1 Corinthians 3:21-23

Scripture: 1 Cor. 3:21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,

1 Cor. 3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours,

1 Cor. 3:23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Teaching: Paul begins his conclusion for his case for spiritual wisdom and church unity here. The Corinthians were clinging to the wisdom of God rather than man, so Paul once again calls his audience not to boast in men (in themselves, in their works, in their worldly affiliations, and particularly here, in their human leaders) and adds a curious phrase “for all things are yours.” What things are these?

Paul details them in verse 22. First he alludes back to verse 1:12 by calling himself, Apollos, and Cephas (Peter) to mind – reminding them that even though they held up these three men as their leaders and affiliated themselves with them (to the detriment of church unity), these three men were on equal footing before Christ with them. Then, he defines the “things” of verse 21 as “the world or life or death or the present or the future” and repeats the phrase “all are yours.” This is reminiscent of his point in Romans 8:38 when Paul declares that nothing – not “death...life...present nor the future” can separate a believer from Christ. Here, Paul means that all things are available to the believer because we, as believers, share the same source of life – Christ. We do not receive unequal measures of Christ nor incomplete fulfillment of His promises, and thus, for the Corinthians to be satisfied with so little of what God has given them that they quarrel over which apostle they follow is unthinkable to Paul. Paul is calling them to open their eyes and their minds to recognize all that they have each been granted by Christ, and in that realization, see the uselessness and fruitlessness of their reliance on worldly wisdom and factious quarrels.

In verse 23, Paul makes clear that none of them – Paul included – received “all things” because they were inherently deserving. No, it is because God gives all authority to Christ that Christ has these things to give. All things trace back to the Father.

Takeaway: How small-minded we all can be sometimes. We are all guilty of “straining a gnat but swallowing a camel” at times – focusing on minor, insignificant things in life and completely missing the big picture of what God is doing (Matt. 23:24). The Corinthians were guilty of this, choosing to fight over which apostle’s team they belonged to rather than embrace all that God was doing and offering to them in Christ. It is like winning the Mega Millions lottery and then fighting over who pays the parking meter when you go pick up the check. The Corinthians chose to quarrel with each other according to what their Greek worldview told them was important, but in doing so, they missed the greater truth – the truth informed by spiritual wisdom – that God had so much more for them in Christ. For us, we all share the same source for our faith, our giftings, and our destiny. What a shame it is when we take our eyes off Christ and focus them on the gnats of this world.