Kyle Farran’s article entitled “10 Reasons Why God Entrusts Us with Trials”, Missionary Life, Vol. 67, Issue 1 (2019) [10 Reasons God Entrusts Us With Trials | ABWE] cites 1 Corinthians 1:28-29, 31 as Scriptural support for the fifth reason: Trials Make Me Depend on God .
Kyle writes:
God uses trials to cause me to more fully depend on him. He wants me to cling to him and find peace in him alone. The greatest battle that is waged each day for the glory of God is not the one around me, it is the one in me. My sinful heart does not want to relinquish control. Trials are God’s tool to break my dependence on self so that I will trust in him alone.
Steve’s comments now follow.
The relevant Scripture is 1 Corinthians 1:28-29, 31 (NET), which reads:
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 29 so that no one can boast in his presence. … 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
The less literal NLT translation of 1 Corinthians 1:28–29, 31 (NLT) reads:
28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. … 31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
The more literal translation is 1 Corinthians 1:28–29, 31 (NASB95), which reads:
28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. … 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
For the sake of completeness, the quotation from the OT (upper case letters in v. 31) is Jeremiah 9:23–24 (NET) and it reads:
23 The Lord says, “Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich. 24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things,” says the Lord.
The relevant teaching taken from the OT quotation is, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 gives counsel to three kinds of people. First, Jeremiah counsels the wise saying they should not boast because they are wise. Any wisdom a human possess comes from God. Second, Jeremiah tells powerful people not to boast because they are powerful. God establishes and removes people from positions of power. Third, Jeremiah tells rich people not to boast in their wealth. One must remember the truth that all wealth comes from God. God can give wealth and He can take it away.
The theme that God is behind it all (active or passive) carries through to trials. To the extent someone does well in a trial, give God the credit! God is the One who sees a person through a trial no matter how it ends!!!
On a personal note, my trial has broken me to the point where only God gives me the strength to carry on and persevere. My “gas tank” is on “empty.” Of course, He has given me my precious wife, Sharon, who is great support. He has given me great brothers and sisters in Christ who are tremendous encouragements. But, He is the source of it all!!! So, I cannot say anything but, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
I hope what I write is helpful to the reader.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION
If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth (book link at Xulon Press: https://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638 ). At Amazon the book link is https://www.amazon.com/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual/dp/1662828632 . I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book. The link to my website for the book is https://thesalvationmeter.com .
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
… please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.
God’s Plan of Salvation
In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve sinned, whereby sin was passed down to all of humankind so that we became sinners separated from God. Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.
Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice and exhausted God’s wrath against every believer. He now calls all unbelievers to repent of their sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save them.
If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.
Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.
“Sinner’s Prayer”
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!
(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).
RESOURCES
NET Bible, Full Notes Edition (1996, 2019), Biblical Studies Press, LLC
NIV Cultural Background Study Bible, (2016), Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI
ESV Study Bible, (2008), Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL
The MacArthur Study Bible, (1997), Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN
The NIV Study Bible, (1985), Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI
ESV Thompson Chain Reference Bible, (2016), Zondervan, MI
Expositor’s Study Bible, Crossfire Edition, (2013), Jimmy Swaggert Ministries, Baton Rouge, LA
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