What Have We Done?

1 Corinthians 4:7

“For who makes you differ from one another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

Of all the topics for me to write about, humility is likely the one I am least qualified. It is a sin that constantly shows up in my mind and in my heart and never seems to go away. It is always at the top of my list as an area I need to grow in and anytime someone asks how they can pray for me my first thought is, “I need humility.”

The good thing is, I don’t need to tell you how to be humble. Just like with every article I write, all I, and we, ever need to do is look at the Bible and see what it says. I am not your example, for then you would be following a hypocrite. My only aim is to show you what Scripture says and to challenge you and me to live for the glory of God. In this case, I am challenging us to live a life of humility.

What Paul is saying in this verse is quite simple yet very powerful. Who makes us different? Did we choose our talents? Did we decide to be coordinated? Did we decide to have a photographic memory? Did we decide that everything we are taught would make sense immediately? Did we decide to be a natural leader? Did we decide to be tall? Did we decide to be beautiful/handsome? Obviously, we did not choose any of these things. We were born this way. Born to be smart, or athletic, or good-looking. We had no part in what talents and abilities we would have when we were born.

You may be thinking, “Well, I worked really hard to be where I am today, so in a way I have made myself differ from another.” I disagree. Working hard is a great trait, and there is nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can be, in fact you should try to utilize the talents God has given you to the fullest (Colossians 3:23; Ecclesiastes 9:10; 1 Corinthians 10:31), but your hard work would not even be possible without God. God is the One Who decided you would have two hands and two feet. He is the One Who decided to give you a healthy heart. He is the One Who decided to let those math equations finally make sense in your brain. He may be rewarding your hard work, but He is the One Who made it possible. He is the One Who chose to let you be who you are.

We have received everything from God. The fact I can sit here and type right now is because of God. The fact I can still breathe, that my brain is still working, that I can still see, are because He has decided to continue to give me that gift. I am not worthy, I have not put in the hard work for it, I have not earned it, but God has graciously kept me alive up and will do so until He decides it is my time to go.

Paul’s purpose for asking these two rhetorical questions is to drive home his point. Why are you boasting? Why are you prideful? What have you done?

The answer is clear. We have done nothing worth boasting about. We cannot do anything worth boasting about. The only reason we are alive is because of God, so how can we boast about being valedictorian, running a profitable company, or scoring a game winning touchdown in the championship game? We can do exactly nothing without God. We owe nothing to ourselves and everything to God.

Isaiah 10:15 says, “Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood!” Just as much as an ax or a saw cannot boast about how they chopped or sawed wood, we cannot boast about anything we accomplish. Do you believe your ax deserves to be praised when you chop wood? Of course not! If it weren’t for you the ax wouldn’t be able to chop anything. That’s us, we are incapable of doing anything without God. So why do we boast?

In reading both 1 Corinthians 4:7 and Isaiah 10:15 it is so clear that I have nothing to boast about, and yet I know before the day is over, I will be prideful in some way. Subtly prideful, perhaps, but still prideful. We are a wicked, sinful people (Isaiah 64:6), but God is a good and gracious God. Let’s pray and seek His help to change us and our hearts from being our natural, prideful selves and to become humble. It is a daily battle, and we ought to die daily to ourselves and our flesh (1 Corinthians 15:31). Let us seek His help and claim His promises (James 1:5; Isaiah 40:28-31) so that we may be holy and acceptable before Him (Romans 12:1)!

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