Section 1

The passage opens by grounding everything in a single, humbling truth from 1 Corinthians 1:30: it is because of God the Father that we are in Christ Jesus. This immediately dismantles any notion that humanity finds God through effort, intellect, or spiritual insight. God reveals Himself; without His initiative, grace, and revelation, no one could ever truly know Him. While Scripture affirms human responsibility in responding to God, it equally affirms God’s foreknowledge and sovereign action. These realities are not enemies but companions. God knows those who are His, and at the same time, people are called to depart from iniquity. At the heart of this truth is humility, recognizing that even the next breath we take is a gift from God, leaving no room for self-congratulation in His presence.

Section 2

Paul then identifies four defining works of Christ in the believer’s life: wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Jesus is our wisdom because all true knowledge and understanding are found in Him, not merely as information but as divine insight into life and eternity. He is our righteousness, not something we produce, but something placed upon us, like a breastplate that protects the heart. Our holiness is not a performance of religious behavior, but God setting us apart from the corruption of the world and claiming us as His own. Redemption ties all of this together, as Jesus paid the price to buy us back from sin and captivity. Everything believers possess that has eternal value flows from what Christ has done, not from human merit or discipline.

Section 3

The natural conclusion of this truth is found in Paul’s citation of Jeremiah: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Boasting is not condemned when it exalts God rather than self. Any confidence rooted in personal ability, intelligence, or righteousness is empty, but boasting in the Lord is simply acknowledging reality. Every good thing, every moment of faithfulness, and every act of obedience is possible only because God enables it. True humility grows when credit is surrendered and glory is returned to its rightful place. In this light, Jesus alone holds preeminence, and gratitude becomes the believer’s constant posture, recognizing that life in Christ exists entirely because God chose to make Himself known.