As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.” When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them. (2 Corinthians 10:17-18 NLT)
Every time I read passages from Paul's letters to the Church at Corinth, It always amazes me how much Corinth compares to the American Church of today. I mean, here we have a location where the Gospel was initially preached long ago (in Corinth's case, by the Apostle Paul), but has slowly become influenced by false teachers.
Instead of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ which taught them to worship God who empowers Christians to serve their church community, these new teachers taught a false gospel that encouraged them them to stand out in their church culture as "God's people" to be admired by all. The influence of this teaching had begun to take root in Corinth, leading to some pretty strange and chaotic things to take place in their church services, and making it difficult for newcomers to grow in Jesus.
This "boasting" is what Paul is correcting them on. The Church at Corinth was one of the first churches Paul had established. But since he'd been gone, his character had begun to come into question... mainly because of these "proud prophets and spiritual giants" who had sprung up within their assemblies.
So how does this apply to you and I? In a number of ways, I think:
-We live in a culture where there are more celebrity bible teachers than you can shake a stick at. Many of them teach a false gospel and are not held accountable for their actions.
-We live in a culture where we are often tempted to feel entitled to privileges rather than choosing humility.
-We all have a choice to make: live a life that boasts of our accomplishments or a life that boasts of Christ's accomplishments.
Which side will we choose to be on today?
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