer 17:5; Ps 62:9).
4. Glory = a wonderful word of the Holy Ghost, which is used as both a noun and a verb.
   1. Glory as a noun = exalted praise, honor, or admiration; majesty and splendor of God.
   2. Glory as a verb = to exult with excited triumph, rejoice proudly; to confidently boast.
   3. It is the verb form used here – proud boasting God cannot and will not allow (I Cor 1:31; 4:7; 5:6; Rom 3:19,27; 4:2; Eph 2:9; Psalm 49:6; Isaiah 10:15; Jer 9:23-24).
5. The presence of God usually refers to heaven where we are in His proximate presence.
   1. The inherent intent behind the universe will be realized – the glory of God Himself.
   2. He made all things for His own glory, even the wicked (Prov 16:4; Rom 9:22-24).
   3. When we stand accepted in Christ before God in heaven it will be all of His grace.
6. God designed the gift of eternal life so that no one will get to heaven and boast at all.
   1. Eternal phase – the original choice and promise of God to elect He chose from base.
   2. Legal phase – the sending of His Son to cover all their sins and secure all blessings.
   3. Vital phase – regeneration to spiritual life to them personally (Jn 1:13; 3:8; Eph 2:1).
   4. Final phase – glorification in heaven by a fabulous change and eternal inheritance.
   5. I have heard testimonies of those planning to thank a person in heaven(s). No way!
   6. John saw the four beasts and twenty-four elders worshipping the Lamb in heaven.
   7. We will not glory in ourselves; we will not glory in another; one Man gets the glory!

31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1. That = conjunction = adding further explanation of God’s choices for His own glory.
   1. The grammar and sense of the verse is simple – it explains why God did all Himself.
   2. He would not allow any man any basis in heaven for glorying in himself or another.
2. Jeremiah wrote the contrasting objects for glorying that Paul used here (Jer 9:23-24).
   1. God condemned man’s three main basis for boasting – wisdom, might, and riches.
   2. These apply well to education/intellect, athletic success, financial/business success.
   3. Instead, men should glory – delight in triumph – they know God and His attributes.
3. Glory = a wonderful word of the Holy Ghost, which is used as both a noun and a verb.
   1. Glory as a noun = exalted praise, honor, or admiration; majesty and splendor of God.
   2. Glory as a verb = to exult with excited triumph, rejoice proudly; to confidently boast.
   3. It is the verb form used here – proud boasting God cannot and will not allow (I Cor 1:29; 4:7; 5:6; Rom 3:19,27; 4:2; Eph 2:9; Psalm 49:6; Isaiah 10:15; Jer 9:23-24).

The WIDER CONTEXT  (1:17 – 2:16)

1. 1:17 … eloquence and oratorical ability corrupt the gospel’s effect (II Cor 2:14-17).
2. 1:18 … the cross simply preached proves a man perishing or proves a man born again.
3. 1:19-21 … God chose dealing with depraved man to destroy and expose them by Christ.
4. 1:22-23 … though having a perfect market survey, Paul preached what the market hated.
5. 1:24 … but others ordained by God from Jews and Gentiles loved the divisive gospel.
6. 1:25 … men think Christ crucified foolish and weak; it is gloriously wise and powerful.
7. 1:26-28 … God mainly chose foolish, weak, base, despised nothings to believe Christ.
8. 1:29-31 … Why did He save by His choice and Christ’s work – His exclusive glory!
9. 2:1-5 … Paul dumbed down his preaching to make sure only the elect would believe it.
10. 2:6-13 … Christians have hidden wisdom of spiritual things far beyond the world’s best.
11. 2:14 … natural men reject the things of the Spirit as foolishness due to spiritual inability.
12. 2:15-16 … the born again, despised elect know the truth of deep things by Christ’s Spirit.

BACK TO THE TEXT  (1:30)

1. But … contrary to all false doctrine and confidence of men, salvation is God’s free gift.
2. of Him … is God’s sovereign and gracious choice to elect us in His son for eternal life.
3. are ye … is the elect of God we know we are today by believing and loving the gospel.
4. in Christ Jesus … where all spiritual blessings are, and we were chosen there in eternity.
5. who of God … is God’s sovereign and gracious plan to assign His beloved Son to save.
6. is made … God’s infinite wisdom planned how He could be both just and the Justifier.
7. unto us … Jesus did the next four things for the elect, and they will surely get each one.
8. wisdom … the wisdom we lack is overwhelmed by God’s wisdom in Jesus and His own.
9. righteousness … of which we have none, is our sins on Christ, and His perfection on us.
10. sanctification … means we are fully consecrated and holy to a thrice-holy God by Jesus.
11. redemption … means we have been bought back from demands of God’s law against us.