No more boasting about human

“So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours,” (1 Corinthians 3:21)

 

People generally feel a living fun by boasting about themselves. Especially in the aged, they like to boast often of one’s past and the children. Such an appearance is the same for Christians. The Bible text says, “no more boasting about human.” Christians are the holy temple of God, where the Holy Spirit is being inside. The house of the Holy Spirit must not be dirty, so try to maintain always holy. People’s boasting is foolish thing to God as it belongs to the wisdom of the world. The people in Christ belong to God as Christ’s possession. Thus they can live safely above the wisdom of the world.

 

In the times of Old Testament, anybody couldn’t freely access the temple of God. Even the Levites, selected for the work of God, could not interfere with the duties of the priests, Aaron’s descendants, or enter the sanctuary. Because there was a strict rule about it, the violator of the rules had to die on the spot. Because of the strict regulations and punishments, the people complained to Moses this, “Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die, are we all going to die?” as Numbers 17:13. Then you might think, “Isn’t God too much harsh?” But it is tells us how strict God’s commands, regulations, and laws were. It is an example of the fundamental difference between man and thorough God, who is attracted to sympathy and handles things in moderation.

 

Giving a warm heart to someone is an act for the Christians to have to practice. It tells that’s how important a compassionate attitude of life is. But do you know what’s more important than compassion? It is itself a life that fears and executes God’s commands, regulations, and laws. God is a merciful and gracious Being, so we may regard God comfortable as a friend, but we must have a life of full faith and obedience in front of Him ahead of doing so. If not, you may reach spiritual illness and death, just as a sleeping baby is frightened suddenly in sleeping. Don’t forget the stern words Jesus, the love, said to Peter. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

A man who boasts wealth and children and knowledge or power is a foolish man, who makes himself deceive by thinking as wise. The Bible clearly said you shouldn’t be such a fool. And yet, there seem to be quite a few people who live by speaking and acting as if they were rejecting that word head-on around us. Sometimes I had felt ashamed as a Christian, looking at the godly life of a Buddhist. Why are the Christians, the holy temple of God, worse than them? At such a time, deep sadness fills my heart. They pretending to be boast of themselves look smart and cool, but God will get them fall for their own tricks. Solomon’s confession who was wiser and enjoyed a great glory than others was this, “Everything is in vain.” For Christians, everything in the world cannot be absolute, this is a main issue we have to know.

 

Solomon’s confession may sound like a saying that you are all right to live your life negatively, but that’s a big misunderstanding. Even if Solomon’s confession is right, yet the life of a man who believes in Jesus never be in vain. For, nihility arises from the lack of the way, the truth, and the life. He who believes in Jesus has already gained through Jesus the way, the truth, and the life completely. Accordingly he has a clear view of how the path of life unfolds. He knows what the true value of life is. With a new life, he can also get a new power. And yet why, are you lead into the nihilistic? If you’re a true Christian, don’t worry about the pecuniary profit or the eating and etc only, like secular persons. As men should not to be beasts, Christians on the surface, it isn’t to be greedy Pharisees inside.

 

God created all things in the world and gave those all as gifts to men. However, He did not give it to men to use it carelessly, but in obeying God’s word and enjoy it to the fullest. But on account of the life of disobedience, they had no choice but to bring on themselves a rod of punishment. Nevertheless through Jesus Christ, the God who came as a man, a man was saved. Christ, the true and eternal road of life, is the Lord of salvation. So now, shake off the stupidity of boasting about worldly things, but do only boast of Jesus the complete Leader.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on June 4th 2023)