Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 1 Corinthians 1:31

"that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." — 1 Corinthians 1:31 (ASV)

Instead of boasting, redeemed people must realize that salvation is all of God’s grace: it is because of his effective plan that they are in saving union with Christ (cf. Jn 15:1-7; Romans 5:12–21). This saving relationship is a true one because Christ has been made for us wisdom from God, so that through him we have come to know God (14:6–9) and are made “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:14–17). Paul shifts from “you” to “we” to make certain the readers understand that all Christians, including himself, have this vital union with Christ.

Paul adds other effects or results of our union with Christ: he is righteousness, sanctification, and redemption for us. These concepts are best seen as explanatory of God’s wise plan that is effective in the substitutionary atonement. Christ has become our righteousness, having our sin on himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). He has become our sanctification, having made possible our growth in grace in the Christian life (Romans 8:9–10; Ephesians 2:8–10; 2 Peter 3:18). He is our redemption—the one by whom we have been delivered from sin (Romans 3:24), the devil, hell, and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55–57).

Because of God’s gracious provision of salvation in this way, all praise must go to the Lord. To strengthen this conclusion, Paul appeals to the authority of an OT quotation (Jeremiah 9:24), using it in condensed form. In OT times as in NT times, it was the duty of saved people to glory in the Lord for his great salvation.