So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

1 Corinthians 3:21-23

The Corinthians were definitely “boast(ing) in men,” unfortunately.  Some were boasting, “‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ’” (1:12), thus dividing Christ and his church at Corinth (1:10-13).  By doing so, they were embracing worldliness instead of godliness and were preventing themselves from growing spiritually as they should (3:1-4).  They were also taking part in destroying “God’s temple” which is the church in which “God’s Spirit dwells” (3:16-17).

Of course, they did not know that their “boast(ing) in men” was causing all of these eternally detrimental atrocities.  As Paul would later say of them concerning their error about the Lord’s Supper, “But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged” (11:31).  As is common of us all, they had judged themselves to be fine in the sight of God and did not realize that they needed to be corrected.  Thus, Paul now says to them, “Let no one deceive himself” (3:18a), literally in the Greek, “Let no one keep on deceiving himself.”  By contentiously trying to “one-up” each other by bragging about who had converted them, they did not realize that their professed superior wisdom was actually a sign of the depths of their foolishness.

This is why Paul goes on to say, “If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (3:18b).  In other words, make the choice to open yourself to the possibility that you do not have it all figured out, that you are mistaken, and that you are on the wrong path.  Humanity typically recoils from thinking ourselves as wrong or foolish.  However, since God’s thoughts and ways are vastly different from our own (Is. 55:8-9), we exist solely to serve him (Eccl. 12:13), and it is God whose judgment we depend upon for eternal salvation (Eccl. 12:14; 2 Cor. 5:10), it is essential that we go against what comes naturally to us and make the choice to “become a fool,” i.e., have the humility to acknowledge that we are doing wrong.  Only then will we “become wise,” i.e., make the wisest decision one could make by choosing to repent and do what God wants you to do.  In order to stay on the right path (Matt. 7:13-14), all Christians must continually do this (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 1:7-9).  The Corinthians needed to do this as well.

Paul’s discourse about being “wise in this age” and “becom(ing) a fool that he may become wise” harkens back to his earlier teaching about how God views the wisdom of the world (1:18-29).  He recaps it again now, citing Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 while doing so:  “For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.  For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile’” (3:19-20).  Brethren, the Lord will always know the right way and the best path.  We would do well to always acknowledge that and humbly act accordingly.

This brings us to verses 21-23, cited above.  The apostle had spent most of chapters 1-3 to make the point that the Corinthians needed to stop bragging about following Paul, Apollos, Cephas (Peter), or even Christ (for the wrong reason of boasting of supposed superiority).  They needed to understand that “all things are yours,” including “Paul or Apollos or Cephas” because they were nothing more than “servants through whom you believed” (3:5).  Yet beyond them, “the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, and you are Christ’s…”  Wayne Jackson explains, “All of this world’s events, present or future, in life or death, are shared by each Christian because we belong to Christ…”

“…and Christ is God’s” (3:23b).  Jesus acknowledged that his Father had authority over him (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 7:18; 12:49-50).  Since we belong to Jesus, we must likewise seek to do his Father’s will.

— Jon